Unlocking the blocks
Trevor Corkum helps aspiring writers unlock their creative potential at Literary Festival
Producing a good book is a gruelling marathon, and often aspiring writers hit a brick wall where they feel blocked, unappreciated or burned out. However, a multiple-award-winning writer says there’s no cookie-cutter technique, but having self-confidence is the single most important ingredient for success. “The most important thing is to get people away from thinking that they have to write in a certain way, but really to trust the wisdom of their own voice,” commented Trevor Corkum, the writer-in-residence for this year’s sixth annual Victoria Literary Festival. “The key message from me is that everyone has a story to tell. What I do in workshops is give people the specific tools to tell the stories, but more importantly to trust in their own abilities,” he continued, while suggesting new writers must soldier on through self-doubt. Corkum has won several awards for his writing, facilitated workshops and lectured around the world. His Saturday afternoon workshop based on the theme “Surrender to the Mystery” had curious writers of all levels perched in the former Victoria schoolhouse anticipating how to take an idea and craft it into a life story. “Surrender is a kind of letting go into the mystery of what it is to be alive, so that might mean tapping in more deeply to a specific experience, some might see it as surrendering at the end of life and what happens after, so it’s intentionally a vague theme,” explained Corkum. “People can use it to interpret their own experiences.” The following day Corkum and Josh Lewis hosted an afternoon of “Poetry of the Breath,” combining writing and yoga. “As a culture we spend a lot of time in our heads and are really disconnected from our bodies, although everything that we experience is filtered through our bodies,” he explained. “This (yoga) is a way to connect back to our bodies through breath, and pull out stories that may have not been accessible.” The workshops were part of a larger community celebration that focussed on writing and the arts. The Victoria Literary Festival includes a 2018 Short Story Contest, which is open to the public. The criteria is that the piece must be 1,500 words maximum and take into consideration the theme of the 2018 VLF – Surrender to the Mystery. All entries must be sent in print form to: Victoria Literary Festival, PO Box 82, Victoria, PE, C0A 2G0, and a digital copy to: emma@ spoon-fed.com. Deadline for entries is Oct. 1. “Whether you’ve been published or not, this is a great opportunity and could be the launching pad to your writing career,” said Corkum. “It’s very exciting to see a community that’s very supportive of the arts and it’s been a privilege to serve as this year’s writer-inresidence.”
Desiree.anstey@journalpioneer.com.