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Thursday 16 July 2015

Learning to Write Like a Grrrl

On 4th July I attended The Write Like A Grrrl one day workshop in Liverpool Central Library ran by For Book’s Sake.

For Book’s Sake are an organisation formed in 2010, who champion women writers of all backgrounds and career levels. Their aim is to create a community that centres, supports and champions’ women and girls, with focus on writing.

Image - For Book's Sake

I’ve followed them on twitter for a while and when I saw they had tweeted about a workshop they were running, I debated for a while as to whether I should go or not. I had a whole list of reasons why I shouldn’t (What if I make a show of myself? What if it’s full of people who are better writers/better educated/better read then I am etc..). With a gentle nudge from my husband, I decided to just go for it and booked my place.

The Write Like A Grrrl course is dedicated to encouraging and teaching women who want to write (or are already writing), and is open to self-identifying women of all ages. It runs as a six week course, and also as one day intensive workshops.

Image - Jane Claire Bradley.com

The day I attended in Liverpool was led by Jane Bradley, the founder and director of For Book’s Sake. Jane is a published author and has also experience in editing, which made her ideal for taking us through the writing process. Whilst I was a bit anxious to meet her in person after interacting on twitter, she could not have been lovelier. She put us all at ease, whilst keeping the course content on track.

The course took us through the writing process, helping us to explore key areas such as characterisation, setting and dialogue, and helping us break down the barriers that stop us from writing. There was opportunity for discussion with Jane and the other attendees on the course and it was really positive that there was such an open dialogue.

I came away from the course, not only with pages of notes, but with the beginnings of several new pieces of writing and a confidence in my ability as a writer I lost a long time ago. I walked straight to the nearest stationery shop once the course ended and bought myself a new notebook and a pack of pens. I have since been filling that notebook with bits of writing and ideas, and I carry it everywhere with me. 

Write Like a Grrl was such a rewarding experience. It helped me recover my writing mojo and it has given me a new confidence and bags of motivation. I can’t quite believe that one day has made such a difference! Jane has helped me believe in myself as a writer again, and since the course I have been working on a new short story and planning a whole bunch of posts for my blog. I highly recommend the workshop and I am hoping that at some point I’ll be able to get to a three day course!


Me sporting my Velvet Volcano necklace for the occasion 


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