The write way

Try out this creative writing prompt (courtesy of David Bester).

By Jacqueline Delange

For writers, nothing is more terrifying than the blank page. A simple sheet of paper seems to say, “You’re not good enough. You’re not an author.”

Sean Langley, a 37-year-old software programmer and amateur fiction writer, faced the blank page  about six months ago. He says he began to question his own writing and became discouraged.

“I pretty much blocked myself up because I was over-analysing what I was trying to put down on paper,” he said. “You’re banging your head against the page.”

Enter David Bester. The 39-year-old Toronto-area freelance writer and editor has facilitated a creative writing workshop called Start Writing since 2008. His goal is to help writers such as Langley grow by giving them a supportive environment.

“The reason that writing is difficult is because of the pressure that we put on ourselves. The act of writing is not hard. But we come to believe that it is.”

His workshop, which adheres to the Amherst Writers & Artists (AWA) method, prevents that internal pressure by providing an external support group. Bester knows this from personal experience, as he faced challenges in his own fictional writing.

“We’re programmed from a young age to believe that the writer’s task is solitary,” he said. “But when I went to my first session to work with other AWA facilitators, I found that writing with other people removed all of that pressure.”

Here’s how it works: a small group of up to 12 individuals gathers together in a circle, three hours a week for eight weeks. The workshop leader gives them a “prompt,” an object or idea, to get the creative juices flowing. After a few minutes, each person – including the leader -- reads their short story out loud and receives only positive feedback from the other group members.

(Watch David explain the workshop below)

Julia Gotz, a 50-year-old psychotherapist in Toronto, has attended two Start Writing workshops back-to-back this year. Her hands shook with anticipation as she received one of her first prompts. 

“It was a little block of wood with a colourful card attached to it,” she said. “So I wrote about writer’s block... When I read it and everyone was laughing and enjoying it, [which] was really nice to know.”

According to Bester, writers face many barriers besides writer’s block when trying new techniques and sharing them with others.

He’s heard it all, from writers ashamed of their spelling or grammar to those who speak English as a second language to writers who draw from very personal experiences and don’t want others to know. But in the end, he says it all comes down to psychological anxiety.

“It’s still revealing how their mind works. How we construct a story is very personal and people are hesitant to share that because they don’t want to be told it’s not good.”

But Langley says he walked through the door of his first session ready to share because he knew other group members would greet his ideas with acceptance.

“It was a friendly pressure,” he said. “It’s all positive feedback and it gave me an opportunity to see what people liked about the story.”

And because of the time limit for each exercise, participants don't get hung up on small imperfections.

Bester says this method also encourages participants to learn from other writers, which is how they improve.

“There are a lot of people who will tell you there is a right way to write poetry or to write a novel or to draw or to paint,” he said. “But what we generally respond to in art is that which feels fresh or new or original. The answer to that isn’t in a textbook.”

Instead, it’s in the group members. Langley found Start Writing’s collegial approach fresh and original because workshop leaders participate and share along with the group.

“It wasn’t some teacher up there saying, ‘You have to do it this way...’ It was a very positive way of helping to germinate the writing that was coming out and building up the confidence.”

Gotz notes how listening to others read also prevents members from judging a book by its cover.

“You start in a new group, you look around and you make your little assumptions about people,” she said. “And then you see someone else express something so rich and interesting and unexpected.”

The workshop methods can translate to other facets of life besides creative writing. As a psychotherapist, Gotz recommends the workshop’s practices as a way for individuals to find their own voice. She plans to return to the workshop again and offer meditative writing exercises to her own clients.

“Many of us get into habits in our relationships and friendships where we go in patterns and we don’t necessarily listen to each other that well or feel listened to,” she said. “The writing group renews that interest to hear what others have to say.”

By receiving and offering positive feedback in a safe environment, both Langley and Gotz have seen their personal voices develop with confidence, which Gotz says has brought her joy.

“I feel like I’m getting a little freer and my own voice is getting a little clearer to me,” she said.