workshopfeedback – Suzanne Strong

Monica, a Social Worker, recently attended my Expressive Writing Therapy Workshop and this was her written response.

“I attended the workshop as a personal and professional development opportunity. I already knew of and experienced the therapeutic benefit of writing, however I wanted to learn more about how this works- particularly the benefit of writing as a way of working through previous trauma.

The workshop was excellent. As I had attended a previous workshop with Suzanne, I knew of the quality of workshop she facilitates and this workshop did not disappoint.

I got the most out of the part where we were encouraged to write about something negative or traumatic. I found that the exercise was confronting, yet liberating. I could feel the tension in my body as I wrote the words on paper but as the story unfolded on the page and came to an end, that tension dissipated and I felt at ease. This was a very powerful experience.

Probably the most challenging part of the workshop, for me, was the task of writing a poem. Because I am so used to writing in far less creative ways, I found myself struggling to even contemplate what to write. I went ahead and did it anyway and actually surprised myself about how lovely it was to use words in this way.

Time seems to go by very quickly when you are immersed in these types of exercises. I would love it to have gone for a few hours longer. I did feel a release of tension having tackled one of my current issues in one of the exercises. Overall, I left the workshop feeling inspired to continue using these exercises frequently to help process and manage my challenges.

The writing I did in the ‘life story’ exercise gave me the opportunity to step out of my current life circumstances and instead almost take a bird’s eye view of my life so far. That did bring up areas that I had not thought about for ages and it allowed me to put into perspective some of the things that are happening now. That experience allowed me to recognise that I have gotten through many difficult situations in my life and anything I am experiencing currently will be resolved and overcome- just like past challenges have been.

I felt very positive after the workshop. It is a powerful way of releasing built up stress. It was also lovely to share the experience with the other participants.”

If you’re interested in my writing therapy exercises, my book Freedom Writing goes into detail about this;

Memoir Workshop Responses

MemoirWorkshop5

On the weekend, we had our last instalment of the two-week Memoir Writing Workshop. The workshop had an exceptional group of people who brought with them extremely different lives, perspectives and experiences providing a rich tapestry of creativity. I loved getting to know the individual’s stories and teaching some aspects of what makes up memoirs and life stories.

The workshop combines information and tips about how to approach your memoirs as well as time to actually write. Writing is always a part of my workshops as without this it is impossible to integrate the knowledge. Through practical writing exercises I seek to show participants how they can experiment with techniques and simply start writing, which sometimes is our biggest obstacle in writing.

Using some visual techniques and also comparison to other writers I seek to provide practical craft for use in your personal writing journey. Below is some of the responses I gained after the workshop, there may be a few more to follow. Thanks for reading. J Suzanne

Monica, Marketing Consultant

“I didn’t know what to expect when I went to the Memoir Writing Workshop. I wanted to gain some inspiration to start writing. The workshop was absolutely inspiring. There was the right mix of information and time to do some practice. The part I enjoyed the most was the parts where we talked about where to start and the practical details. I found it very engaging and I loved it. I would absolutely recommend this workshop to anyone wanting to embark on their writing project.”

Kathryn, Teacher

“I liked how I found out how to get started on the memoir and the different techniques to include. The parts I received the most out of was; the good information, practical tips and practice of writing and getting feedback on our writing.

Suzanne was very helpful. I was reminded in the workshop of showing not telling and to use creative expressive writing, not just the facts. The workshop was very professionally done. I would do more workshops with Suzanne and would recommend them to others.”

Daniel, PE Teacher

“I wanted to get an action plan for writing my life story. The workshop stimulated and challenged my thinking to be more creative. Suzanne was very engaging. I learnt how to start my memoir. I would definitely recommend this workshop to others. It was great.”

Suzanne, Retired Social Worker

“I took the course to start my book. I gained more inspiration and knowledge from the workshop and learned about structure. I liked the technical information and critiquing other books as well. I actually started the book too. I found the workshop very good and would definitely recommend it.”