Wadadli Pen Work-shop

Why create a Wadadli Pen workshop page to link in Resources and Database? After all, that page already links to Resources and other posts with overlap, like the Reading Room and Gallery series (which often includes ‘creatives on creating’ and Opportunities and Opportunities Too. Yes to all that but also sometimes I come upon content that is really about the practice of writing, and the organizational gremlin in my head decided that that needed a space as well. Come here when you want to just exercise (flex your writing muscles, as I like to say). If you want more guided practice and/or feedback, look in to writing groups (you can even form your own) or worskhops like those offered privately by members of Team Wadadli Pen Barbara Arrindell and Joanne C. Hillhouse.

Joanne’s workshops have sometimes had guest presenters like publisher-editor-writer Carol Mitchell, pictured leading a session in summer 2013 Joanne’s Jhohadli Summer Youth Writing Project.

Sometimes Wadadli Pen has even offered workshops usually facilitated by either Barbara or Joanne, in its past. Below left Joanne leads Wadadli Pen’s first workshop series in 2005 and right is a shot from a workshop series Joanne offered free to Wadadli Pen in 2021.

Tips and practices linked below are for free and for you to do in your own time, and may be useful for keeping your writing muscles healthy.

The Backspace Key – a quick reminder to write forward.

Editing notes – which is just as it says with self-editing tips and links especially.

It’s my 53rd birthday! have a party favor – this post on her blog by American fantasy writer Mary Robinette Kowal walks the reader through the creation of a story with insights to unearthing character motivation and direction, discourse around world building, and a link to the final published version of the story.

Jhohadli Writing Project Creative Writing Workshop Series (2018) – the Reading List – a post in which I list material used in the 2018 installations of my workshop series.

Mimic (A Writing Exercise) – this 2022 post feature my (Joanne’s) response to a prompt and invites you to try it and share if you wish.

On Writing by Stephen King – this Wadadli Pen post summarizes some main takeaways from the master of horror’s book on writing.

On writing dialogue – this 2013 Wadadli Pen post has tips and don’ts on writing dialogue.

Wadadli Pen Challenge Prompts – this Wadadli Pen post, from 2012, links a number of prompts to jump start new writing.

The Wedding Project (a prompt response) – this 2019 post features my (Joanne’s) response to a prompt and invites you to try it and share if you wish.

Workshop Space – this 2014 post is this site’s previous attempt at creating a Work-shop; it contains a mulitude of links to help you get writing.

Writer’s Toolbox – another reminder that this is not a new idea to the blog; links to information on writing, craft and business.

Writing with Mary Robinette Kowal – this Jhohadli post from 2022 features my (Joanne’s) participation in an online writing workshop, and invites you to participate if you wish.

As with all content on Wadadli Pen, except otherwise noted, this is written by Joanne C. Hillhouse (author of The Boy from Willow Bend, Dancing Nude in the Moonlight, Oh Gad!, Musical Youth, With Grace, Lost! A Caribbean Sea Adventure, and The Jungle Outside). All Rights Reserved. Subscribe to the site to keep up with future updates. Thanks.

You don’t want to miss this Bocas workshop!

See also Opportunities Too and Carib Lit Plus for more arts news you can use.

And more Bocas workshops:

Wadadli Pen Update – Workshop

We want you to win.

One of the ways team member (author of Turtle Beach, The Legend of Bat’s Cave and Other Stories, and even more stories) Barbara A. Arrindell is trying to help you win is with an announced March 18th 2021 workshop. This series of short workshops will provide you with tips that may help you to select your topic, develop your characters, allow your creativity to flow, utilize local sites and folklore, and much more. You must pre-register. Do this by sending a message via the link above or via email to barbaraarrindell@yahoo.com. The zoom link and additional information will then be sent to you. Register early to secure your spot. This year Wadadli Pen is accepting entries from children and adults.

The submission deadline for the 2021 Wadadli Pen Challenge is March 26th 2021. I just posted videos (one to my AntiguanWriter YouTube Channel and one to the Wadadli Pen YouTube Channel – both which you should rush over and subscribe to by the way) of a recent interview I did breaking things down re both the Challenge and the #readAntiguaBarbuda #voteAntiguaBarbuda readers choice book of the year initiative.

Re FAQs

A recent commenter here on the blog asked about the submission form. “Would it be possible to fill out the application form electronically please? I do not have access to a printer right now and it would be very useful if alternative methods could be made available. Thank you!” – A. It’s a fair point; we should look in to uploading directly via submittable or other platform, but to be clear you do not need to print the form and you are submitting electronically. What you need to do is download and fill out the form electronically and submit said form via email as an attachment along with your entry, also as an attachment, to wadadlipen@gmail.com

A questioner to my DMs wondered if there was a penalty for going over the word count. – A. We’ve actually extended the word count from 750 to 1000 words in recent years. Since doing so we’ve gotten fairly strict about the word count. Challenge yourself to tell your story with precision – after all, you already have 250 extra words to play with.

