If you’re a writer or aspiring writer living in or near Barrie, Ontario, I highly recommend taking in author NJ Lindquist’s Recycle Your Personal Experiences workshop on Nov. 15 at Barrie Free Methodist Church.

Recycle Your Personal Experiences is an all-day workshop filled with warmth, encouragement and practical help for people who feel a desire or even a pressing need to write, but don’t know where to begin or how to market their work. The goal for this workshop is to bring like-minded people together in an environment that allows them to connect with each other, learn necessary skills, and formulate an action plan in order to achieve their goals. [from the promotional material]

I attended this workshop last month in Nova Scotia, and it was empowering. Attendees ranged from published writers through those trying to break into print to some who came wondering “Could I be a writer? Is this writing thing for me?”

Speaker NJ Lindquist ended each of the four sessions by breaking us into small groups to apply what we’d learned. By the end of the day, we had identified some ideas to write about, thought through why they held our interest and how we wanted to present them (article, devotional, story, poem etc), and identified potential markets to research for them. We’d also made some new friends.

I’d never been to a workshop that combined teaching and practical application this way, and I think it’s great. Too often we get inspired but then in the cold doubt of second thoughts once the event is over, we don’t know how to follow through.

Recycle Your Personal Experiences

Date: Nov. 15, 9:00 – 5:00

Location: Barrie Free Methodist Church

Cost: $85 (students and seniors, $60). Group rates for 10 or more.

Registration: Via TicketWindow or phone 519-886-4196.

Sponsored by: The Word Guild and That’s Life! Communications.