Creative Writing Workshop for First-Time Women Writers

I led a five-week creative writing workshop designed specifically for first-time women writers inside Syria. This workshop focused on creating a safe, supportive entry point into writing for women who had not previously published or formally studied creative writing.

The workshop emphasized writing as a tool for expression, reflection, and self-articulation rather than performance or productivity. Together, we worked on building confidence in language, developing basic narrative skills, and cultivating the courage to write personal and social realities without fear or self-censorship.

Participants were guided through the fundamentals of creative nonfiction, with particular attention to:

• discovering a personal relationship to writing
• learning how to begin and sustain a writing practice
• shaping lived experience into clear, grounded narrative
• writing for oneself before writing for an audience

Each participant worked on a short original piece, developed gradually through guided exercises, group discussion, and individual feedback. The workshop was intentionally paced to allow space for learning, hesitation, and growth.

This workshop was supported by The Giving Back Fund.