We also had a request to direct mail the submission form; obviously it’s not practical for us to do so for everyone. We simply don’t have the time nor the numbers. But I’ve doublechecked that the form is downloadable and can be filled out electronically; so please act accordingly. Find the form and submission guidelines above at Wadadli Pen 2021.

ICYMI

In case you missed it, we’ve followed up our launch announcement with a second press release shouting out the latest patrons to come on board. The news you may be particularly interested in from that is that, while the Challenge is open to all ages this year, we will have a special prize for 12 and younger aged writers, sponsored by Cedric Holder, who is doing so in the name of his son Zuri, a former Wadadli Pen finalist who died tragically in the first road fatality of 2021. Also team member Floree Williams Whyte’s Moondancer Books has sponsored the ad below.

Carib Lit Plus (Mid to Late August 2020)

A reminder that the process with these Carib Lit Plus Caribbean arts bulletins is to do a front and back half of the month, updating as time allows as new information comes in; so, come back.

Readings

Carnival Hangover, a short story by Joanne C. Hillhouse, was excerpted as part of advocacy group Intersect (intersect.anu) ‘Carnival Bodies’ instagram series. This and other excerpted stories will be published on the Intersect website when it goes live in September/October 2020.

Events

Caribbean authors Curdella Forbes, Lauren Francis-Sharma, Marlon James, Claudia Rankine, and likely others I’m missing (with apologies for any omissions) are included in the line-up of the September 28th to October 5th 2020 Brooklyn Book Festival. It will be as virtual as everything this year of pandemics and protests 2020. Catch all the action here.

Books

Darlene Beazer-Parker’s Summertime Fun, published in 2020, has been added to our lists of Antiguan and Barbudan Writings and Antigua and Barbuda Children’s Literature. Partial summary: “Darlene Beazer-Parker celebrates the island home where she grew up in this children’s book filled with beautiful photographs. The story starts with a bright blazing sun and children running down to swim in the Codrington lagoon to cool off. There, they are free to play all day. Some children learn how to swim while others watch quietly in the shade. Jumping from a wharf or the side of a boat, the children become fast friends. Swimming styles may differ, but they all celebrate being together in such a beautiful place. At the end of the day, the children plant mangrove seedlings to preserve their lagoon for future children. They go home wishing summer will never end. Join the author as she looks back on an idyllic summer in Barbuda where anything seems possible.”

Earlier this summer, Caribbean Reads Publishing announced the publication of The Fight for Belle Vue and The Field of Power by St. Lucian Travis Weekes. Per a Caribbean Reads release, “Family feuds, forbidden romance, political corruption, colonialism, racism, and magic are some of the themes packed into these plays. The plays are set in St. Lucia and reflect the cultural landscape of the Caribbean.” Funding for the project was provided by the UWI St. Augustine Campus Research and Publication Fund Committee. Copies available in Trinidad as of August 2020 and the book is available in kindle and paperback at various outlets across the Caribbean and beyond.

Bocas 

Jhohadli

Over at my personal author blog, the two regularly updated series are Blogger on Books and CREATIVE SPACE. Be sure to check them out. I’m still talking about To Shoot Hard Labour but turning fresh soil.

As with all content on Wadadli Pen, except otherwise noted, this is written by Joanne C. Hillhouse (author of The Boy from Willow Bend, Dancing Nude in the Moonlight, Musical Youth, With Grace, Lost! A Caribbean Sea Adventure/Perdida! Una Aventura en el Mar Caribe, and Oh Gad!). All Rights Reserved. If you enjoyed it, check out my page on WordPress, and/or Facebook, and help spread the word about Wadadli Pen and my books. You can also subscribe to the site to keep up with future updates. Thanks.

A & B Arts Round up – July 19th 2019 —>

If you missed activities from the last round up, you can catch up with at least two of them in the CREATIVE SPACE series over on my Jhohadli blog – go here for Antigua Dance Academy’s Earth Rising and here for the Antigua-Barbuda launch of regional journalist Wesley Gibbings’ Passages at the Best of Books.

