Back by popular demand is the Creative Writing and Blogging program, organized by WoodGreen’s Community Connections Team. Over the course of 4 weeks, participants gathered to learn about, and practice their creative writing skills. The end goal was to develop blog posts, which they have been kind enough to share with us 🙂 For your reading pleasure, I would like to share with you a participant’s contribution to the Creative Writing and Blogging program. Enjoy!
For four Saturdays this June an energetic group met weekly to unleash their talents and plan their entry into the Blog Universe. Some who attended were completely new to blogs and creative writing; others were looking to refine their approach. With more than 150 million blogs currently in existence, we identified strategies and tools to help new bloggers stand out and win over audiences. Each week we had great discussions and worked through enlightening exercises.
Planned by WoodGreen’s Community Connections Group Activities Coordinator, Teresa Tao, the idea was to help newcomers define their goals and channel their creativity to connect and share their stories, photos and even videos with audiences in cyberspace. The sessions combined theory with practical exercises that helped attendees learn the good, the bad and the ugly of technology platforms, branding and marketing, and format. In addition there were conversations and exercises on writing and outlining to ensure that potential bloggers had up-to-date language tools at their fingertips. Sally, Claire, and Suzanne each brought a different skill set and happily collaborated to ensure sessions were informative and provided on point skills and resources. And the value of having three instructors from different specialties benefited participants in various ways.
For Mohamed, a seasoned globetrotter and world history lover, it meant finding his voice, and identifying where he truly shines as a writer. “I learned, among other things, how to take my passion for writing to the next level, ways to ignite creativity, and how to promote one’s blog. The Instructors – Suzanne, Claire, and Sally – bring decades of experience and enthusiasm to make the program super exciting.”
For Otgo, a financial expert whose career has spanned several countries across the globe, it was about learning ways to define his ‘authentic self’ and connect with audiences. “If WoodGreen implements ‘time-based currency’ for assessing the quality of their programs, I am confident that ‘time-money market’ will drive the value of this one to the top. A new thing I learned about blogging was that your writing establishes a relationship with your audience and true success depends on how well you know your “authentic self” and your audience.”
It seems clear that the workshop was a resounding success, and that the interest in creative writing and the desire to share stories remain strong in this community. WoodGreen wishes all writers and bloggers the very best as they embark on their next chapter!
Career Pursuit 