Mythology and Miraculous Worlds Workshop took place upstairs at Little Swift upon Wednesday the 21st of Feb 2024. Nine participants signed up to the spellbinding world constructed by Creative Writing Practitioner Emma Robdale. Review by Alice Riley.
This last week saw the first MixMatched creative writing workshop of the year. Our theme was mythology and miraculous worlds, and it was hosted by our very own Emma Robdale – writer and creative lecturer extraordinaire. I’m writing this review from a unique perspective – as both a director and participant. Confused? Read on and I will explain.
The workshop was hosted at Little Swift, a charming boutique bar on the coast of Margate. We had a room to ourselves upstairs which was decked out in lush fabric; some participants remarked that it reminded them of a séance, but it did have a cosy vibe. Emma got stuck in Canterbury due to unreliable public transport, so I took the lead and began the workshop by asking people to introduce themselves and tell everyone what their favourite mythical stories were. I had run out of ideas and began to panic about what to say next, but then – perfect timing – Emma arrived. I was told afterwards that I did a good job holding the fort, which was a lovely boost my self-esteem.
To get the ball rolling, Emma gave each of us a stack of Dix It cards and told us to choose our three favourites. For those of you unfamiliar with Dix It, it is a card game with artistic picture cards to which you must assign meaning; it’s super fun. We then paired up with the person next to us and created a story using all six of our cards.
Next, we had three short writing activities:
- creating a story based on our Dixit cards
- writing a story or story idea based on subverting a myth of fairytale for modern times.
- using a random object from Emma’s box as a prompt to inspire some creative writing
The activities were designed to spark ideas and get those creative juices flowing. In the second exercise, I ended up generating a full-blown novel idea: a psychological thriller based on Snow White on social media. We then had a short break, followed by a session when we could share our stories and receive feedback, which sparked yet more interesting discussions and ideas.
Overall, I really enjoyed the workshop, both hosting and participating. I thought the exercises sparked some interesting discussions and ideas, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. As with all MixMatched events, there was a really positive and uplifting vibe. I felt so happy and confident there, and, importantly, I can fully be my real self.