Local writer thinks out of box in pandemic
Lemmer said she has always wanted to be a heroic “Joan of Ark” who defeats the monster, and by writing she gets to explore her imagination.
With lockdown regulations forcing half the country to work from home, many people must think out of the proverbial box to continue with their business.
One such person is writer and freelance journalist Yolanda Barnard-Lemmer.
Lemmer, who is also a spokesperson for the Centurion Hospice, said reading and writing got her through the difficult times during lockdown.
“Writing is therapy, writing is my imagination that I don’t always get to live out,” Lemmer told Rekord.
Lemmer said she has always wanted to be a heroic “Joan of Ark” who defeats the monster, and by writing she gets to explore her imagination.
She said reading and writing especially helped her take her minds off things “like smoking!”
READ MORE: North artist creates Covid-19 awareness
“The first two weeks I did absolutely nothing besides watch TV shows and eat everything I could get my hands on.”
By the third week, Lemmer returned back to work which got her thinking about presenting a writing school online while in lockdown.
Lemmer along with Carla van der Spuy, also an established author, decided to continue presenting their writing school online and boasts the first of many to come Zoom-based writing courses.
The duo present the writing school on a month-to-month basis where they offer aspiring writers various topics to learn about.
These included inspiration and true life dramas (non-fiction), short stories and spark fiction (fiction), youth novels, children’s books (fiction) and travel stories (non-fiction).
READ MORE: Read your favourite eBook on Gauteng’s virtual library
They also teach aspiring writers how to write profiles and do character sketches all in a weekly online class.
Other genres include feature and news writing, reviews for books, films and music along with the basics of proofreading and subbing just to name a few.
Lemmer told Rekord they like to keep the writing school interesting by inviting different guest writers each month to help present the course.
When Lemmer is not busy helping others pen their stories, she is busy completing her diploma in creative writing and is looking forward to be publishing her new book later this year.
Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites:
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