 

August 17th 2019 –

August 15th – 16th 2019 – The 14th Annual Antigua-Barbuda Conference and Distinguished Lecture (a joint project of the University off the West Indies Open Campus – Antigua and Barbuda, The Antigua and Barbuda Studies Association, and the Antigua and Barbuda Youth Enlightenment Academy). This year’s theme is Aft the Ecological and Politica Storms: Whither Barbuda’s Development. Venue – the UWI Open Campus, between Queen Elizabeth and Sir Sydney Walling highways. Confirmed participants are Glenn Sankatsing, keynote speaker and author of Quest to Rescue Our Future (“Quest to Rescue Our Future chronicles the path of humanity, diagnoses our present misfortunes, identifies the dangerous trends and maps the desirable and feasible futures. Most importantly, it locates the transformative social forces that are still intact – the moral reserves of humanity – and delves into the strategy and actions that can shape a different version of humanity), Conference organizer Paget Henry, Valerie Knowles Combie from the University of the Virgin Islands, editor of The Caribbean Writer literary journal Alscess Lewis-Brown, psychologist and poet Elaine Olaoye, Bernadette Farquhar whose specialities are French and linguistics, Antigua and Barbuda’s press secretary Lionel ‘Max’ Hurst, Anique John (law/social justice), Hourglass Investment CEO Norris Morris Harris, and a special panel consisting of secondary school students). For more information contact: Paget Henry (paget_henry@brown.edu), Janet Lofgren (janetlofgren@gmail.com), Zane Peters (zane.peters@open.uwi.edu), or Schuyler Esprit (schuyler.esprit@dec.uwi.edu)

July 31st 2019 –

July to August 2019 – Antigua’s Carnival

July and August – sessions to be held on July 22nd – 26th & August 12th – 16th 2019 – flyer and registration form copied below-contact me at jhohadli at gmail dot com for more information or to submit registration form: JSYWP Registration Form 2019

As with all content on Wadadli Pen, unless otherwise indicated, this is written by author and Wadadli Pen founder and coordinator Joanne C. Hillhouse. All rights reserved.

Before You Ask…

I spied a comment recently lamenting the difficulty the writer had getting friends and family to read a manuscript, in part or whole. The comment was posted to a writers’ group and the discussion that followed, as happens, seemed a good topic for a post in this space.

First, I understand the writer’s desire for feedback and frustration at the lack thereof. Speaking as a writer myself, I’ve experienced this and, conversely, I’ve experienced writer-editors who’ve been more than generous with their time. One, my friend Gisele, also my editor on the job at the time, returned my manuscripts red inked with edit notes (something she did whether I asked for editorial feedback or not); another, Christine, a writer I’d met at a workshop, gave me some critique notes (after informing me that she only had time to read part of the manuscript) and a suggestion that I apply for the international fellowship to participate in the Breadloaf Writers Workshop. Both were extremely helpful. I made the edits, and I applied and was accepted to Breadloaf with an international fellowship; and I have three books to show for those relationships. While working on draft eleventybillion of the third one of these books, I would read excerpts  to my friend Alstyne (RIP) and though she was not herself a writer, her feedback purely as a reader – what she reacted to enthusiastically or less than enthusiastically, the questions she asked, the commentary she gave – was helpful to me not only in shaping that book but in keeping me going. The thing she gave me that was invaluable was her genuine curiousity about how the story would turn out and her belief not only in the story I was struggling to tell but in me as a writer. Yeah, I miss her.

That’s just a sampling of the times I reached out for and received feedback, and these are the books that came to be as a result – once you add on the editors that actually worked with me on prepping the books for publication.

An Insomniac publication.

There were many other times when I reached out to people and did not receive feedback.  Or the time I received only partial feedback  from a certain teenage reader in a very tight window but it was enough to help me figure out if the content, tone, and language of a certain teen/young adult novel would connect with a teenage reader.

Sometimes, as with the children’s books, I got creative about seeking feedback by sneaking them, blind, in to reading material being critiqued (kids, teen workshop) or testing them on children I would be reading to anyway (children’s reading club, schools).

The times when feedback was sought and the answer was either no or no follow through, I may have been disappointed at the time but I wasn’t mad. Honestly. Okay, maybe a little mad but I understood.

See, some of this overlapped with me getting requests to read this, write that from other people and sometimes saying yes even though I knew I didn’t have the time either because I genuinely wanted to, wanted to give back some of what had been given to me, or couldn’t figure out how to say no. So when I say I understood, I understood. The requests to pick my brain or read work became more plentiful after I became a published author i.e. a writer in the public domain. And the thing is each person thinks that they’re not asking much, but it adds up, you know, it takes time.

That’s one of the reasons I added editing and critiquing to my freelance services after a time – (initially with some guilt but) I was doing it anyway and with my time covered, and a commitment made to a client, there was a guarantee that I could get it done and in a timely manner.

