Volume II, Issue 44 December 18, 2013 |
Dear ,
What are your favorite
holiday traditions? One of mine is to read the nativity story from the Gospel of Luke aloud on Christmas Eve, as one of our children places Baby Jesus in the manger. I have always loved verse 2:19, after the shepherds come to visit the manger, and all who heard their story wondered about it: "But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her
heart."
Here is our daughter Amanda, now a mother of a baby herself, placing Baby Jesus in our manger back in 1989: As writers, spending time "pondering", not just the extraordinary moments of our lives, but also the ordinary ones, is important, even necessary. Why? you might well
ask.
And to answer that question, I'll take you back to a conversation I had way back in the early days of 2013, with a woman who lives in Ponder, Texas, population 1,405.
I told her I would love to
live in a town called Ponder, since, as a writer, this was one of my favorite things to do. She told me that her whole life, she had never given any thought whatsoever to what the word meant -- it was just the name of where she lived. And she was annoyed as hell when she began seeing bumper stickers all over that said, "Ponder. Just think about it."
"I thought it was the stupidest thing I ever saw," she said. "And then one
day I was stuck at a red light behind a car that had one, and I was just staring at it, and all the sudden I just busted out laughing because I finally got it."
That's what happens when we give ourselves time to ponder, muse, mull -- choose whatever word you like best. We have "aha!" moments. And if what we are mulling over is our writing project, that's what we'll have "aha's" about.
"Pondering" can happen while you're doing something else, especially something repetitive, like washing dishes, vacuuming (see, cleaning your house can actually be a part of your writing life if you throw some pondering in!), swimming, running, walking.... But pondering can
be even more effective if you make the time to do it deliberately.
If you'd like some time to ponder, as well as celebrate the official
beginning of winter through writing, I'd love to have you join me at the WordPlay Winter Writing Retreat this Saturday, December 21st. (Details below, along with details about January WordPlay opportunities.)
And below that is this week's prompt, with three versions of pondering you can try wherever you are. May this season hold love, light, peace, and joy for you and yours, Maureen Upcoming WordPlay
THE 2013 WINTER WRITING RETREAT (Writing - and More - as Renewal / Creating New Writing) Renew and delight yourself. Seasonal retreats are opportunities to create new pieces of writing and/or new possibilities for our lives. Enjoy various seasonal prompts; they have not failed to elicit beautiful material that can be shaped into essays,
poems, stories, or articles. After a communal lunch, you'll have private time which can be used to collage, work with a piece of writing from the morning, or play with a number of other writing prompts and methods. You'll take home new ideas, new drafts, and new possibilities. $97 includes lunch and supplies. WHERE: South Charlotte area.
Details will be provided upon registration. WHEN: Saturday, December 21, 2013,10 am - 5 pm
TO REGISTER: click here to register online with PayPal or a credit card.
Don't like to register online? Email info@wordplaynow.com or phone 704-494-9961. We'll let you know if there is still room and send you all the details you need. UNDER CONSTRUCTION (Fulfilling Writing Dreams and Goals; Creating New Writing; Revising
and Polishing Your Writing)
Available Both Mornings and Evenings This class is designed to fulfill your writing dreams and projects. You'll set goals and support structures and watch your writing flow! You'll also get feedback on your work (any genre) and learn revision tools. Jumpstart your pen and receive the knowledge and inspiration
you need to write, whatever your preferred genre. Each week, writing prompts will generate material for new writing or further a piece in process. Through examples of accomplished writers, you'll learn techniques to aid you right where you are in the process. $407 for 13 sessions. WHERE: Both morning and evening classes will be at Covenant Presbyterian Recreation Center, 1000 East Morehead Street, 28204. Click here for map.
