Writing workshops

Have you ever attended a writers’ workshop? Or been able to get honest feedback on your writing from other writers? It takes courage to do this, but if you are passionate about communicating well, attending a writers’ workshop is a wonderful thing.

My first experience of a writers’ workshop was at a week-long event held by our mission in Hong Kong in 2010. It was an amazing week. I met others who were serious about writing. We laughed together and learned together. That week, I spent about 20 hours writing in silence. Our three boys were all under 12 at that point, and I hadn’t had such a lengthy period for writing for more than a decade. It invigorated me and left me wanting more.

I came away from that workshop with a vision for helping missionaries write their own stories. At the time, I couldn’t see a way to make that happen, but now I look back and see that it has happened anyway. Through this magazine and through the work I do with OMF’s website, I’ve been able to use my editing skills more than my writing skills to help many people tell the small stories that make up the fabric of life.

One of my favourite aspects of a writers’ workshop is getting live feedback from other writers. This is a rare experience, but one that can be valuable. Therefore, it’s something that I incorporated into each of the writer’s workshops I facilitated for JEMA between 2011 and 2014.

Have you ever thought about doing a writing retreat? Or getting together with other writers for the purpose of writing? You can do this in a lot of simple ways, ranging from taking a day away from your usual routine to write at a coffee shop to gathering for a weekend with a group of two or three writers who can help you stay accountable.

Taking time out of a busy schedule to write is hard to do. A writing workshop or retreat helps you set this time aside. Perhaps it would get you started on a project that you’ve been wanting to do for some time but can never squeeze into a daily routine.

I noticed in this year’s JEMA budget that there is still money allocated for running writers’ workshops. I’m wondering if anyone might be interested in attending if we organised one. Please let me know if you are.