Best Workshop of 2009

I went to a terrific writing workshop just a few weeks ago with Barbara Sher, who wrote Wishcraft and lots of other great books on finding your dream and getting it. She offers the workshop as part of a WriteSpeak program to help people like me become writers and speakers. That is the program I completed this spring, which was responsible in large part for my writing & publishing Granny's Guide to Fun & Fabulous Family Stories.

The workshop was held at lovely old Saluda Inn in Saluda, NC, for 15 eager wannabe writers. One of the greatest benefits of such a small group was having close interaction with Barbara herself. The woman was amazing at helping me hone in on the message for my next book.

It will be to help people write their own stories about end-of-life concerns, whether from their own perspective (such as Randy Pausch), their experiences with someone else (perhaps in Hospice), or dealing with the sudden loss of someone. I hesitated about tackling such a morbid topic, but since my friend died last year and my mother-in-law recently, I feel a pull in that direction. My first book is more playful and intended to help people have fun writing their family stories. Dealing with death is definitely not a fun topic, but a very important one.

As a Personal Historian, I deal with many older customers and those who know they have limited time remaining. With my passion for getting people to think about and save their family stories, this second book will be even more appropriate for dealing with serious matters.

Have you been to a really good workshop this year? If more than one, what was your best workshop, and why? I'd love to hear from you. #best09