WHEN: Morning Class, Wednesdays, 10 AM to noon. January 15 & 22, February 5 & 19, March 5, 19 & 26, April 2, 9, 16 & 23, May 7 & 14; Snow date, May 21
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR MORNING UNDER CONSTRUCTION
or pay by check with the attached mail-in registration form. WHEN: Evening Class, Thursdays, 7 to 9 PM. January 9, 16 & 23, February 6 & 20, March 6, 20 & 27, April 3, 10 & 24, May 8 & 22; Snow date, May 29
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR EVENING UNDER CONSTRUCTION
or pay by check with the attached mail-in registration form. THE GIFT OF MEMOIR: WRITING PERSONAL AND FAMILY STORIES (Preserving Family History / Writing for and about Your Family / The Art of Memoir) Our life
stories are a precious legacy. Putting them in writing is a gift to all who know and love us-they can be treasured and enjoyed for generations to come. It is also a gift to ourselves. As best-selling author Rachel Naomi Remen says in her book Kitchen Table Wisdom, facts bring us to knowledge, but stories bring us to wisdom. If you are interested
in writing family and/or personal life stories-those significant tales of adventure, transition, love, loss, and triumph, as well as lovely everyday moments from times past or the present, come learn specific tools and techniques to retrieve and record them. $295 for 10 sessions.
WHERE: Covenant Presbyterian Recreation Center, 1000 East Morehead St., Charlotte, 28204. Click here for map.
WHEN: Thursdays, 10 AM to noon, January 9 & 23, February 6 & 20, March 6 & 20, April 3 & 24, May 8 & 22. Snow date May
29.
TO REGISTER: Click Here or pay by check with the attached mail-in registration
form.
PROJECT: BOOK (Writing / Publishing
Your Book-length Writing Project) / 2 Saturdays (Note: this Project: Book workshop is in Charlotte; scroll down further for the one at the Sunset Inn at Sunset Beach.) A hands-on workshop for any writer who would like to
write and/or submit a book for publication and 1) doesn't know how, 2) doesn't get around to it, 3) feels a) intimidated, b) confused, c) overwhelmed, d) uninspired, 4) all of the above! You will gain working knowledge of the steps you need to take and the procedures and documents that are necessary (query vs. cover letter, book proposal, overview, synopsis, outline), as well as an introduction to today's publishing world (major publishers, university presses, small presses, self-publishing,
and print-on-demand). Note: Class doesn't include critique of your book manuscript. $197 for 2 sessions, includes lunch for both days. WHERE: Covenant Presbyterian Recreation Center, 1000 East Morehead St., Charlotte, 28204. Click here for map.
WHEN: Saturdays, January 25 and February 1, 10 AM to 4:30 PM
TO REGISTER: Click Here or pay by check with the attached mail-in registration form.
WRITE YOURSELF Reap writing's benefits-physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Start the new year by
giving yourself the gift of exploring how creative writing (journaling, memoir, poetry, fiction) can enrich your life, and what your writing can provide for others. You'll learn a number of fun, easy approaches to the writing process. Ideal for beginners and anyone interested in renewing and expanding their writing and their relationship to self, others, and the world. This class is offered FREE! WHERE: South County Regional Library, 5801 Rea Rd Charlotte, NC 28277
WHEN: Tuesday, January 14, 6 - 7:30
p.m.
TO REGISTER: Register online:
http://www.cmlibrary.org/calendar/eventsignup.asp?ID=149171&disptype=info&return=http://www.plcmc.org/programs/
or you may call 704-416-6600, option #4, during the library's normal business hours: Monday - Thursday, 10 AM to 8 PM, Friday and Saturday, 10 AM to 5 PM,
Sunday 1 to 5 PM.
