Volume III, Issue 26 July 28, 2014 |
Dear ,
Last Monday, I asked you to consider where you (or one of your characters), was "from," and I'm still thinking about origins a whole week
later.
Why? Well, it's true that summer can make me nostalgic, as I always spend time in the Northeast where I grew up, and my sister and I use this opportunity to get together with as many of our extended family members as we can.
Here I am with my cousin Sharon, Aunt Joan, Aunt Corky, sister Mary, cousin Sandy, and Uncle George -- members of my dad's family. My Aunt Joan and Uncle George are my father's siblings, and they know my origins better than most.
But as a writer and writing teacher, my interest in origins goes far beyond nostalgia. For our job as writers is to make our characters, real and/or imagined -- and, yes, ourselves -- come alive on the page. And understanding a person's origins is a great place to start.
This summer, my aunt Joan, who knows I love to WordPlay, had a story of origin for me. "I remember riding in a car with you when you were just two years old," she said. "Your father mentioned that we were on Hiawatha Boulevard, and you thought that was
hilarious! You kept repeating 'Hi-a-wa-wa Bull-a-bull, Hi-a-wa-wa Bull-a-bull,' over and over again, and each time you said the words you laughed."
I loved hearing this story and thinking that the seeds of the business I run today may have been growing ever since that little girl I was discovered what pleasure there could be in the sheer sound of words.
What do you know about the origins of your passions, pleasures, and pursuits? And/or the origins of your character's passions, pleasures, and
pursuits?
You'll find an opportunity to explore these in the prompt below.
Love and light,
Maureen Upcoming
WordPlay
WRITE LIKE A GENIUS
(Expanding Our Creativity; Learning New Tools for Our Writing and Our Lives; Creating New Writing)
Discover your own genius as you learn to apply seven fascinating approaches of Leonardo da Vinci to your writing at a week-long writing class in the North Carolina Mountains. These techniques enliven non-fiction, poetry and fiction. Expect fun, inspiration and writing galore in your preferred genre, with opportunities to share your work. The John Campbell Folk School is a wonderful place to spend a week --think summer camp for grown-ups, with delicious, healthy food and creative people of every ilk from all over the country.
$594 for one week-long session, plus lodging and meals. WHERE: John Campbell Folk School, 1 Folk School Road, Brasstown, NC 28902
WHEN: Sunday,
September 21 - Saturday September 27, 2014.
TO REGISTER: https://classes.folkschool.org/class_details.aspx?pk=17013
More WordPlay opportunities at
http://www.wordplaynow.com/classes-and-workshops/
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
"origin." Each of us is truly an original, and good writing involves letting each character's originality shine through our words. One way to delve into the origin of what makes us -- and/or our characters -- original is to access the knowledge of someone who knew you -- or them -- "when." If you are writing about your own
personal experiences and have access, like I do, to someone who knew you when, call or visit and ask them what they remember about you, and other family members, at different times in life. Take notes, and mine them for details to include in your stories, essays, poems, etc. And if you're writing fiction, or want some specific ideas about what questions you can ask to elicit strong details and stories,
click here for "100 Character Development Questions for Writers." Choose a few questions that you're most interested in and explore the answers. Sound too complicated? Feel a bit intimidated? It's fun to begin your prompts in community with fellow writers, and to
be able to share the results when you're done. You can find out about WordPlay classes, workshops, and retreats here. |
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! |
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