HAVE SOMETHING TO ADD? Send us a description of how you felt after the workshop and we’ll pass it on to future students. For an example, read a few of the great testimonials below.  “I have been writing for over ten years now, and have taken several workshops, online courses, participated in writing groups and worked with mentors. I’ve learned enough to know that a first draft is never good enough, and I often spent hours editing my work. But watching Joyce workshop each manuscript helped me to see how important the set up and unfolding is to the success of the story. She was right that I got as much, if not more, out of seeing her work with the other writers as much as my own. Her skill in pulling out the heart of a story from each author taught me so much, because it wasn’t just about the story, it was about putting ourselves into our story, and building the body from there. Seeing her do this over and over again with each piece reinforced the importance of how the story is delivered, by a carefully planned presentation and by stripping away the clutter.” - Patti Cavaliere (Star Island Workshop ’11) “No matter what level writer you are, Joyce Maynard can make you better. She knows how to distill a story to its essence and help you shape it into a compelling experience for the reader.” - Lea Nesbit (Star Island Workshop ’11, Lake Atitlan Workshop ’10) “It was all I had hoped for. When we came down the gangplank that first day and you were there to warmly greet us, Joyce, I knew it would be a good week.  You are in person what I have always thought you were in your writings -- down-to-earth, caring, and sincerely interested in others.  Watching you help us through all our writings gave me a clearer idea of what to do in my own memoir writing. It put me in the writer’s seat, not the teacher’s. You made me see even better the value and importance of putting myself into my writing.” - Nancy P. (Star Island Workshop ’11) “I feel incredible. As I said at the closing circle, I feel affirmed as a writer.  I have never felt more appreciative of my life and what I have created.” - Adrea Peters, author (Star Island Workshop ’11, Lake Atitlan Workshop ’10) “The use of students' manuscripts as the text for instruction provided a more authentic learning experience than any "how to" guide ever could. Feedback on our writings was personal, meaningful, and revealed the detailed preparation that [Joyce] did to prepare for our group. The Write By The Sea workshop was one of the "top ten" experiences of my life!” - Lyndell M., (Star Island Workshop ’11)  “Joyce is a powerhouse, a force to be reckoned with (2 useful clichés – sometimes they do evoke a shared understanding). Her passion and conviction regarding the stories she sees in our “stories” pushed me (and everyone in the group I think) beyond our comfort zones (yup another cliché) to hard places where the best stuff lies. And this was SO obvious in the things people rewrote and chose to read at night.  I was a bit taken aback in our first couple of hours together and worried that there wouldn’t be enough "space" in these sessions for all of us. Joyce had a huge amount to share with us and was driven to give us her all. Her style – some cross between enlightened despot and reticent democrat – was unexpected. To date, the only workshops I’ve attended have been go-around/everyone give your opinions type things. (Not so useful I now realize). It only took a couple of hours to get over whatever anxiety I was feeling and start to see what Joyce was offering. Whatever the opposite of lazy (energetic comes up in the antonym section but doesn’t cut it) is, that would describe Joyce. Drive, energy, enthusiasm, smarts, insight, humour, generosity, warmth, razor sharp critique offered up like Mary Poppins would. If we were all exhausted by the end of every day I can’t imagine how Joyce was feeling.” - Aviva Rubin, Toronto, Canada (Star Island Workshop ’11) RETURN TO A FULL LIST OF WORKSHOP OPPORTUNITIES WORKSHOPS.htmlshapeimage_5_link_0