Whistler author Rebecca Wood Barrett presented a free creative writing workshop Throwing A Character Curveball through the Zoom meeting platform September 20th from 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. Participants were able to attend from the comfort of their own homes.
In the workshop, writers had the opportunity to come together to focus on an aspect of the writing craft, and do practice writing exercises. Rebecca publicized the event to Sea to Sky Communities (and beyond) by contacting local public libraries in Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton, local writers groups, newspapers, and advertising on Facebook. The event took place on a Zoom account, and participants registered through the Whistler Writing Society website, which ensured security for the online event. Once registered, participants received a link and password to join the workshop. Ali Terkelsen assisted by handling the technical aspects of the presentation, and we did a rehearsal before the event.
Workshop description: Find out how to move past your first ideas, and create character curveballs and hairpin turns that surprise and satisfy. Come prepared to re-imagine and re-write any scene in your own work or story that features your protagonist.
27 participants signed up for the workshop, which was interactive with Q&A peppered throughout, and several writing exercises. One was called Reversing Motives, in which writers picked a character in a project they were working on, made a list of what he or she is trying to accomplish, and a list of their motives. then the writer picked the last reason on their list, and rewrote a scene, sending their character into action (or avoidance) foremost and primarily for the reason they circled. Students said they found the exercise useful as it helped them to move deeper into their characters, and consider sides to scenes that they hadn’t thought of before.
Included below is a link to the event on YouTube.
The Whistler Writing Society has posted the video available on their YouTube channel for people to attend the workshop in the future.
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