Do you want to try your hand at writing, but feel daunted by the idea? Are you a veteran author needing a fresh perspective? Or maybe you simply enjoy listening to writers showcase the fruits of the labour?
If you said yes to any of the above, the Point Artist-Run Centre's (PARC) upcoming workshop Saturday might pique your interest. Each of this year's three writers-in-residence: Rebecca Wood Barrett, Laura Sharp and Bronwyn Preece, are on deck to facilitate a session.
Preece will go first at noon with "Writing the Poetics of this Place". An experienced artist, she is known for poetry that connects with nature and authors from a deeply-rooted sense of place, which she'll share with guests.
Whistler Writers Festival (WWF) director Wood Barrett goes next at 1:45 p.m. to lead "Throwing a Character Curveball."
"This event is based on some of my own learning and some of my own experiences in writing characters," she reveals. "When we start out with a character, they're not fully formed. We have a rough idea…but if we don't push the character and develop different sides of them, they stay a bit flat or even cliche. No writer ever wants to be accused of being cliche. Often our first ideas do kind of fall into that [zone]...and we might be tricking ourselves into thinking they're really original. The [goal] is to help writers move past those first ideas."
At 3:30 p.m., Sharp takes the helm of "Breathe Your Way to Creativity" which relates breath work to activating one's imagination. Wood Barrett describes her as a "brave" performer who connects emotionally with her audience both on stage and on the page.
The day culminates at 5:30 p.m., with all three creators doing a public reading of the original work they've developed during their residencies.
Mental space
One key advantage that a writing retreat offers is time. It's hard to make real progress on a book, poem or script if you're only putting in half an hour a day—or if the demands of routine life are constantly tugging on your mind.
Wood Barrett made serious progress on her current novel as of late, researching key topics and figuring out a high-level roadmap to direct the plot. She hopes that the PARC's May workshops will help others jumpstart their own creative processes as well.
"[These sessions] give you space to leave all of the fragments of life that we have to deal with every single day and completely focus on your work," she says. "For me, it's almost like going into a sensory deprivation chamber. You're leaving your cats, your kids, your work, the pieces of mail that sit on the counter, the phone ringing, the dishes that need to be done…you're leaving all of those things at your residence. Going to the Point is like walking into a sanctuary of peace, and it gives you the mental space to focus on your project."
When asked how she feels about presenting her latest material, Wood Barrett admits: "Slightly nerve wracking, because what I have to share is in the first draft form so it's going to be a little raw. First drafts are imperfect. However, I feel like what I have written has a lot of energy in it because of the very precious mental space given by being able to stay in the [PARC] and work there for four weeks."
Workshop passes cost $20 apiece or $45 for all three, while admission to the public reading is by donation. For more details, visit https://www.thepointartists.com/events/writers-workshop-reading-2025.
