Nearly a dozen people gathered recently at the Mount Airy Public Library to talk about a curious thing.

Words.

Actually, the group was mostly there to talk about and practice writing words, taking part in a creative writing workshop put on by Sarah Wright, a published author who recently earned a master of fine arts in creative writing.

About a dozen people turned out for the workshop, all from various walks of life. One was a high school student. Another was but 12 years old. Some were retired. Others worked in counseling, in the furniture industry, or as a teacher.

No matter their professional or personal backgrounds, they all came out to learn a little about the creative writing process, and to share some of what they have done in the field.

Angela Llewellyn, a librarian assistant there, said the group was a bit of an experiment. She said she had been wanting to get something like this going at the library since taking her position there last summer.

“Anything you can do to spur the creative process, the imagination, I’m all for,” she told the group in explaining how the workshop came about.

Llewellyn, who has been involved with the a number of dramatic productions at the Andy Griffith Playhouse, and who, along with her husband, Brack Llewellyn, are known in the area for their story-telling skills, said she met Wright at the playhouse.

“I snagged her immediately,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to do this, but I wanted someone who could lead a workshop better than I could.”

Wright, with her background and degree, was the perfect fit, Llewellyn said.

For her part, Wright told the group she uses writing as a healing art, specifically working with cancer patients.

Last week, however, she was helping the local writers spur their creativity a bit with some writing prompts and examples of how to jumpstart the writing process.

One of the first ideas she shared was a simple writing prompt, writing on the dry erase board “There are two or three things I know for sure.”

Then she told those at the workshop to use that line, either word-for-word as part of something they would write, or as an idea that would spur a story.

Ten minutes later those in attendance had written all sorts of stories. One had penned a few words about the Reynolds family in Winston-Salem and their influence on the local history; some had written just a few lines, while 12-year-old Taylor Galbe put together nearly a page-and-a-half of what looked to be a significant start on a short story.

Another idea for jump-starting the creative process, Wright told the group, is to play music. She turned on an instrumental selection and gave the workshop participants about ten minutes, during which they were to write whatever the music inspired.

That spurred some in the group to write about experiences from their past, others wrote of what they see in their daily lives, and still others put together purely fictional pieces.

In between exercises those at the group could share what they had written from each prompt. Some were comfortable with sharing everything they had written that night, others read from their papers a few times, while some chose not to share. All of that was okay with Wright, though she was glad to see most of the participants sharing at least some of what they wrote during the event.

“Everyone would love to see 40 people out here in a workshop, but this is really a great size for a workshop,” she said. “Everyone gets a chance to participate...and it’s less threatening.”

Wright is a firm believer that, while some might aspire to see short stories and novels published, that is not necessary to practice the craft successfully.

“Writing’s such an important thing to know,” she said. “When times are bad you can get that out and on paper, that can help you get through difficult times.”

She also believes most anyone can write.

“So many people have such negative connotations about writing,” she said. “Writing is something everyone needs, even though they may not know they need it. People have had terrible experiences sometimes. Others have told them they can’t write, and that’s such a terrible thing to say. Everyone can write.”

‘It just has to be nurtured,” Llewellyn said. “I think there’s a need for this in this community, and like I said, I’m all for anything that is creative, that can spur creativity.”

The workshop was the first of its kind at the library, but Llewellyn said she is hoping for more. A poetry workshop is scheduled for April 23 at 6 p.m.., and beyond that she said she hopes the library can host more events.

You can contact John Peters at jpeters@mtairynews.com