Writing workshops are most effective with a small group of students.
Cost per hour is generally the same as a presentation.
Don't see what you're looking for? Contact us. Our presenters love the challenge of developing new workshops.
Workshops can be modified for specific student groups, like gifted, basic, adult and so on.
Kari-Lynn Winters is
an assistant professor of literacy and drama at Brock University as
well as an award-winning author and educator. She offers an array
of interactive literacy workshops for participants of all ages, including: An Author’s craft: writing with and beyond words; Moving between writing genres; Writing humour; The how, now, wow, pow of picture book writing: Writing, children’s literature and drama. Maximum participants: 40
Jennifer Lanthier: Offers writing workshops on writing mysteries. Also writing fiction vs non-fiction (hint: there's not as much difference as you might think!) Maximum participants: 25
Helaine Becker: Who says writing an essay isn’t fun? In this squirting flower of a
workshop, gifted students will learn the art of essay writing through
humour. Essays are structured exactly like jokes, comic strips or
comedian’s monologues, so we use examples of each to teach the fine art
of explication. Students will begin the workshop by learning how to
write their own stand up comedy routine or to create a slapstick clown
act. Then we’ll use the same principles to illustrate the steps of
creating an effective essay that includes an introduction, body
paragraphs with a topic sentence and three examples, and a wrap it up
conclusion. Maximum participants: 30
Nancy Belgue: My workshops for students in grades 3 to 8 explore the creative process and are tailored for each age group. Depending on the time allowed, I cover topics such as: The Creative Spark - where do story ideas come from? Exploring Character - what makes a character real and memorable? Understanding Plot - No problem? No plot. Creating a Setting - Why setting is more than just a backdrop to your story. Maximum participants: 15
Matt Beam: I do a one-hour or two-hour session in the morning or afternoon.
In my workshops, I do a range of activities and lessons on writing,
editing, and publishing:- Broken Pencil: an editing lesson that is a written, more complex version of Broken Telephone
- Subtract to Add: a fun activity demonstrating that, in writing, less is (often) more
- Truth and Lies: a discussion about fiction's thrilling balancing act
- Reading Faces: a cool way to find your inner artist, as well as the hook to your next story
- A Life Rearranged: how to draw on your own life experiences without getting caught!
- So You Think You Want to Be a Writer?: the professional publishing process revealed
If given a specific focus and enough time to react, I love coming
up with new creative ways to get students to put pen to paper or
fingers to keys. Maximum participants: 30
Jo Ellen Bogart: I have conducted writing workshops in a number of settings including the Montreal Young Authors Festival, public and private schools, and the Brantford Book Camp and had good responses from the students. I sometimes write, myself, while the students are writing and have found the stimulating atmosphere to work on me, as well as on the students. I like to emphasize plot, character, dialog and how they can fit together in a story. Maximum participants: 30
Marsha Skrypuch: As the founder of
Brantford Book Camp, I have organized week-long sessions of writing
workshops each August since 2002. I have also run Brantford Summer Writing Workshops for two years and was an instructor at the Humber School for Writers in 2007. My most popular workshops are:
- Self-editing techniques that students have fun doing. - Building characters from the inside out. - How to create a great villain. - Techniques for plunging a story into action - YOUR writing! In a lively question and answer session, Marsha listens to students' writing problems and suggests ways to resolve them. Maximum participants: 16 is ideal, but in a pinch I've done a modified workshop for up to 100.
Gail Nyoka:This workshop encourages
students to rethink, deconstruct and joke about the stories in their
lives and their family history, to think new thoughts, and to write
about them powerfully.
During the workshop, students
are given examples from existing books that illustrate how different
authors have deconstructed and reconstructed their lives through
words. Following the examples, the students write short scenes of
their own. The students are asked to use various words in new and
unusual ways.
Finally, students use the
previous exercises to put together a story taken from an event either
in their own life, or from their family history. Maximum participants: 30
Lesley Simpson is anewspaper journalist, picture book writer and a writing instructor. She gives hands-on writing workshops on a variety of topics. Maximum participants: 40
Richard Scrimger: workshops are definitely available. I am on the
faculty of the Humber College School For Writers. I offer an in-depth
interactive workshop with exercises and tips on plot structure and character
building for all grades. I also offer a writer-in-residence program,
working with class-sized groups over the course of several sessions to produce a
finished product. I also offer Grade 12 Writers' Craft
Workshops.
Don Aker : I offer writing
workshops for grades 7-12, but I require three weeks’ notice in order
to prepare.
Maximum participants
for student workshop: 25
