What: Feeding the Seed: Growing the Brand New Writer
When: Every Wednesday evening, starting Jan. 28
Where: Spring Creek Elementary School
Cost: $120
Are you an aspiring wordsmith who wants to tell a story, but
you just don’t know where to start? Well, the local writers club, better known
around town as the Vicious Circle, has just the ticket. They’ve developed a
special new workshop, designed with the novice writer in mind.
Stella Harvey helped found the Vicious Circle back in 2001,
with a vision to provide the writers in the Sea to Sky area with a forum to
develop their craft through networking and critique opportunities. They also
aim to offer professional development opportunities, and grow the literary arts
within the region.
“When we first started, it was a way to look at each others’
work and critique each others’ work,” Harvey explained.
Twenty-six people showed up to the first Vicious Circle meeting.
“It was incredible!” she said with a laugh.
Now, almost eight years later, the group has grown to include
about 150 writers of all ages, levels and abilities, some of whom have actually
left the area, but have continued to stay connected with the group. Group
members share information about paid writing opportunities, competitions and
other opportunities at their meetings.
“It keeps everyone connected, but after the first few years, we
noticed there were people who weren’t doing a lot of writing or couldn’t submit
work, and when you get to the point of critiquing work, it becomes a much more
intimate kind of work,” Harvey explained.
Critiquing is, of course, a very personal exercise, and it’s
better to have a consistent group of people giving feedback.
“We’ve started to sort of see that people have different
purposes in mind. So the larger group meets on a quarterly basis, and really
what we do is do some networking and some writing exercises,” she said. “Beyond
the larger group, there are two critique groups that have formed, and those
people meet once a month, and basically two or three people submit their work
for review, and the rest of the group will read it and comment on it and then
come together and comment on it.”
Now, they’re offering a new workshop, geared towards people who
are new to the craft.
“Feeding the Seed: Growing the Brand New Writer” is a six-week
writing course, featuring 1½-hour sessions at Spring Creek Elementary
School every Wednesday evening, starting on Jan. 28.
“Basically, I guess what we’ve seen as we’ve grown is that
there’s more of an interest from people who are interested in writing, but
haven’t done much writing, and they sort of see the group as perhaps more of a
professional group,” Harvey said, quickly adding that that isn’t the case, and
people need not be intimidated.
Either way, Harvey and other members of the Vicious Circle have
decided to add this new workshop in hopes that they can draw more would-be
writers out of the woodwork and into their group.
“It was also a way to incubate another group of writers behind
us, so that you’d get more participation both in the Writer in Residence
program in September, as well as in the (Readers and Writers Festival),” she
added.
“…There are a lot of people out there who would like to write
and are interested in writing, but just don’t know how to get started, and
hopefully this course will allow that.”
The new course is being taught by Rebecca Wood-Barrett, a
well-known local author who has also been with the Vicious Circle since its
inception. Aside from her academic credentials, she also has taught at the
group’s annual Readers and Writers Festival for the past few years, and has had
experience with a range of writing genres — fiction, non-fiction,
screenwriting and children’s literature.
“I suppose I’ve always had that writer inside me, somewhere,”
Wood-Barrett pondered.
A voracious reader from a young age, writing was a natural
career choice, though Wood-Barrett originally obtained a film degree from
Ryerson.
“During those years, I didn’t really have time to read or
write, except for writing scripts, and then the day I graduated, I just started
writing fiction and I haven’t really stopped since!”
While she now focuses mainly on short stories, she is also
currently participating in UBC’s online Masters of Fine Arts program.
“Joining the writers group in Whistler meant that I have other
people who I write with constantly,” she said, adding that their shared
experiences and writing backgrounds definitely add value and growth.
“…Having a broader range of ages and experiences does add a lot
to that pot.
“I was a new writer once, and I still say in many ways I’m
still an apprentice writer — you never stop learning — but it’s
exciting to teach people who are new because it’s a different approach,”
Wood-Barrett said. “It won’t be heavy on the craft. This program will be more
focused on how to get started writing, and how to overcome some of the blocks
to creativity.”
The course will be largely exercise-driven, as Wood-Barrett
will be focusing on getting over the hardest part of writing: actually sitting
down and putting the pen to paper.
“The people who have spoken to me about this have said, ‘you
know, what I really need is some assignment,’” Harvey said, adding that
deadlines and accountability will come along with the course.
The hope is that the course will be fun, and ultimately,
participants will walk away with material that they can continue to build on
through the critique groups and participation in other Vicious Circle program
offerings, like the annual Writer in Residence program and Readers and Writers
Festival.
So far, seven spots have been filled in the new workshop.
“I’m really happy with that, and hopefully we can sell out the 15 spaces,” Harvey said.