The person who inspired this post also griped about the circle not leaving reviews that could help with promotion once a book had been published. I’ve experienced this as well. And it’s frustrating. But I remember, too, the times I’ve been asked to review books. It’s time consuming and a positive review is not guaranteed (at least not from me, nor do I expect them from others if they believe the work doesn’t merit it). I got one of my most scathing reviews from a Caribbean blogger I reached out to and bent over backwards to get the book to, and I have others here and there who took the book and never bothered to post anything. The former is one of the realities of being published, the latter I can’t do anything about except choose more carefully next time. Meanwhile I do try to pay it forward by posting reviews – hence my Blogger on Book series, which I have to admit is more fun than writing reviews for a paying publication (though not financially smart, right?) because I feel freer to review or not review (I never want reading to feel like a chore). That said, I will take those paying review gigs because baby’s gotta eat.

The responses to the original poster was pretty much as I expected though – people are busy, there’s no expectation that they’ll have the time, or interest, if they do, say thank you; if they don’t, accept it without malice. And if they still don’t follow through after saying yes, roll with that too and don’t keep them in your mind; sometimes people are well-intentioned but time is short (been there, both sides).

I suggested some other avenues that have been helpful to me in terms of feedback re  works in progress or, more usually, fresh drafts – and better, in some ways, if you wish to receive constructive critical feedback:

• A writers’ group
• Writing workshops (physical and/or online)
• A writing mentor
• Online writing platforms where you can post work for feedback (I’ll count here online writing memes and prompts)
• A paid editor, critique
• Submitting to writing contests and lit journals (short story, poem, longer work in progress)

I have benefited from all of these and I offer at least three (see my services here).

As for friends and fam, and writers you know, try to understand, before you ask that it’s a big ask. If they can do it, sure, but, if not, it’s important to remember that everybody’s busy living their life. Frustrating as it can be.

Friends and fam are not always the best critics in any case – though they can be good for encouragement.

Take what you can get and find other avenues.

As with all content on wadadlipen.wordpress.com, except otherwise noted, this is written by Wadadli Pen founder, coordinator, and blogger Joanne C. Hillhouse (author of The Boy from Willow Bend, Dancing Nude in the Moonlight, Oh Gad!, Musical Youth, Lost! A Caribbean Sea Adventure, and With Grace). All Rights Reserved.

Craft Matters

I’ve held two workshop series (four weeks each) since the start of the year and I’m now planning the third (to begin later this month).

I recently wrote this reflection on the last series.

The purpose is to jump start writing, enhance understanding of craft, get projects started, move projects forward, expand awareness of creative writing, yours and others, and to just write. I’ve tried to keep the price reasonable with several payment options, focused themes so that it doesn’t feel rushed and scattered, and avenues to participation for people resident in Antigua and Barbuda and elsewhere.

I’m hoping to keep this going all year long as long as there is even one person who’s interested. It gives me the opportunity to engage with the written word and, hopefully, also give writers or writers in the making or anyone who’s just looking for a creative outlet, even students looking to improve their understanding of literature or ability to express themselves, the opportunity to improve confidence and competence with the written word. The focus is on the creative (fiction, specifically) and on craft, each series focusing on a particular aspect (setting 1, plot 1 in the first two series; the third, by request, likely focusing on character – which is my favourite in to a story as a writer; so I look forward to it). A workshop on character should prove useful for those trying to write compelling characters or understand how characterization works. My approach is a mix of presentation, interaction, creation of your own, and examination of the works of others.

As I write this, I’m reminded of a running debate on whether craft matters – this or that critic might question its quality but if people like it, isn’t that what really matters? For my part, I won’t deny that reader engagement matters but I prefer to engage the reader with good writing (it’s why I’ve taken writing courses and workshops over the years). But isn’t ‘good writing’ subjective? What is ‘good writing’ meant to do if not engage? Job done.

I’m not the final word on any of this, but as creatives we want to grow and move, right? In my opinion – while like or dislike for something is subjective (with a few exceptions because some things are just objectively bad and some things are good whether or not they’re personally to your or my taste as a reader, listener, or viewer), there are deliberate choices you can make as a writer, if you understand what you’re doing, that can elevate the quality of the work. Can an untrained writer write a great book out of the gate? Of course. Can a writer with all the letters behind his/her name signaling accomplishment write a trash book? I think so. But as with anything, with writing, with art, while there is that je ne sais quoi, there are what Stephen King refers to (in his book On Writing) as the “toolbox” of skills from which a competent writer can draw. I don’t necessarily think you have to have those letters behind your name to have it – lots of independent study, reading, and practice practice practice can help a determined writer hone his/her skills. I think of creating as talent + inspiration + life (both observing and participating in it) + sitting and putting in the work + craft, and I think craft matters. It matters to me as a reader; sloppy writing will turn me off and may make me quit a book – even though my instinct is to fight through, finish what I start.

