Writing Workshops: It's More Than Just Words
10/21/15
I know the importance of words. I know how it changes lives in a powerful way. I know because it changed mine.
I fell in love with them at four. Sitting in my father's wing-back chair, holding the Long Island Press newspaper which was nearly as big as I was, I would 'read' the daily from front-to-back, though I couldn't understand most of the words.
At twelve, I began to write stories. As an adult, I signed my first book contract with a mainstream publisher. In between was a journey of self-discovery, finding out who I was and where I fit in the world. Words had opened my world. Writing changed it for the better.
That’s why I take my writing workshops so seriously. Like a mother hen, I prepare, plan, check, pack, design, configure, re-check, double check and study the itinerary at a half a dozen angles to make sure the flow is strong, engaging and inspiring.
I fuss over food selections and the order of the writing exercises, visualizing in my mind what the experience will be like for my participants. I take ‘me’ out of the event and make it about the people gathered, because I understand the power of the written word.
In truth, writing is about so much more than just putting words onto paper.
It can break through mental and emotional blocks. It can peel back the layers of long forgotten hurts, allowing a true healing to begin. It uncovers the soul of a person, allowing them to get to the root of who they are, while placing a newly found spark of purpose deep within their being. I’ve seen it happen many times in my workshops.
I’ve witnessed by-the-book Type ‘A’ personalities open themselves up to the imaginative realm of a Type ‘B.’ I watched deep personal truths be shared without fear and shame, allowing a true unburdening for the first time in someone's life. I’ve seen how a simple writing exercise revealed aspects of a person they didn’t know existed and experienced novices arrive with one story idea, but leave with one that’s deeper, more purposed and authentically their own.
Joyfully I celebrated when someone who had never written in their life, began to craft sentences worthy of a sage writer—the joy on their faces—immeasurable beyond words and been the recipient of tearful gratitude because, thru my workshop, someone overcome a huge obstacle in their life.
That’s why writing workshops are important to me, why I fuss over the simplest of detail and go that extra mile. Writing changes lives. It empowers, uplifts and inspires. It gives us hope, challenges us to be more, allows healing and offers the chance to share with the world.
We are, by nature, communicable people. We live and learn through our own experiences as well as through the eyes of others. There are few avenues greater for sharing than the written word. I believe that everyone should get the chance to do so and writing workshops are a wonderful and powerful place to start…
I fell in love with them at four. Sitting in my father's wing-back chair, holding the Long Island Press newspaper which was nearly as big as I was, I would 'read' the daily from front-to-back, though I couldn't understand most of the words.
At twelve, I began to write stories. As an adult, I signed my first book contract with a mainstream publisher. In between was a journey of self-discovery, finding out who I was and where I fit in the world. Words had opened my world. Writing changed it for the better.
That’s why I take my writing workshops so seriously. Like a mother hen, I prepare, plan, check, pack, design, configure, re-check, double check and study the itinerary at a half a dozen angles to make sure the flow is strong, engaging and inspiring.
I fuss over food selections and the order of the writing exercises, visualizing in my mind what the experience will be like for my participants. I take ‘me’ out of the event and make it about the people gathered, because I understand the power of the written word.
In truth, writing is about so much more than just putting words onto paper.
It can break through mental and emotional blocks. It can peel back the layers of long forgotten hurts, allowing a true healing to begin. It uncovers the soul of a person, allowing them to get to the root of who they are, while placing a newly found spark of purpose deep within their being. I’ve seen it happen many times in my workshops.
I’ve witnessed by-the-book Type ‘A’ personalities open themselves up to the imaginative realm of a Type ‘B.’ I watched deep personal truths be shared without fear and shame, allowing a true unburdening for the first time in someone's life. I’ve seen how a simple writing exercise revealed aspects of a person they didn’t know existed and experienced novices arrive with one story idea, but leave with one that’s deeper, more purposed and authentically their own.
Joyfully I celebrated when someone who had never written in their life, began to craft sentences worthy of a sage writer—the joy on their faces—immeasurable beyond words and been the recipient of tearful gratitude because, thru my workshop, someone overcome a huge obstacle in their life.
That’s why writing workshops are important to me, why I fuss over the simplest of detail and go that extra mile. Writing changes lives. It empowers, uplifts and inspires. It gives us hope, challenges us to be more, allows healing and offers the chance to share with the world.
We are, by nature, communicable people. We live and learn through our own experiences as well as through the eyes of others. There are few avenues greater for sharing than the written word. I believe that everyone should get the chance to do so and writing workshops are a wonderful and powerful place to start…
Margaret will be giving a workshop in Spring 2018. If you would like to know more about it, click here, or email her at [email protected]