Workshops
Writing Week and Workshop tickets are now available. All other tickets for the 2024 Festival will be on sale May 15th.
As well as the solo sessions, Main Stage panels, and two five day intensive Writing Weeks, the Denman’s Readers and Writers Festival always offers small group workshops for attendees who want to devote 3 hours to a particular topic.
This year, three workshops will be presented—by invited authors Ian Ferguson, Will Ferguson and Iona Whishaw.
Here’s a brief description of each workshop to pique the interest of loyal Festival-goers as well as those coming to the Festival for the first time.
Cost of workshops: $80
Class limit: 10
Location: Community School
Ian Ferguson – Thursday July 18, 2024, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Writing Funny – how to create humour from observation, everyday occurrences, and an outsider’s perspective. Ian Ferguson will lead a workshop dealing with the effects of exaggeration, the importance of a well-constructed premise, and how different viewpoints create comedy. In addition to learning a bit, participants will also laugh a lot.
Will Ferguson – Thursday July 18, 2024, 2:00 – 5:00 pm
Travel Writing & the Elements of Fiction – Will Ferguson worked as a travel writer for 25 years, even after making the transition to fiction, and many of the same aspects are at play in both: the artful use of the telling detail, character revealed through dialogue, establishing a consistent tone and voice, and crafting a sense of place. In this workshop, he will outline the key differences between the two while zeroing in on the way the two forms of writing often employ the same techniques.
For an example of Will’s travel writing, which he will reference in the workshop, participants can see his recent feature on Iceland for Zoomer Magazine:
Iona Whishaw – Thursday July 18, 2024. 2:00 – 5:00 pm
In this workshop, Writing Engaging Characters, we will explore together what an engaging character is. What is that person like? How do we know what they are like? When we meet a character we feel engaged with in a book, what is the writer actually doing here? You will have an opportunity to write a scene without the usual safety nets of pre-plotting, or ‘character development’ exercises. Sharing could occur. Come with writing materials and the willingness to take risks!
Cancellation Policy: We regret we cannot reimburse registration fees beyond 2 weeks prior to the workshop date.
With only ten slots in each workshop, it is highly recommended to register as early as possible. Be part of Festival 2024 and take one or more of these workshops!