When the judge’s report for this year’s Wadadli Pen indicated that one story had edged out another “because of the quality of writing”, having read both stories, I understood the point.

I’ve had people tell me – more than once as it happens – that they felt like throwing my book – more than one of my books (!) – across a room, but, so far, it was because they were so caught up in this or that plot or character point; not, knock on wood (though I have had my share of bad, mixed, and lukewarm reviews), because they thought the writing was trash.

I remember when I knew I wanted to be a writer having a very clear thought at one  point that I wanted to write the kind of books that could be studied in a school, college, or university but that people would choose to read even if it was not on their assigned reading list in an institution. I mean I’d be lucky to have either right? #greedy Clearly I wanted my books to not only be subjectively popular but objectively (in as much as such things can be assessed objectively) good. I write because it is my passion and because the characters draw me in and because it is how I process life (how I breathe). But I also have a drive to keep improving; it’s the reason I read (well, I also read because I love how a good book can pull you in and take you away) and study other writers, and take workshops when I can. It’s the reason why I try to teach what I know.

Contact me to participate in this workshop if you, too, believe craft matters.

As with all content (words, images, other) on wadadlipen.wordpress.com, except otherwise noted, this is written by Joanne C. Hillhouse (author of The Boy from Willow Bend, Dancing Nude in the Moonlight,  Oh Gad!, Musical Youth, With Grace, and Lost! A Caribbean Sea Adventure). All Rights Reserved. You can also subscribe to and/or follow the site to keep up with future updates. Thanks. And remember while linking and sharing the links, referencing and excerpting, with credit, are okay, lifting whole content (articles,  images, other) from the site without asking is not cool. Respect copyright.

A & B Arts Round Up – April 10th 2018 —>

This page or series of pages is specific to arts and/or cultural events being held in Antigua and Barbuda.

May 20th 2018 – Call for papers – 13th Annual Conference and Distinguished Lecture (August 16th -17th 2018) – the University of the West Indies Open Campus Antigua and Barbuda, the Antigua and Barbuda Studies Association, and the Antigua and Barbuda Youth Enlightenment Academy. Details re Call for Papers: UWI-ABSA Conference 2018 Call for Papers

April 28th 2018 – Jhohadli Writing Project Creative Writing Series continues – must register at least one week in advance – can participate from anywhere – several payment options –

April 21st 2018 – 6:30 p.m. – The Wadadli Youth Pen Prize 2018 Challenge Awards Ceremony at the Best of Books, St. Mary’s Street.

April 16th – 18th 2018 –  3:00 – 5:00 p.m. – Teenagers’ Artistic Expressions In Writing and With Cell-phone Photographs – Instructor, Mali Adélàjà Olatunji Dip. photo, BSc, M.A. – at The Museum Of Antigua and Barbuda (Long and Market Streets, St. John’s, Antigua) – exploring the simplicity of photography with the use of a cell-phone to make pictures of any subjects or objects with the intention to produce images of artistic pictorial expressions; also articulating  intentions in words in the manner of photojournalism to provide a documentary or a visual account of specific subjects and events, literally re-presenting objective reality rather than the usual subjective discourses of everyday life.

April 14th & 15th 2018 – Antigua Opera Society’s first ever performance at Catherine’s Café and the National Sailing Academy. Read more at Antiguanice.com

April 14th 2018 –  the official launch of Brenda Lee Browne’s first novella, ‘London Rocks’, at Cedars Pottery, Buckley’s Main Road, 6pm – 8pm. There will be a reading,  Q&A and book signing – copies of  ‘Just Write Writers Journal’  will also be on sale. An art exhibition featuring original pieces by Browne will be on display. About the Book: New Book from Hansib – London Rocks[1789]

As with all content (words, images, other) on wadadlipen.wordpress.com, except otherwise noted, this is written by Joanne C. Hillhouse (author of The Boy from Willow Bend, Dancing Nude in the Moonlight,  Oh Gad!, Musical Youth, With Grace, and Lost! A Caribbean Sea Adventure). All Rights Reserved. You can also subscribe to and/or follow the site to keep up with future updates. Thanks. And remember while linking and sharing the links, referencing and excerpting, with credit, are okay, lifting whole content (articles,  images, other) from the site without asking is not cool. Respect copyright.

 

“I would recommend this workshop…”

JWP #Onthehustle

 

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