It Takes A Village Of Weirdos

I know I keep going on about the workshops I’ve been taking but that’s not going to stop me! They have been more amazing than I ever could have expected, for multiple reasons.

Firstly, my instructor. Richard Thomas has been such a great teacher. He’s supportive but will push you when he believes you can do better. He gives notes that have both helped me improve and given me that extra boost that tells me I’m on the right track (an exclamation mark in his revision notes is like gold). And he is genuinely excited, unabashedly so, when you’re doing something that has potential.

That would be enough for me to recommend any of Richard’s classes. But I haven’t even gotten to how amazing it is to have equally supportive classmates, as well.

I love that I can show up to class every week with new, possibly strange stories and no one bats an eyelash. Whether it’s a story about a punk rock activist with no qualms about sacrificing part of herself for a cause, a coven with otherworldly abilities or isolated villagers with questionable traditions. Every week, everyone is enthusiastic and interested.

Then, to have comments and suggestions from said classmates, ones who take the time to think about your work and offer advice on how to make my stories better? Well, I can’t say enough about my ACWW 2019 crew.

Not only are they incredibly helpful, but they are all writing stellar stories that everyone needs to read!

So please, take some time to get to know my new writing friends. You won’t regret it!

• Jeremy Mallory
• Scott Hallam
• Cynthia Stevenson
• Trent Walters
• Ronnie Smart
• Dona Fox
• Bryan Nicholson
• Richard Thomas