Week 4 (Missed the beginning of this writer’s workshop? Check out Week 1, Week 2 and Week 3!)

I’ve been really enjoying reading your work and seeing how well some of you are doing with the writing prompts. I’m encouraged that so many of you are taking part and making a commitment to improve your writing. But this week’s workshop starts with some news that might be a bit of a downer:

Writing is hard.

Really hard.

I’m not trying to make any of you feel discouraged here. Precisely the opposite, in fact. I’m trying to bust the illusion that writing has to be easy to be any good.  I want to push away the notion that writers merrily sit back while the story just flows onto the page, line after perfect line, paragraph followed by perfect paragraph, plot slotting into place, characters fleshy and real.

Real writers find out pretty fast that you have to earn the good days.

Read the rest here – and post your own writing on Wattpad.

Today I start a series of free workshops on Wattpad (see below to read the opening of the first class and click on it to read the rest).  After the digital storytelling workshop I went to the other day, I was very excited to see a transmedia tale from Wattpad being held up as an example of the possibilities of digital publishing – Aisling’s Summer Diary.  It’s a mixture of text, video, web all based around a good, solid story.  So, enjoy the workshop, enjoy the story, enjoy the fun of Wattpad, and see where today takes you…

Welcome to the Wattpad Workshop Series!

These are workshops for Wattpad writers who want to be inspired and challenged. You’ll come away with new ideas, new techniques and, most importantly, you’ll generate lots of new writing. The workshops run every Monday on the Wattpad Blog and all you have to do to join in is read the post and get writing – post your writing on the Weekly Workshop Series Discussion Thread!

• May 28th-June 25th – Ideas, Inspiration and Overcoming Writer’s Block
• July 2nd-July 30th – Character – The Pulsing Heart of a Good Story
• August 6th-Sept 3rd – Dialogue – Hear Those Voices On The Page
• Sept 10th-Oct 8th – Take It To A New Level – Fixes For Your Fiction
• Oct 15th-Nov 12th – Kickstart Your Writing – Trying New Things To Fuel Your Writing

Week 1

There are so many things to learn as a writer that it’s sometimes hard to know where to start, especially when that creative fire is burning inside and you just want to get words down.

The idea behind having this course came to me because I want to share some of the things I’ve learned as a writer (and, believe me, I’m still learning lots too) to make it easier for you to write all the stories, poems, and novels you can.

Every week, I’m going to post on some aspect of writing and finish up with a writing prompt. These first five posts will focus on where ideas come from, what to do when you’re stuck, and how to get inspired. So, let’s get started.

For those of you lucky enough to live in Saskatoon, there’s a great poetry workshop coming up with a local author I admire – he’s dynamic and a great performer.  See the details below:

To the Beat: A Slam Poetry Workshop

Where: 205 A Pacific Ave (Dance Saskatchewan Building)

Date: June 9^th

Time: 10:00am-1:00pm

Cost: $35 (for SWG members) and $45 (non-members)

This workshop is an introduction to slam poetry and spoken word from one of Saskatchewan’s premier spoken word artists, Charles Hamilton. Spoken word is the fastest growing art form in Canada, but what is spoken word? What are these funny competitions called poetry slams? How do you put a score on a subjective work of art? Participants will learn the principles behind writing and reading spoken word and the differences between spoken word and other forms of poetry. This is a hands-on workshop where participants will have the opportunity to craft a spoken word poem and present their work for critical evaluation to their peers and instructor.

Charles Hamilton is a spoken word artist and journalist based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.  He is the Executive Director and Slam Master of Tonight It’s Poetry, Saskatoon’s only weekly poetry series.  He is the three time captain of the Saskatoon Slam Team and has featured his work in venues across Canada, sharing his poetry everywhere from high school classrooms to music festivals. In 2009 he represented Saskatoon at the Individual World Poetry Slam Championship in Berkeley California.  Hamilton has shared the stage with such spoken word legends as C.R. Avery, Shane Koyscan and Mike McGee.  When he is not performing poetry, Hamilton is features writer with the StarPhoenix newspaper in Saskatoon. He has one self-published chapbook titled Eulogies.