“I didn’t realize I would make good friends, gain strong supporters, and experience this much success along the way.” - Donna Hughes
Donna Hughes had a story to tell.
But first, she needed to gain the skills and tools to share her story in a way that would engage young readers. After exploring various options, she decided to pursue a Certificate in Creative Writing at SCS. “I noticed instructors at SCS were top-notch published Canadian authors,” says Donna. “I saw that Michelle Berry taught Writing the Novel classes. I liked her unique voice, so I took a chance and enrolled in her course.” Online learning was new to Donna, however she was immediately engaged and appreciated the course’s clear structure and expectations. “I knew I could do it,” reflects Donna. “I admired the way Michelle found strengths in every single story.”
Learning creative writing online was far more interactive than Donna imagined. “I really liked my classmates, and was quickly drawn into their own unique stories. Workshopping our stories kept us constantly improving them as we critiqued each other’s work and received detailed feedback from the instructor,” says Donna. “We gained so much from each other that we even formed a writing group, Nine Pens, to keep the process going. Some of the members have since published, which is exciting for all of us.”
Donna has also thrived taking in-class courses. She particularly enjoyed a course on Popular Fiction taught by instructor and author Eve Silver. “Her classes were well-orchestrated and highly engaging,” says Donna. “Eve is so business savvy and has such good instincts about a story. In fact, some of us formed a writing group called After Eve to keep going with our writing.” Learning from highly skilled instructors in a friendly environment made Donna feel safe to share her story, and give and receive feedback. “The instructor creates this environment of mutual respect. It’s the quality of students that SCS attracts that ensures you’ll have classmates with amazing stories and valuable insights,” she says.
While working towards completing her certificate, Donna continues to write, edit, and finesse the story that haunts her. “In 2005, my 19-year-old niece was murdered by her ex-boyfriend who then committed suicide. We were so shocked by the events and overwhelmed by sadness,” she says. “We read about these things in the media, but I don’t think anyone expects it to happen in their family. There was just so much to piece together. What led up to this? Was it preventable? I have a background in social science, so I went that route first. But I wanted to talk to young people, not provide analysis. I realized that writing a young adult novel based on her story, exploring the underpinnings of teen dating violence, would be the most powerful way I could share her story and do my part in developing awareness.”
At SCS Donna learned the nuts and bolts of putting a story together. With vital ongoing feedback from instructors and classmates, the story developed into a page-turner. “It gave us confidence when Michelle encouraged us to submit our writing to the Penguin Random House Canada Student Award for Fiction. Being a two-time finalist was a wonderful confidence-booster,” Donna recalls. “When Eve suggested I enter the Writing for Children Competition held by the Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers (CANSCAIP), I started submitting. Being a finalist was so encouraging.”
This year Donna was surprised and thrilled to be named the winner in CANSCAIP’s Young Adult category. “The first thing I thought about was my instructors Michelle and Eve and how I couldn’t possibly have achieved this without their instruction, and without them creating such positive classroom environments where I learned from my classmates. Having people believe in my story keeps me going. It’s a hard story to write,” says Donna.
Pursuing continuing education is allowing Donna to realize her vision of creating a young adult novel to sensitize young adults to the warning signs of teen dating violence. “I thought I’d be logging in and logging off, or attending classes and just leaving,” she says. “I didn’t realize I would make good friends, gain strong supporters, and experience this much success along the way.”