Donna Besel loves writing of all kinds and leads workshops for writers of all ages. In 2016, her collection of short stories, "Lessons from a Nude Man," captured fourth place spot on McNally Robinson Bookstore’s annual bestsellers list, and nominations for Margaret Laurence Award for Fiction and Most Promising Manitoba Writer. Her work has also gained recognition from Canada Council for the Arts, Manitoba Arts Council, and Canada ReLit Awards. Nonfiction prizes include first place in This Magazine’s “Great Canadian Literary Hunt,” first and second place in Prairie Fire Magazine’s annual contests, and three finalist spots in CBC Literary Awards. In 2017, the University of Manitoba featured her in their alumni magazine, in an article about overcoming adversity. In 2018, Caitlin Press published her essay in "Love Me True: Writers Reflect on the Ins, Outs, Ups & Downs of Marriage," an anthology about marriage. In 2021, University of Regina Press published "The Unravelling: Incest and the Destruction of a Family" and Manitoba Arts Council awarded her their $10,000 Rural Recognition prize for her work creating and promoting the arts. For several years, along with writer Lauren Carter, she has organized "Wild Writing in the Boreal," an annual retreat for women writers, held at Falcon Trails Resort in Whiteshell Provincial Park. The forests of Eastern Manitoba, where she has always lived, provide endless ideas and settings for her “boreal stories.”
Telling your stories -We talk about why we love stories and why stories are universal. We talk about how every story is about the same thing - people overcoming challenges. We discuss the places we find stories - in books, television, songs, movies, plays, video games, dance, and other art forms. We discuss why we value stories, because they give us hope in a world that is often confusing, violent, scary, uncaring, and senseless.
I weave all of these discussions into a series of exercises that I call right-brained activities. The right brain, according to the recent theories, is the side of the brain that allows people to be more open and creative, and stop worrying about perfection. I ask participants to draw and talk, to answer questions about themselves and their beliefs. Then I ask them to respond in writing to my questions, on the spot, and read what they write. Some may be shy at first but once they get over this, they speak and listen to each other with great respect and enthusiasm. And, by then, I know they have started to find their voice, to take ownership of their writing.
In these unique sessions, student will be challenged to find their writer's voice - they will discover they have something to say and the ability to say it. Each session will include writing exercises, challenging discussions, and “imagination openers.” Participants will receive verbal feedback from fellow students, guidelines on positive critiquing, and tips on building creativity, skills, and motivation. Students will be encouraged to observe other people and the world around them with compassionate detachment. They will listen to each other, role play, and read their work aloud. If the workshop focuses on short stories, students will learn about the basic elements, including character, plot, theme, dialogue, mood, viewpoint, conflict, rising action, climax, resolution, and audience. Students will write, revise, and edit an original short story.
If the workshop focuses on memoir, students will learn the basics of good writing and explore what stops them from putting pen to paper. They will learn how to approach memoir, not as a chronological accounting of facts but as a personal narrative that involves a quest, or a search for meaning. Most important of all, they will learn how to write about what disturbs them, and explore the the benefits and the backlash of delving into "unpalatable" subjects.
In these unique classes, student will be challenged to find their writer's voice - they will discover they have something to say and the ability to say it. For younger students, the workshops will be about how stories work and how to create stories. For older students, each session will include writing exercises, challenging discussions, and “imagination openers.” Participants will receive verbal feedback from fellow students, and tips on building creativity, skills, and motivation. Students will be encouraged to observe other people and the world around them with compassionate detachment. They will listen to each other, role play, and read their work aloud. If the school selects a two-week residency, students will also learn about the basic elements of a short story, including character, plot, theme, dialogue, mood, viewpoint, conflict, rising action, climax, resolution, and audience. Students will write, revise, and edit an original short story. If requested, each class collection of stories can be bound and distributed, and students can do formal readings to a larger audience.
