Information About Bethany - Shrewsbury teacher

Personal Description:

Writing is my passion. And mentoring people who want to write is my other passion. It's what I live for. I believe in humanity's innate ability to be creative. I believe in you - the student - in being able to express yourself, and in finding your own authentic and individual voice to write with.

I love seeing people blossom through creativity. It's the greatest joy there is. It's wonderful to see people overcoming their self-doubt and inner-critic, learning to be playful again, and find the words they need to tell the story that's knocking at their door and won't go away.

The most important job of the writer is to be true to the story, to turn up, listen to that story and all its intricacies and complexities and then render it as faithfully as they possibly can. It's an incredible journey and I am so grateful to have the privilege of being a guiding light for people on their writing journeys.

Teaching Experience:

Since achieving my M.A. in Teaching & Practice of Creative Writing from Cardiff University in 2006, I have been teaching and mentoring students, from first endeavours up to a publishable standard. I've taught in: community education, further education, higher education, mental health charities, art galleries and museums. I've tutored people who are terrified of writing as well as people who have extensive experience of writing. I have helped clients to write: novels, memoirs, historical fiction, children's stories, poetry, short stories, flash fiction, autobiography, travel memoir. I provide everything from inital impetus and creative writing prompts to structure and editing tools, and have a great breadth and knowledge of the creative process and how the student can access their own process, dance with it, embrace it and fly with it.

Teaching Approach:

I offer totally student centred mentoring. I cater for the student's needs and work out what works best for them. There are universal tools you can use, but the creative process is also highly individual. I'm 'phenomenally astute' (as one of my students said) at putting my finger on the pulse, and enabling the student to find the right direction for themselves.