Creative writing: setting limits, using feelings, reflecting

The workshop “Creative writing: setting limits, using feelings, reflecting” aims to enhance participants’ creative writing skills through sensory descriptions, personal exploration, and collaborative exercises. The objectives include capturing present moments using sensory details, exploring individual writing styles, familiarizing with creative writing techniques, and improving self-expression.

The workshop aims to enhance creative writing skills and self-expression among participants, particularly migrant women, by using sensory descriptions and collaborative exercises. Through the storytelling approach participants will capture and convey present moments, explore personal writing preferences, and develop a deeper self-awareness. his inclusive approach supports participants in expressing their thoughts and feelings more tangibly and effectively, promoting social inclusion and empowerment.

The workshop was initially developed for Ukrainian female refugees living in Athens. Still, it is suitable for diverse groups of learners and age groups.

The objectives of the workshop are for the participants:

• to use sensory descriptions to capture and convey a present moment;
• to explore personal writing preferences and styles;
• To enhance creative writing skills through collaborative exercises;
• to get acquainted with creative writing techniques;
• to use creative writing as a way to express oneself and feelings;
• to practise expressing their thoughts more tangibly and effectively.

The materials needed for this workshop are a pencil or pen and erasers, a piece of paper or notebooks and writing pads available for all the participants. Also, a flipchart will be useful for the facilitator to explain the steps of the activity.

The facilitator should select a location for the workshop that is a space considered safe by all participants. A place that provides a physically and emotionally safe environment for all participants, especially a place where people can freely express themselves without fear of prejudice or any negative judgment. The process of sharing personal information may be stressful for some of the participants, so the facilitator should be alert to understand any inconvenience, take the lead and handle the situation.

In addition, the facilitator should have a familiarity with using creative writing techniques in order to be able to explain the necessary steps, the techniques and the creative process.

1. Participants introduce themselves and briefly share their writing experience.
2. Participants discuss their preferences: Do they prefer writing with specific constraints (limits) or with complete creative freedom (no limits)? This discussion sets the tone for understanding different writing approaches and prepares participants for the exercise.
3. Each participant writes down one sensory detail on separate pieces of paper: one thing to hear, one thing to see, one thing to touch and one thing to smell.
4. The papers are passed along to the next participant, ensuring that everyone receives a new set of sensory prompts from others in the group.
5. Using the sensory prompts received, each participant writes a short essay or impression of the festival they are currently experiencing. The aim is to describe the festival “here and now” using the sensory details to create a vivid and immersive narrative.
6. Participants take turns sharing their essays with the group and engage in a group discussion about the different perspectives and styles, focusing on how the sensory details influenced their writing and the overall depiction of the festival.

The final step of the workshop includes the evaluation phase. Participants take turns sharing their essays with the group and engage in a group discussion about the different perspectives and styles, focusing on how the sensory details influenced their writing and the overall depiction of the festival. They address through discussion the points that follow.

Effectiveness of Sensory Prompts: “How did the use of sensory details enhance your writing?”, “Were the sensory prompts you received helpful in creating a vivid and immersive narrative?.

Creative Process: ”Did you find that writing with these sensory details made it easier or harder to convey the present moment?”.
Constraints vs. Freedom: “How did the initial discussion about writing with constraints versus complete freedom influence your approach to the writing exercise?”, “Did this workshop change your perspective on your writing preferences?”

Impact of Collaborative Elements: “How did receiving sensory prompts from others affect your writing process?”, “Did the collaborative nature of this exercise inspire you or introduce new ideas?”.

Expressing Thoughts and Feelings: “How did the workshop help you in expressing your thoughts more tangibly and effectively?”, “Did you discover new ways to use creative writing to express yourself and your feelings?”.

The workshop can be adapted to suit coherent and diverse groups of learners. Participants may share personal information and this process may be stressful for some of them, so the facilitator should be alert to understand any inconvenience, take the lead and handle the situation.

The group size for this workshop does not matter, but it is more challenging to manage the workshop with the participation of many individuals. Working with a big group of people makes it harder to make people feel safe to share about themselves. 8 to 10 participants would be the ideal group size.

The complexity of the workshop can be rated at 2. The facilitator needs to take some time to prepare the different phases of the workshop, review the methodology and prepare the workshop’s reflection phase.