Author of A Fan Deal in the Rainy Season 2022 Short Story Anthology

The Saigon Writers Club is a warm and supportive community. Sam is very good at what he does, teaching and inspiring his students to write. I hope to be able to get involved more in the future.

I've gained valuable insights from the creative writing course at the Saigon Writers Club. The course enabled me to successfully write a short story in English, a task I previously deemed impossible. My story telling skills have improved dramatically. I used to be bored with my own writing and now I am proud of it. The course taught me the key elements of crafting captivating stories. I've learned many great writing techniques and gained the confidence to freely express my thoughts without fear of judgment. I wish the Saigon Writers Club continued success and am honored to be a part of its community.

Author of The Bracelet of the South in the Rainy Season 2021 Short Story Anthology

It's not very common for a group of people from different countries to take a writing class together in the middle of Covid and then write stories set from 1960s Vietnam to 1970s England to the contemporary and challenging lives and loves of the modern world. How cool is that? I think that's pretty cool.

It’s quite shameful for me to confess that I’m quite ignorant of Vietnamese history. When I learned that I was going to write a short story, I was like, okay, let's seize this opportunity so I chose the DMZ at the 17th parallel in Quang Tri province as my story’s main setting. This historic place separated Vietnam into the North and the South.

This is a short story, which means you can finish it in one sitting, but it took me a whole lot of sittings to write and rewrite it. I went through seven drafts with the tremendous help of Sam and a friend of mine. It’s funny to look back at my first draft now. In that draft, I described the climax in just one sentence!

I don’t think money or fame drives writers to write because writing is a real pain in the ass. I think when someone writes they do so because they have a story burning inside them that they have to tell, or they have a community to encourage and support them to finish a story. As for me, it was the latter. This writing class helped me, and I think it can help you too.

Author of the flash fiction story A Forgotten World and the short story The Gecko in the Rainy Season 2022 Short Story Anthology

The Saigon Writers Club is more than a club to me. I came here to learn how to compose a short story, which is a personal reason, but I ended up having more friends and getting to know more about a writer’s life.

This life is no longer personal. After the class, I still keep in touch with my classmates and Sam, our teacher. Sam is a trustworthy person. He has an open mind and a free spirit which is needed for a teacher and a writer.

Writing is not easy, as you may have heard a thousand times. There will be times when you struggle with your characters, your words, and the scenes you have built. I’m glad that we get to learn about character development, character portrayal, word choice, and narration in the writing workshops to overcome these difficulties. Then, there will be times when you want to give up because everything, including yourself, seems like a mess. This is when Sam appears as a guide and a supporter. He trusts me when I don’t even trust myself.

The lessons I have learned and the stories I have heard during the precious time working with the Saigon Writers Club classes have become a part of who I am.

Author of Rivers of Destiny in the Dry Season 2022 Short Story Anthology

A great course to set the direction and steps to write a short story.

If you need a kickstart to write your story, then this is a fabulous way to instigate the process and get some fabulous guidance along the journey. It is absorbing and fun to do and provides a fantastic sense of accomplishment.

Author of The Dreamwalker in the Rainy Season 2021 Short Story Anthology

Signing up for Sam's class is one of the best decisions I made in 2021!

I had lots of fun studying with Sam. He's an attentive and supportive teacher, always doing his best to push us forward and make us write. You can see his passion and get inspired by it. I've learned a lot about building round, believable characters, creating compelling plots and plot twists, playing with the language, etc. Despite some initial struggles, I managed to write a 6,000-word short story. Although there are still many things I need to work on, I am extremely happy with what I have accomplished. Just the feeling of completing a grueling task brings me lots of joy. "Writers write.", as simple as that. If you always dream to be a writer or love to be creative, this is your chance. We all need to start somewhere, right?

Author of Out of Desperation in the Rainy Season 2021 Short Story Anthology

I would like to thank Sam for not giving up on the Saigon Writers Club's project. I have no doubt that it will bring value to more and more aspiring writers. Who knows, I might join you again in the near future.

I have great experiences from joining your class. I found that the teaching material was well-developed so that it serves as a trustworthy companion for us as we weave up our own story, thread by thread. I enjoy the class's ambience and the pace of activities in general. I like the fact that our class was a multicultural club where everyone's personal tales are meaningful and important. I appreciate that Sam is result-oriented and he constantly pushes us to our limits until our work is satisfactory.

Author of They Call Me Coconut in the Rainy Season 2022 Short Story Anthology.

A huge thanks to my teacher Sam at the Saigon Writers Club for the practical tools, the writing exercises, and the many stories dissected to get a better understanding of how to write my own short story.

Sam has compiled this course in a format that could basically become part of the “for dummies” book series. It’s simple and easy to follow, with lots of depth and discussion. Highly recommend this course to anyone with a dream of unleashing their writing bug.

Author of DER VECHTER in the Dry Season 2022 Short Story Anthology

Becoming a writer has been my dream since I was a high school student. However, I chose to be a marketer with a degree in Commerce but I never gave up on my dream. I still remember how I was into writing elective papers when studying English proficiency program in New Zealand and academic writing at the university curriculum. I started writing up some stories in Vietnamese, but then I deleted them because I had no confidence to try and get them published.

However, I did start my own travel blog to write about my trips to explore the world, about people and stories I have known along my journey. I never imagined that I would have my story, a real story published some days… until I signed up for writing class from the Saigon Writers Club. My motivation returned. My confidence has been encouraged. I completed my first story for the Dry Season 2022 anthology with lots of support and assistance from Sam. Now, I am so proud to introduce to all of my friends about my story with the hope that I can complete a second and third story soon.

The Saigon Writer Club will give you courage to write. It is also a nice place to meet and make new friends who share the same interest as you. It is where you learn more about other cultures and backgrounds and of course, their stories. Everyone has a story and the Saigon Writers Club nurtures many good stories. It has given me a chance to pursue my dream, to be an amateur writer and motivating me to keep writing because as we say, “Writers write.”