Exploring Life & Business with Dawn Rice of Write On! Creative Writing Center

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dawn Rice.

Hi Dawn, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Some of my favorite memories from my childhood involved a book and a journal, both of which I would use to travel to new and exciting worlds, tell of adventures I someday wanted to take, and envision opportunities that stretched my imagination. When I thought about what I wanted to be in the future, I knew that I wanted to teach. It was that feeling of discovery and comprehension of information, those lightbulb moments, that brought me such joy in my learning years. I knew that I wanted to be part of those moments with others, and teaching provided me with the perfect opportunities.

After teaching for several years, and with me being a lifelong learner, I decided to pursue a Master’s Degree. It was during this time that I was invited to participate in the Invitational Summer Writing Institute with the San Marcos Writing Project and my passion to make writing fun and exciting for everyone was discovered. Writing Workshops became part of my daily classroom routine and writing became part of my student’s learning experience. When we moved to Texas, I transitioned out of the classroom and started Write On! and taught creative writing workshops and camps out of my home. With writing as the focus of my teaching and seeing the works the writers created, improving with each workshop, my vision for Write On! grew.

After a few years, we decided it was time to transition to a brick and mortar location. This time was exciting, as we picked the color scheme, designed the logo, found a location, and made it feel as welcoming and alive with possibilities. As January turned into February, opening day approached and on March 3, 2020, we were officially open. Write On! Creative Writing Center was a reality in The Rail District of downtown Frisco and then Covid-19 blindsided Write On! and all of the United States. Despite this past year being filled with challenges, we have seen many blessings as we navigated new ways of connecting with writers and continuing to work on getting the word out that we were open and what Write On! was all about.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Having a home-based business with students coming and going was far more challenging than expected. With family members, pets, and a self-locking front door, the distractions proved to outweigh the benefits. It was time to seek out and find an ideal brick and mortar location. Price, condition, and overall feel played a key role and led us to a building that had natural light streaming in the many windows and was a nice size that would be welcoming and cozy. Everything came together quickly and seemed to fall into place with minimal issues. We scheduled our first day of workshops for March 3, 2020 and the dream became a reality. It was just two weeks later that the biggest, most unexpected challenge would blindside Write On! and all of the United States.

We’d had a week of workshops and a week of Spring Break Camp and we were told to shut our doors due to Covid-19. Everything we’d planned for was in-person and in the weeks to come, we’d transition to online workshops and restructure Write On! completely. For the next five months, we’d be in survival mode, struggling to get the word out that we were open and what Write On! was all about. In many ways, this time was emotionally and mentally draining. Yet, through it all, we were able to connect with writers far beyond our circle in north Dallas and integrate opportunities. Since the start of the school year in August of 2020, we have seen an increase in registrations and inquiries about Write On! We are hopeful that as we enter our 2nd year at Write On! that we continue to see growth and the fruit of our struggles from year one.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Write On! Creative Writing Center?
Write On! Creative Writing Center is a place where CURIOSITY and INSPIRATION can be set free and IMAGINATION and CREATIVITY discovered and brought to life. Write On! is first and foremost a place for writers ~ reluctant, struggling, and proficient. Write On! is for ALL writers looking for a place to write that isn’t solely for academic purposes or obligation but because they need to improve or have a love for writing, just like we do. Write On! offers weekly creative writing workshops, specialty workshops, camps, and events that provide ALL writers the opportunity to write and to write often. Whether it be in-person at our location in The Rail District of Downtown Frisco or online via Zoom, Write On! offers a format that works no matter what skill level the writer is at.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson that I’ve learned along my journey is that flexibility, perseverance, and patience are essential to the survival and success of any business. There will be challenges along the way, some bigger and sooner than you expect, and others just minor bumps in the road. Yet through it all, my vision and dream of bringing exciting and fun writing opportunities to everyone is being realized one writer at a time. “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all love of what you are doing or learning to do.” ~ Pele

Pricing:

• Weekly Creative Writing Workshops ~ $30 each or $25 each when you register for 4 or more
• Specialty Workshops ~ $55 for 2 1/2 hour genre specific workshops.
• Spring Break & Summer Camps ~ $199 for 1/2 day and $399 for full day
• One-On-One – $60 per hour

Contact Info:

• Email: Info@writeonfrisco.com
• Website: www.writeonfrisco.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/writeonfrisco/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WriteOnFrisco/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/writeonfrisco
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIUT8Y4naHvrC2PaEzz70-w/featured
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/write-on-creative-writing-center-frisco?utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)