Taking the 'Work'
out of a Writing Workshop

by Dr Patricia Wong
English Language & Literature AG, NIE

Dr Pat Wong spent the morning of 27 April 2002 showing a group of participants various methods of approaching creative writing in the classroom. She focused on how teachers of creative writing can get young writers to feel comfortable with using words and she showed how ideas for creative writing are all around us if we care to look. "Have you ever tried getting your students to describe a pencil without using the word 'pencil'? It'll prove most challenging. The idea is to get students to move away from the conformity and the clich¨¦s that they seem never to get away from and begin to really think of words. Take the kids out. Observe the surroundings. Why not write a story based on that particular person right there? A good start would be by asking yourself a host of questions. Who is he? Why is he there? How did he get there? Why did he choose this place? Is he lost? Who is he related to?" Questions like these help give context, personality, family history, relationship between the present and the past and gradually a narrative takes shape. "Why not change the 'background'? A man sitting on a picnic bench in a park and a man sitting on a bench in a dingy kitchen will have different narratives woven around them. How about changing the point of view?" Yet another variation of the story might emerge. More ideas were explored and discussed after which Dr Wong shared with us her poems and writing (Go get hold of The Centre of the Universe!). However, all good things had to come to an end and so the workshop ended. We finally understood what Dr Pat Wong meant when she called her workshop Taking the 'Work' out of a Writing Workshop.

Some comments from the workshop participants:

• The speaker has a lot of ideas. It's good to get the students to think of things in a different light. I never thought of role-playing by the teacher. This is usually done by the students. I will try this out.

• Pat Wong's approach to creative writing is very refreshing.

• I learnt a lot today. Most particularly, I have to learn to be more relaxed, to be less self-conscious of myself, not to be shy to act out roles, to put on various expressions so that my lesson will be alive.

• Good ideas. Getting away from the stereotypes is a very useful idea.

• Great! Something different. Not about assessment and evaluation and grades! Wished it were on a weekday. My friends would then be able to come.

The workshop was organised by ELLTAS, English Language and Literature Teachers Association, Singapore. This article first appeared in the September 2002 issue of ELL NEWS, Vol 6, No 2.

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