Taking inspiration and using source material from The London Library’s vast, sometimes weird and always wonderful collection, this session, led by author and Write & Shine creator, Gemma Seltzer, will encourage you to tune into your instincts and get writing.

In this workshop, we’ll explore the joy of the imperfect. To do something well, you have to risk failure. Great stories rise from mistakes. Bad poems often lead to unexpected ideas. We’ll think together about how creativity is about trying, editing, exploring and keeping going…it’s definitely not about being perfect!

Write & Shine workshops take place in the morning – the best time to think, dream and imagine! You won’t be expected to share your writing, which offers great freedom and encourages all kinds of fascinating ideas to emerge.

This workshop is part of a successful partnership between Pen to Print and The London Library, that aims to support aspiring writers in any genre.

Previous workshops have covered every step of the writing process: from researching your idea to structuring your work, from building characters to honing your voice, all the way to the final edit. This session will be all about putting pen to paper and writing from the heart.

NB: Login at 8.45am for 9am start.

The London Library is a unique literary oasis in the heart of London. Founded in 1841, it is steeped in literary history, holds an unrivalled collection of over a million books, hosts a vibrant events programme and is a home for anyone who loves the written word.

The workshop is funded by the Arts Council England as part of The London Library’s ambitious Learning and Participation Programme.

Connect with Gemma: X – @gemseltz

Visit Write & Shine’s website: write-and-shine.com

Visit The London Library’s website: londonlibrary.co.uk

If you have any accessibility requirements, please directly get in touch with us at pentoprint@lbbd.gov.uk

Barking and Dagenham Libraries and Pen to Print are proud to host our thirteenth annual Literary Festival which takes place between Saturday 14 September and Saturday 21 September.

We are delighted to showcase our events both online and in-person. This is a wonderful festival which provides a great opportunity to meet authors, discover new genres and celebrate the joy of reading through a wide range of events.

We are pleased to say that all our in-person events remain FREE and our online events are subject to a small fee. Our programme is supported by London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and Arts Council England, funded by the UK Government.

For more information please visit: pentoprint.org/readfest

• Booking is essential. Pen to Print and our partners reserve the right to remove participants who are found not to have booked a place for a session
• We encourage all participants to keep their cameras on during the session
• Pen to Print and our partners reserve the right to remove participants who are disruptive to a session
• Pen to Print reserves the right to cancel, delay or postpone the event for any reason, including an emergency situation or unforeseen or unavoidable circumstances out of its reasonable control. In such cases, the event organiser will endeavour to inform participants as quickly as is possible