Creative Writing Workshops

Aberdeen

Transformative Nature: Creative Writing Workshop

Tuesday 21st March 2023 – 6pm to 8pm

Foodstory Cafe (first floor), Thistle Street, Aberdeen

…Ah, it’s over, sorry!

Local writer Amelia Starling led a fabulous exercise based on her work with Italian folklore, then the rest of the session was open writing time, with lots of chatting, sharing ideas and our various creative journeys / hang-ups.

Thanks for coming and for sharing your wildly creative responses to the walnuts!

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Here’s the rough format for future, open writing workshops*:

Join us for a friendly and supportive workshop where anything goes: fiction, poetry, spoken word, personal / life writing, hybrid, experimental, or any form you want to create.

During this workshop we’ll draw inspiration from nature, myth, folklore, science, society and philosophy to connect with the regenerative possibilities of the world beyond our heads.

We’ll generate ideas, tear them up, grow our souls, write wee pieces, share reflections and respond to others’ work encouragingly, in a celebration of the creative process and ourselves in constant flux.

There will be plenty of creative prompts, pictures, objects and books to browse for inspiration, and prose guidelines for complete beginners.

Please book in advance

Complete beginners to seasoned writers very welcome – For adults

*The upcoming structured workshops and those designed specifically to meet clients’ needs will have different formats, depending on the aims of the sessions.

To book or for any questions, contact gayle@gayleburgoyne.com.

Please note: This is an in-person and entirely analog event. No writing on laptops, tablets or other magic button devices, sorry! We’ll be strengthening the link between mind and body by writing in an embodied way. Bring paper, pencils, pens, crayons, whatever you want to work with; even a stack of magazines if you prefer to collage or illustrate.

For complete beginners, those who haven’t written in a while or are terrified of the blank page, because this workshop is for all levels I won’t be teaching techniques or methods, but there will be plenty of props, prompts and prose guidelines to use as you need. And I’ll be around for questions afterwards (and in advance on email). There are no daft questions when it comes to writing, so feel free to ask anything! There will also be various story structure resources, including the 5-act structure I developed while writing a YA novel, for you to take away. Plus a ton of origami.

For questions about the actual venue and its facilities, it’s best to contact Foodstory. The cafe is open until 8pm. Unfortunately there’s no lift to the first floor space.

Rough timings (though they might change on the night!):

6:00 to 6:15 Welcome, and intro to the prompts and inspiration tables

6:15 to 7:00 Writing exercise, and sharing reflections or work in small groups

7:00 to 8:00 Browsing for inspiration, having a chat, writing for as little or as long as you want, getting drinks or food from the café, and sharing reflections in small groups