Learn to leap across boundaries and balance on ledges to create memorable scenes, chapters, features or articles.
As writers we have so many skills, but rigid notions of genre often deter us from letting our writing flow free. By breaking boundaries, and untaming the muse, we discover what each piece really wants to be.
Using skills inherent to poetry – making maximum impact with minimal words – you will both learn to let your writing fly; and how to rein it in, to create structured, intentional pieces.
What is the role of instinct in this dance between freedom and a final structured piece? Not only must boundaries be broken and transgressed; but good editing reinstates new ones – with intention and purpose.
What will you do in the workshop?
There will be lots of short-burst exercises for graduated skill-building. We will use these skills on standardised samples, as well as pieces of your own writing, to explore possibilities. Discussion and sharing of work will be encouraged.
What can participants expect?
You will be sent materials in advance. You will choose a piece of your own writing to bring to the session. We will activate prior knowledge, and extend it through examining genre-fluid pieces, by writers including Tishani Doshi and Kei Miller. We’ll work through a toolkit for you to take away and progress a piece of your own writing to submit for feedback from the tutor.
Who is the opportunity for?
All fiction or non-fiction writers who wish to make their prose more engaging and intentional. Poets wishing to transfer their skills to prose.
What do you need to take part?
You will need a device with a webcam and microphone and the Zoom app installed. Please visit https://zoom.us/ to download it. We will also email you instructions to get you started. During the session you will also need a notepad and pen.
Pay what you can
As part of our our ongoing commitment to support the writing community, we ask participants to pay what they can to attend the workshop with variables of £10, £5 or FREE ticket options.
Waiting list
This event is now sold out. If you’d like to be put on the waiting list please email Aliya Gulamani at [email protected].
About Merrie
Merrie Joy Williams
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Merrie Joy Williams is a poet, novelist, reviewer and book editor. An English teacher for many years, she currently tutors and mentors creative writing. She was a poet-in-residence at MMU’s Special Collections, and has been published in The Interpreter’s House, and The Good Journal amongst other publications. A London Writers’ Award alumni, she is a recipient of Arts Council England awards for her debut novel, and her second poetry collection-in-progress, which explores aspects of her roots, including being fostered as an infant. Her debut poetry collection, Open Windows was released in 2019 (Waterloo Press).