Build a story from start to finish during these two-day, one-hour, hands-on journaling sessions. Attend either or both sessions led by year-round Lakesiders Traci Richards and Brenda Haas. Day 1 focuses on inspiration and story structure. Day 2 focuses on diving deeper into what your “moment in time” means to you. Be prepared to participate in writing exercises and timed prompts and don’t forget a notebook.
Richards, owner of Millie Magoo’s and The Fine Print bookstore, created Heart Drops, where she writes about grief and connection. Haas’ award-winning debut novel, Finding Sutton’s Choice, is set in Lakeside and explores the domino effect of family choices on who we become.
Finding Sutton’s Choice is a story about complicated family relationships and failing mental health. It won the Literary Titan Gold Book Award (2025), two International Impact Book Awards (2025) and the PenCraft Award for Fiction (2026). A magazine feature writer, speaker and photographer, Haas spent many years as a reporter for a suburban Pittsburgh newspaper. Her writing has appeared in Leisure Living Magazine, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and My Outer Banks Home magazine.
