In August and September this year we’ve run a weekly creative writing workshop for youth in our library. I was asked to help out with a couple of the sessions, and visit as guest author for one of those. It’s been a very enjoyable experience, and I’ll be sad to see it finish this Friday. The workshop has been run in conjunction with one of the local polytechs which runs a writing course so many of the guests have been connected with them.

We haven’t had a huge turnout, but the four to six regulars have been steadfast in their attendance, even with mock NCEA exams looming, and very enthusiastic. As part of each session, there is a designated writing time on a theme or following on from an exercise. The results have been funny, sad, thrilling, and brilliant, and showcased just how talented these teens are. The other thing that made me happy was that a couple of them are writing GBLTQ characters. I’ve sent the teens librarian a link to an anthology submission for teens and hoping some of these young writers will enter.

Looking back on my own writing at that age, there are so many more opportunities these days for young writers, than there was then. A big part of that is because I was writing pre-internet so fanzines were pretty much it, and back then books were ‘zoned’ like DVDs are now. But unlike DVDs which can be played on a multizone player, living in New Zealand I only had access to books printed in the UK, as it was illegal to import books printed in the US and North American markets. A fabulous bookshop opened in Wellington which specialised in SF, and sold books and authors I’d never seen in this country. It was like a trip to the chocolate store every time I went in there. Unfortunately the authorities eventually caught up with the owner and shut him down, as those books had been illegally imported.

How times have changed.

Most writers I know in this country are either published overseas or have taken the self-published route. Even in the eight years or so that I’ve been published I’ve noticed more opportunities for authors to get their stories into the hands of readers, which is great. Many of the books and authors I read now I wouldn’t have been able to access years ago. I hope that doesn’t change. We need to be pushing forward, not sliding backwards.