A Nice Write Up in a Local Press

Polishing the 'write' skills as a group

CATHERINE L. FOLEY
THE PATENT TRADER
(Original publication: November 25, 2004)

Emily Hanlon helps writers find the magical moment.

The Yorktown writing coach leads 10-week workshops three times a year for a small group of writers, hungry for the creative journey, she said.

Her goal is to guide writers working on fiction or creative nonfiction, children's books and memoirs as they uncover the complexities and joys of their creative passion, and open to the characters living inside them. "That's the magical moment. We get out of our own way and our characters come alive. We can close down and let the characters write the story."

Hanlon, 59, has been teaching writing for 30 years and said creativity involves a lot of challenge and risk. For writers, especially those working on longer pieces, it's essential to get outside support and feedback, she said. "I'm teaching writing from the perspective of the creative journey, and opening people to their creative passion at the same time teaching them technique."

For women writers looking for a deeper creative experience, Hanlon hosts annual, week-long writers' retreats all over the world. Next summer, she'll take a group of 20 women to Glastonbury, England. "It's really an exploration of your creativity funneled through writing. It's an exploration of who you are as a creative person once you can quiet that inner critic. It's a very exhilarating experience, a very freeing experience."

Hanlon also does one-on-one coaching, in person or on the telephone.