Creative Writing Workshop
There’s something about the act of writing that eases the mind and frees the soul. That may be why so many people turn to self-expression with the written word in times of stress, pain, and confusion. At Melrose Recovery Center we offer creative writing workshops that will foster your creativity and give you an audience for your written work. Whether you are just beginning and might be unsure of your written expression or you are seasoned in your skill as a writer, you can always benefit from the opportunity to express yourself and hear what others think. You will be able to learn and receive feedback on your writing, in a safe, non-judgmental environment.
During your substance abuse recovery, you have had times of turmoil and distress. Creative writing may become an essential tool to aid in your recovery by helping you to keep moving forward. Take charge of your thoughts and write a creative piece about your experiences. By forcing yourself to express your emotions in writing you will get a better hold on your experiences and be able to move past them.
What you may not be able to say out loud, you may be able to express in a story or play with characters and circumstances of your own creation. You may be able to achieve a new peace of mind and understanding as you look at your situation from the outside and try to put it into writing. Writing about traumatic, stressful or emotional events has been found to improve both physical and psychological health.
In the workshops at Melrose Recovery Center, you will find a network of others who share your interests and some of your experiences. It’s through the different experiences of others that you will receive the most benefit. They can give you feedback on your writing from their point of view and their experiences. Writing is a great thing to have in common with others.
You may be pushed beyond your comfort zone and stretched to new levels of accomplishment. The main focus of our workshops is to give you an outlet for self-expression while developing your skills as a writer, to develop strength from weaknesses.
Practice is essential to the development of your overall skill. Every time you write something creatively, you are not only learning something about writing, but you are learning something about yourself.
Other benefits of a writer’s workshop will be the development of your analytical skills and your editing skills. Most of our workshops use peer review critique where writers read and comment on the work of the other writers. The skills you learn as you participate will in turn make your writing improve.
You will find that others can give you valuable feedback on your work. If something isn’t working you can change it, or not. You are the one in charge of your creative work. But even subtle changes sometimes can give you the desired impact of your work on others.
Making small changes can sometimes help you to create more believable characters and plotlines. If the majority of your readers are grasping at different messages than you intended, you can go back and edit your writing until you get the reaction you intended from your readers. Your peers in the workshop can act as a sample audience for you to test your work.
As your work is critiqued you will be able to give constructive criticism on the work of others. You will need to learn how to say things in a constructive way that will allow another writer to grow productively. Offering suggestions in a helpful way to give them direction in improving their work will not only help your editing skills but your people skills as well.
Our workshops will help you to learn, to share, to socialize, and they will push your creative writing boundaries. What are you waiting for? Call today to sign up, (855) 512-5033.