Collage Writing Lab: Kickstart Your Creative Project

“We already have many stories and essays at our fingertips,” says instructor Ann Guy. “It’s just a matter of how we tell them, or bring their parts together. Collage writing is one of my favorite ways to shape a story or essay. The process is like quilting. We stitch together scraps of material with invisible thread, talking to one another as we go, creating bright patterns from the stuff of family stories, childhood memories, and our keenest preoccupations and obsessions.” 

In this 3-week class, you’ll pull from pieces you’ve already written and brand-new writing you generate in class to create a collage. Prompt-driven writing, optional sharing of work, discussions about the collage form, and light feedback sessions will provide direction and encouragement. Ann will also lead discussion of readings by authors whose experiments with collage writing will inspire choices you might bring to your own work. 

“We have to start with something to kick off the process,” says Ann, “We’ll bring to the first class meeting at least several pieces of writing that are urgent or relevant to us. These pieces could be letters, recipes, playlists, and stray lines we’ve written in notebooks or notes apps. We’ll consider the threads or themes evident in these pieces, and over time we’ll add, cut, and combine to see what sparks fly.” 

By the end of class, you’ll have a collection of vividly rendered pieces that can form the basis (or the entirety) of a writing project, whether an autobiographical story or lyric essay. You’ll also walk away with an exciting new approach to writing that you can use for future projects and for enlivening your creative process. 

About The Writing Salon's In-Person Classes

Before your class meets, you'll receive an email from The Writing Salon with more information about your class. If you have any questions about in-person learning, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at hello@writingsalons.com.