“I hugely enjoyed the writers’ workshop with Kathy Page. She is a marvellous presenter/ facilitator/ teacher.”
Creating Character participant

Kathy Page has facilitated workshops for many arts organisations, universities, community centres and writing schools, including Banff Centre for the Arts, the Victoria School of Writing, The Writers’ Trust and the Arvon Foundation in the UK. She has taught in universities in Canada, UK, Finland and Estonia, and held writer’s residencies in secondary and elementary schools, as well as in a high security men’s prison and a Norfolk fishing village. Wherever she works, her approach is dynamic and process based. Face to face or online, participants come away with new ideas and insights, tools, confidence, and words on the page.

“Kathy is an interested and generous teacher. She can see people's individual strengths and she can step you around obstacles in the creative process in a very skilled way. You leave one of her courses with a lot of confidence and a sense of direction in your own work.
Short Fiction participant

WRITING GREAT DIALOGUE:

May 1-2 on Salt Spring Island.
Characters come alive when they speak. Yet they mustn't talk too much! In this workshop we'll use enjoyable and thought-provoking exercises to discover your characters' voices, get them talking (some of them may say things they regret), and turn what they say into powerful dialogue. Working in a small group format, you'll gain an understanding of how dialogue differs from actual speech, and how it can carry and deepen the story you want to tell.

Limited to twelve participants, this workshop is suitable for both beginner and more experienced writers interested in fiction, drama or creative non-fiction.

$225 (includes lunches)
For further information please use the contact form to the right.

ONLINE STUDIO 1:

8 Weeks $225

Fiction Workout

Suitable for all levels of experience. Each week, a lesson, an exercise designed to hone your fiction-writing skills, a deadline - and then discussion of the work in a small (6-8) forum. For further information and upcoming dates and prices, please use the contact form to the right.

Comments on Studio 1

ONLINE STUDIO 2:

Workout for the Novel

$225 for 8 weeks.

For those contemplating or already embroiled in a novel, Workout for the Novel offers a series of exercises to help you think through and develop your idea, as well as an invaluable forum for feedback and discussion. Each week we focus on a particular aspect of the novel you are developing, such as your main characters, the best place and way to begin the story, overall structure, plotting, voice, and the structure and use of chapters. Some of the exercises generate writing that might later be used or incorporated into the novel and some are writing/think-pieces about the novel in progress which help you to see it more clearly. Students are in small groups of 4 or 5. The course is open to beginners and more experienced writers alike, and it is equally useful for first draft or revision.

Please use enquiry form to the right for further information and upcoming dates.

"An excellent course. It was informative and stretching, certainly, to help me think outside the box. I feel I got a real sense of how to construct a novel, and just wish I'd done this ten years ago!" - Sue Goldswain, Victoria, BC

"I've found this course hugely beneficial. It's helped me, through the well thought-out tasks set each week, make step by step progress with developing a broad, overall view of my novel as a whole living, malleable "thing"... I've asked myself lots of questions, been asked lots of questions, and been prompted by the tasks to come up with ideas and answers in a way that I wouldn't have managed on my own. I started this course with a handful of random scenes, only a few months into writing this first draft. I now have a much more focused sense of where the novel might be heading. It's given me an energetic "kick" start, which is just what I wanted." - Jane Rusbridge, UK, author of The Devil's Music, Bloomsbury, 2009.

More comments on Workout for the Novel

The Way of a Story: Crafting Fiction and Creative Non-Fiction

A four day workshop with Kathy Page and Derek Lundy
Salt Spring Island.

Please use contact form for further information and 2010 dates.

Writers of memoir, fiction and creative non-fiction are all storytellers, and each genre has much to offer the other. This workshop is a unique opportunity for both beginners and experienced writers to work in a small group with novelist Kathy Page and creative non-fiction author Derek Lundy. We'll be looking at story-telling and story structure, characterization, research (imaginary research and factual research) and, at the same time, we'll be engaged in a continuous exploration of both the common ground and the differences between the two genres. Topics are covered by means of lectures, discussion and writing exercises designed to both inspire and teach. The course includes an optional consultation with one of the authors, and is suitable for any writer who feels they have a story to tell, whether that be memoir, fiction, creative non-fiction, or yet to be decided.

More comments from recent workshop participants:

“The short fiction course was well-organized, creative, inspiring and fun. Kathy's feedback was insightful, often humorous, always wise, and she provided a safe environment for writers of all levels to stretch and grow. I wholeheartedly recommend this course.”

"The workshop was fabulous. Kathy is a real pro and expertly inspired the class of 16 through the day.”

“Kathy Page was warm, supportive, and full of good ideas, a total pleasure.”

“She really inspired me to write again and I hope to keep to it.”

“The experience was exceptional and extremely positive. The instructor began promptly, the exercises were helpful, well-timed and a perfect balance of group, individual and paired work. We got a balance of listening, participating and being listened to. “

“Very informative. Very enthusiastic – both Vicky & Kathy. Relaxed atmosphere. What could have been done differently? Nothing. A very full day with an end point that made sense – in terms of character, structure, etc.”

“I learned lots and inadvertently had an idea of how to rewrite something I’d shelved.”

“I found the whole day very stimulating – a good balance of talk, experiences, writing.”