COASTAL WRITING RETREATS IN February 2014: Connect with Your Creativity at the Sunset Inn (February 21st
through 23rd) and/or Learn How to Bring a Book into Being (February 28th through March 2)
Come renew yourself, whether you are a practicing writer, closet writer, or as-yet-to-pick-up-the-pen writer. The tools you'll learn will spur your imagination, and can be used to
create nonfiction, fiction, and/or poetry -- the choice is yours. There will be ample free time to savor your private room with king-sized bed, private bath and balcony, the large porches with rocking chairs and swings, and the coastal setting. The Sunset Inn is a five-minute walk from Sunset Beach and is next to a peaceful marsh where herons and cranes live. You'll have your choice of rooms, each with its own distinctive style and color scheme. You'll return home refreshed,
with new ideas and energy for your writing. $438 includes writing sessions, two nights' lodging, two breakfasts and Saturday lunch (hotel tax and Saturday dinner at a local restaurant not included). Check out more details on the Sunset Inn's website. WHERE: The Sunset Inn, 9 North Shore Dr., Sunset Beach, NC 28468 TO REGISTER: Contact the Sunset Inn at 888.575.1001 or 910.575.1000 (if you
would like to handpick your room, view your choices here first, then call). Because the Inn is holding rooms for you, our participants, they are blocked
off as unavailable online. Register soon by phone -- this is a popular event and there are only 8 spaces available each weekend. The Inn will hold your reservation with a credit card. See http://wordplaynow.com/current.htm
for more WordPlay opportunities.
WordPlay Now! Writing Prompt
This is WordPlay -- so why not revel in the power and potential of one good word after another? This week, it's
"ponder." You probably ponder naturally, without even meaning to - But pondering is much more effective if you engage in it with intentionality. Here are three versions for you to try: 1. Daydream. Envision how great it will be when your writing dream has come true. I know the grown-ups tried their best to whip this out of you when you were a kid (no staring out the window allowed at school, and all that), but daydreaming is actually a very powerful
process, especially if you can really visualize the end result and feel the emotion that goes along with it. Professional athletes pay big bucks to trainers who help them to do just this. Here's a little example of how this has worked in my life: In the summer of 1996, Richard Foerster, the editor of Chelsea, a beautifully produced New York literary magazine that
had been publishing an impressive list of contributors since 1958, was teaching a poetry workshop at the Chautauqua Institution's Writer's Center, and I decided to take it. Chelsea listed all the contributors' names on the back cover. Wouldn't it be fun, I thought, to have my name on the back cover under "Poetry"?
On the long walks I'm fond of taking, I imagined Richard Foerster listening to me read one of my poems during the workshop and saying, "What a wonderful poem! I'd like to see this in Chelsea."
As it turned out, it didn't happen quite that way -- this exchange didn't take place in the workshop; it was on the porch afterward. Richard was so generous that he offered to meet with
any of us to look at more of our work, and it was one of the poems I shared then, "Silverfish," that elicited almost those exact words: "I'd like to see this poem in Chelsea." The following summer, my name was on the back cover, just like I'd imagined in Technicolor detail! It was almost eerie! Lesson: Choose your daydreams wisely! 2. Problem-solve. When you get to a stuck place in your writing, step away from it. Literally. Take your problem out walking. I often print out a page I'm having trouble with, fold it up, and put it in my pocket, along with a pen. And then I alternate between observing all I see, hear,
and smell and thinking about my thorny writing issue. Often, an idea will pop into my head somewhere along the way -- and out comes the pen to note it. Try it. 3. Muse. I love this word that encapsulates the lovely, dreamy energy of letting ideas about your writing project play in your mind. Author Sue Monk Kidd once called her version of this process "madness" (as opposed to "method"), and said that, as she was writing her book The Secret Life of Bees, one way she
"induced" it "was to leave my desk in order to sit on the dock overlooking the tidal creek behind our house and engage in a stream of reverie about the story. I considered this earnest work."
There you
have it! If the woman who wrote a book as successful as The Secret Life of Bees considers pondering "earnest work," so should you. So please engage in it often to help you bring your writing projects into being! |
MAUREEN RYAN GRIFFIN, an award-winning poetry and nonfiction writer, is the author of Spinning Words into Gold, a Hands-On Guide to the Craft of Writing, a grief workbook entitled I Will Never Forget You, and two collections of
poetry, This Scatter of Blossoms and When the Leaves Are in the Water. She believes, as author Julia Cameron says, "We are meant to midwife dreams for one another."
Maureen also believes that serious "word work" requires serious WordPlay, as play is how we humans best learn -- and perform. What she loves best is witnessing all the other dreams that come true for her clients along the way. Language, when used with intentionality and focus, is, after all, serious fuel for joy. Here's to yours! |
|
|
