I’m available for talks, readings and writing workshops for teens and adults. Possible topics include short fiction, story structures, time management for artists, descriptive writing, personal narratives, revision strategies and nature writing. Whether online or in-person, workshops feature prompts, writing exercises and group discussions. I also offer talks and discussions on creativity, the writing life and different roads to publication.
Workshops and talks are tailored to individual organization requirements and can sometimes be offered in a bilingual English/French format. I’m a former high school teacher and a participant in the Quebec Writers in CÉGEPs program, so I’m comfortable in front of a class and happy to collaborate with teachers in English or en français. Please contact me to discuss plans and availability.
Upcoming workshops:
How to Finish Your Novel
Thomas More Institute hybrid workshop, January 13 – March 3, 2026
Have you started writing a novel but feel like you’ve gotten stuck along the way? This 8-week writing course will provide practical strategies to re-energize your writing and get your project back on track, regardless of your novel’s genre or the stage of your writing. The course will help you develop your characters, shape your narrative structure, and finish your draft.
Together, we will study the essential components of successful beginnings, middles, and endings, with special attention on “hooking” your reader, maintaining momentum, and building towards a satisfying conclusion. Each session will feature prompts and writing exercises to target specific story elements and help participants learn how to “show, not tell.” We will examine narration, conflict, setting, dialogue, pacing, plots, and character arcs, and discuss ways to generate ideas, outline your novel, tackle revisions, and build a productive writing routine. In addition to studying writing and revision techniques, participants will have the opportunity to share and receive feedback on sections of their novels in progress.
Recent workshops:
The Art and Craft of Short Fiction
Thomas More Institute hybrid workshop, January-March 2025
What makes a story work?
This twelve-week writing course will explore the art and craft of short fiction. Participants will learn how to bring their characters to life and find the emotional heart of their stories. We will also study practical writing techniques and elements of fiction such as narration, conflict, settings, flashbacks, transitions and character arcs.
Each session will feature warm-up prompts and writing exercises to target specific story elements and help participants learn how to “show, not tell.” We’ll discuss ways to generate ideas, create story outlines, tackle revisions and build a productive writing routine. We’ll address common writing challenges such as avoiding appropriation, staying motivated, publishing stories and finding a writing community.
This course will also include a workshop element. We’ll review the critiquing process to help participants refine their editor’s eye, read every story on its own terms and provide helpful feedback to fellow writers. Participants will then be encouraged to write, share and workshop their own stories with the group.
This course is open to writers of all levels.
Systems for Writers
QWF hybrid workshop, Saturday, April 5, 2025, 10:30am-4:30pm
A one-day workshop on time management, organization, and goal setting for writers. This workshop is for writers of all genres who struggle to balance writing with busy lives or to stay organized with their time and their projects. Participants should bring their laptops and any current agenda/calendar systems so that these can be used during the workshop.
The workshop will begin with self-reflection prompts and exercises to help participants create “goal pyramids” that clarify and prioritize long-term writing and publication goals. We’ll also work to define clear goals for participants’ current projects and break these into small, realistic action steps. We’ll explore various organizational and time-management tools in both digital and analog formats, including timers, spreadsheets, calendars, bullet journals, and project notebooks. Participants will learn practical strategies to boost creativity, stay on track with writing projects and reduce stress, procrastination, and perfectionism. Essentially, this workshop will provide support, tools, and strategies to help participants gain more control over their time and their projects.
Feedback from workshop participants:
“Rebecca was great and adapted her teaching & workshop delivery expertly to the group and their needs.”
“Rebecca was a delight: prepared, open, organized. Happy to take another workshop from her in the future.“
“Well-prepared, generous with the feedback, clear, informative, motivating.“
“She was fabulous. I felt very supported.“
“I really really loved the writing exercises… [Rebecca] was great! Each class was well thought out and I enjoyed hearing her perspective on the craft.”
“Amazing teacher! She was helpful, well prepared, happy to be there, motivating.”
“It was a supportive environment, and I enjoyed the practical, hands-on aspect. There was lots of participation, and not just passive listening…. Rebecca was very friendly, welcoming and organized. The lessons were well thought-out and built the skills that we were discussing. She is a gifted teacher!”
Sample activities and workshop notes:
Past workshop series:
Opening the Floodgates, a Short Fiction Workshop
Hybrid QWF workshop, October-November 2023
An eight-week workshop designed to help fiction writers open the creative floodgates. Feeling stuck in your writing? You are not alone! Participants in this workshop will spend four weeks using prompts and writing exercises to generate new stories before expanding and revising one story to workshop with the group.
With inspiration from masters of the craft such as Ursula LeGuin, George Saunders, and Matthew Salesses, participants will be encouraged to experiment with narration, structure, character arcs, and other story elements. We will also unpack the critiquing process to provide participants with the confidence and tools to refine their editor’s eye, read each story on its own terms and provide helpful feedback to fellow writers.
Other discussion topics will include how to create a writing routine, how to tackle revisions between drafts, where to submit finished stories and how to find a writing community. Participants should emerge from this workshop with clear ideas and strategies to invigorate their writing practice both on and off the page.
Story Architecture: a QWF Fiction Workshop
Online QWF workshop, March-April 2021
While every story requires building blocks such as plot, characters, and setting, these blocks can be organized and assembled in many different ways. Writers in this online workshop will experiment with chronology, geography, and narrative to craft the architecture of their stories. Using prompts and writing exercises, participants will learn when to use flashbacks, why to transition between scenes, and how to create parallel plots with multiple character arcs. We will also study and discuss texts with unusual, non-linear narratives to expand our toolbox of narrative techniques.
The workshop will also explore the use of diagrams and outlines to create narrative blueprints. Mind maps, spreadsheets, colour coding, notecards, and prose outlines can all be used to organize a story’s basic components, and we will examine how these techniques can be used at different stages of the writing process. Participants will be encouraged to share their work, with the workshop leader providing constructive feedback on first drafts and story fragments. Above all, this workshop will be a place for experimentation and discovery.
Rebecca Morris 