Amanda Le Rougetel

WRITING * EDITING * TEACHING

I wrote my first story at age about 13 or so; it was derivative and dreadful, but I loved the process of imagining the characters and the plot and putting it all together with words on the page. I have continued to write since then — and my writing is not dreadful any more. It has been published in The Globe and Mail, on Brevity Blog, in The Leaf community newspaper, numerous newsletters, and an anthology; my blog, Five Years a Writer, has a loyal readership. My writing tends to be creative non-fiction, in the form of personal essays and memoir- & life-writing, and news articles or features. Recently, I have turned my hand to flash fiction, using old family pictures as the spark for the stories. Through my formal education, I have learned a lot about writing and about telling stories; I have two undergraduate degrees, one in literary translation (French to English), the other in journalism. In my early 40s, I earned a master’s degree in applied communication. Along the way, I crafted a career for myself, first, in corporate communications; next, as a freelance writer & editor; and, finally, in education, as a college instructor of communication. Today, I am a writer, editor, and community educator.

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WORKING with WRITERS 

Writing can be a driving life force or a pleasant creative pastime. Regardless, taking a course that focuses on writing can bring benefit not only to the craft of writing but to the enjoyment of that craft. I have worked with individuals who enjoy writing for their own pleasure, and I have worked with writers who want their work to be published. My objective is always to build confidence — in the story being told and in the writing of it.