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This is an invitation to join my Writer's Workshop in October where you will discover the 12 Top Tips For Fiction Writers.
How did my writing workshops come about? Well, when I first came to live in Cape Town on 2 February, 2013 as a brand-new retiree, it only took me two months to discover that I wasn’t ready yet to jam my teaching expertise and experience into a cupboard and throw away the key.
My original plan had been to carry on with my writing career – at that stage I had at least seventy-five published books with a range of educational publishers – but now I wanted to focus exclusively on writing Christian books, as I want to sow good seeds in the world. Nearly twenty-three years have passed by – it feels like at the snap of my fingers – and I now have twenty-two published Christian books to my name: picture books, YA and adult fiction, and four Christian ‘quiz’ card games.
Does this mean I did, in fact, throw away the key to that educational cupboard? Not at all!
As early as June, 2013, I was employed by a tutor centre in Fish Hoek to teach students English, focusing on the Cambridge curriculum. (IGCSE, AS and A level Language and Literature.) It’s now twelve years later and I’m still at it, albeit part-time. From the beginning, I’ve taught only two days a week to allow myself enough time to indulge in my other passion – writing Christian books.
Another of my pursuits since arriving in Cape Town was to blend my teaching with my writing career. After I had sent in my CV to an adult education centre, I was asked to design my first writing course: four sessions of two hours, running for a month. To my delight, my course was approved and this became the foundation of the writing workshop. We started a few weeks later, and I embarked on a journey with four eager participants, through the skills, practicalities and practice of writing fiction.
During the next few years, I designed about twelve writing workshops of similar duration on a variety of topics, including writing memoirs, journals, fiction for both young children, young adults and adults, as well as a creative writing course, with plenty of prompts to stimulate the imagination.
When Covid hit, my forays into teaching writing skills at that adult educations centre died, and I haven’t been asked to present a course there again. In any case, I have other priorities now. I’m focusing more and more of my time on my Christian writing. But my desire to share my passion for writing with fledgling and experienced authors alike hasn’t fizzled out completely.
So a few years ago, I presented a two and a half hour writing workshop at my home around my dining room table, and a range of keen writers explored with me some helpful writing tips. The course was titled ‘Twelve Top Tips for Fiction Writers’, and this is the course that I will be presenting on 4th October 2025. Although I have refined the course and used different examples, the basic course structure is the same: twelve helpful tips for any writer, beginner or veteran, a booklet to use during the session, with examples from my own writing, a hand-out to take home, short writing exercises, and a break for refreshments.
My Christian books and card games will be on display and available for purchase at the workshop. Some of them would make great Christmas presents for young children, teens or adults.
It would be a real spoiler if I were to let you in on the secret of what those twelve tips for writers are. Why don’t you come and discover them for yourselves? Some of the tips are so obvious that you might die laughing at not thinking of them yourself; others a little less obvious, but in all likelihood, you do know about all twelve tips. However, the proof is in the pudding.
So come along and practise your writing skills with us and receive commentary from others. You will be stimulated as other writers share their ideas and their short writing pieces. You will generally have a great afternoon in the company of others, and at the same time become better equipped for your own personal writing journey.
Bookings can be made via the Contact page click here