Our Hooks & Lines Summer Writing Workshop Series in partnership with Carteret Community College’s Life Enrichment program kicked off May 15. I already feel enriched after just two evenings in the company of the local (and not-so-local) writers in attendance. As a host and a participant, I’m getting the best of both worlds. While I enjoy writing, I really enjoy encouraging other writers. It makes me feel like I’m reciprocating some of the care and encouragement that I’ve been fortunate enough to receive from my husband Jack, from more experienced writers in CW like Tom Kies and Jan Parker, and from all my writing friends – you know who you are (and thanks to this community there are too many to number in a relatively short blog post).

The Host’s Perspective: Thinking like a Writer

In our first workshop, my goal was to create a space for thinking about writing: what it’s good for, how to make time for it, what we want out of it, etc. We explored the habits of some famous and infamous authors, and we imagined being interviewed after achieving fame and fortune for our most recent bestsellers. We brainstormed book titles and even wrote some back cover blurbs. The writers were fun and imaginative, which made the whole experience a joy for me and left me feeling even more excited about our creative community. I posted all the resources and prompts on my website if you couldn’t make it and want to DIY your own workshop at home.

Slide from Thinking Like a Writer. (Side note: We decided in class that Hunter S. Thompson is not the best model of time management for writers.)

The Guest’s Perspective: Fiction from Real Life

Last night, I had the pleasure of participating in Tom’s workshop on using real life to inspire fiction alongside one very excited Geneva Chase fan, who flew in from Chicago just to have the experience of attending the workshop! Tom shared how he has found inspiration for stories in the lives of friends, in the headlines, and in his own experiences, offering the encouraging insight that we’re surrounded by material for our craft. We also had the opportunity to try our hands at writing scenes based on our own recent experiences, which resulted in thoroughly engaging and unexpected narratives during the sharing portion of the workshop.

What’s next?

Enjoy your long Memorial Day weekend! We’ll have no workshops this Monday, May 30. Workshops restart on Monday, June 5.

  • Monday, June 5: Writing creative non-fiction with Emily Carter
  • Monday, June 12: Writing poetry with Emily Carter
  • Monday, June 19: Transforming a scene into a script with Tom Kies
  • Monday, June 26: Author marketing with me

And then what?

Heather Boney, CCC’s Life Enrichment coordinator has already had requests for another Carteret Writers Workshop Series in the fall, so if you missed this one, you’ll have another chance coming up in a couple of months. If you want to stay abreast of opportunities like these to connect with your local writing community, subscribe to the CW Blog and/or our Events page.

If you participated in one or both workshops, tell me how they’ve enriched your writing practice in the Comments. I’d love to hear from you.