Is one of your New Year’s resolutions to explore creative writing? Then a weekend workshop set for January 27 & 28 at the Arbor Gallery Cultural Centre in Vankleek Hill will provide the stimulation you need to put your resolution into action.
Author, playwright and short story writer, Bonnie Laing has designed the workshop to help beginning writers get started, as well as to guide those already writing on how to shape and improve their skills and ideas. The fee is $200 for the total fourteen hour session over two days.
“The focus will be on what participants feel they need to unlock their imaginations, stimulate creativity and write their stories,” explains Ms. Laing. “Through discussion, examples and exercises we will cover key elements such as getting started, finding inspiration and maintaining motivation. As well, participants will work on the practical aspects of story-telling – plot development, ‘telling’ imagery, dialogue and character development.”
Participants can also submit their work-in-progress in advance on a voluntary basis, to be critiqued in a positive and encouraging way by the instructor, and by the group if they choose.
“Seeing what works in other people’s writing helps in developing your own work,” says Laing, who is the former coordinator of the Creative Writing Program at Ryerson University in Toronto and who has conducted four other successful creative writing workshops in the area. Writing resources such as writing guides, Canadian literary magazines which accept stories, and tips for publishing are included in the fee.
“In the past, the Arbor Gallery was primarily a visual arts venue,” notes Laing. “But it is now evolving into a centre for all the arts.” It is located at 36 Home Ave, Vankleek Hill.
Bonnie Laing is the author of River Reel, a novel published by Sumach Press, and Marble Season, a collection of linked short stories published by Oberon Press. She is the author of four plays, one of which, Peggy & Grace, had 20 professional productions across Canada. Her latest play, Phoebe’s Gift, premiered in August 2016 in Hudson. Her short stories have been published in numerous literary magazines in Canada and her non-fiction articles have appeared in the Globe & Mail, the Ottawa Citizen, the Toronto Star and Toronto Life.
Enrollment in the workshop is limited. To enroll or for more information, please contact Bonnie Laing at [email protected] or at (613) 678-5307.
