Volume III, Issue 30 August 25, 2014
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Word of the Week: curious
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A question for you: Who spoke the words in today's subject line? Read on down to find out -- or
to see if you're right. (And to see what the word "curious" has to do with you as a writer.)
But first, I thought you might be curious about how my writing residency went, so I took a
picture of my work table. (I wish I had thought to do this when the 120+ poems under consideration for my new book were spread every which way. You'd see what a messy process putting together a collection of poetry can be!)
The cabin was perfect, and getting to spend a week alone was absolute bliss for me! I came home with a manuscript that's ready to be polished a bit, proofed, and then sent in to my publisher -- yay! (The book, Ten Thousand Cicadas Can't Be Wrong, will be out
late this fall, and I will be sure to let you know when it's available.
And you can check out how to apply for a residency at Wildacres next year at this link, if being alone in a cabin in the mountains for a week or two is your idea of bliss. (You can walk up to the dining hall up to three times a day for food and conversation if you're so inclined.)
And here's a sunset picture I took from an overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is only
about a mile and a half from the cabin. (I do so love sunrises and sunsets!) Okay, now for
"Curiouser and curiouser!" A pat on the back to you if you knew that these words were spoken by Alice of Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland:
"'Curiouser and curiouser!' cried Alice (she was so much surprised,
that for the moment she quite forgot how to speak good English). 'Now I'm opening out like the largest telescope that ever was! Good-bye, feet!' (for when she looked down at her feet they seemed to be almost out of sight, they were getting so far off)."
Curiosity may be the second single-most-important quality :) -- next to persistence -- in achieving your writing goals and dreams. Whether you're asking "How did this writer pull off this amazing plot?," "What is the best next step for me to take in completing my manuscript?," or "When and where is the most productive time/place for me to write?", an insightful question motivates, opens up possibilities, points the way to solutions -- and besides, curiosity is FUN! You could even say it's a sign of genius, or at least Michael J. Gelb does, in his book How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day. The first step is curiosita (Italian for curiosity). Gelb's book inspired my week-long course, "Write
Like a Genius," that I'm teaching at the John Campbell Folk School in September. (If you'd love a week to write in a beautiful mountain setting with companionship and support, I would LOVE to have you join me!) Here's a photo of some writing geniuses "on location." This is right outside our writing studio, and the view out the other door is even lovelier. Meanwhile,
whether or not writing in the North Carolina mountains is in your immediate future, you'll find several "curiouser and curiouser" writing prompts below to help you tap into curiosity's gifts right where you are.
Hope you have a great week asking, Who? What? Where? When? How? Why? -- and one of my favorite questions, Why not?
Love and light,
Maureen Upcoming
WordPlay
THE GIFT OF MEMOIR: WRITING PERSONAL AND FAMILY STORIES
(Preserving Family History; Writing for and about Your Family; The Art of Memoir) Starts September 4th! Full details here. One spot left. WHERE: Covenant Presbyterian Recreation Center, 1000 East Morehead St., Charlotte, 28204. Click here for map.
WHEN: Thursday mornings, September 4 & 18; October 2, 16 & 30; November 20; December 4 & 18. 10 am - noon.
COST: $259 for 8
sessions.
TO REGISTER: Email info@wordplaynow.com or phone 704-494-9961 for details on registering via mail or in-person. Or register online here.
-------------------------------------------------------------- UNDER CONSTRUCTION: YOUR WRITING
(Fulfilling Writing Dreams & Goals; Creating New Writing; Revising & Polishing Your Writing)
Starts September 3rd or
4th! Full details here. Three spots left in each class.
WHERE:
Both classes will be held at Covenant Presbyterian Recreation Center, 1000 East Morehead Street, 28204MORNING CLASS:
WHEN: Offered Wednesday mornings on the following dates: September 3, 10 &17, October 1, 8, 15 & 29, November 5 & 19, December 3, 10 & 17, 10 am to noon.
COST: $395 for 12 classes
TO REGISTER: Register online here. Or email info@wordplaynow.com or phone 704-494-9961 for details on registering via mail or in-person. EVENING CLASS:
WHEN: Offered Thursday evenings on the following dates: September 4, 11, & 18; October 2, 9, 16, & 30; November 6 & 20; December 4, 11, & 18. Hours: 7 to 9 pm
COST: $395 for 12 classes
TO REGISTER: Register online here. Or email info@wordplaynow.com or phone 704-494-9961 for details on registering via mail or in-person. -------------------------------------------------------------- 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: Click here.
-------------------------------------------------------------- COASTAL WRITING RETREAT
Connect with Your Creativity at
the Sunset Inn (Writing-and more-as Renewal and Inspiration)
Full details here.
WHERE: The Sunset Inn, 9 North Shore Dr., Sunset Beach, NC 28468
WHEN: Friday, November 7 - Sunday, November 9, 2014* 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).
-------------------------------------------------------------- COASTAL WRITING RETREAT: PROJECT BOOK GET YOUR BOOK OUT OF YOU AND INTO THE WORLD (Writing; Publishing Your Book-length Writing Project)
A hands-on workshop for any writer who would like to write and/or publish a book and 1) doesn't know how
2) doesn't get around to it
3) feels
a) intimidated
b) confused
c) overwhelmed
d) uninspired
e) all of the above Full details here. WHERE: The Sunset Inn, 9 North Shore Dr., Sunset Beach, NC 28468
WHEN: Friday, November 14 - Sunday, November 16, 2014* 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).
More
WordPlay opportunities here.
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
"curious." Try one or all of these curiosity-raising prompts this week:
1. As you read, pay attention to the questions you come
across. Jot them down. And note what these questions provide for you as a reader. Do they make you identify with a character? Help you to focus on an important point? Arouse your curiosity?
2. Listen for questions that arise in conversation, in
lectures, meetings, homilies or sermons or speeches. Gather interesting ones in a notebook, just for fun -- or to "borrow" for your writing.
3. Create a list of 50 questions you have about your, others, and/or any aspect of life. Choose one of them and use it as the basis of a story, scene, essay, article, blog, poem, etc.
4. If you feel stuck in a writing project, create a list of 50 questions you have about any and all aspects of the process. Trust me, this works. Just formulating questions will bring clarity, and ideas for next steps to take. Be willing to move past the confusion and anxiety that may arise as you move from that big wad of "stuckness" into actual questions. Remember to use questions that
begin with all these words: Who...? What...? Where...? When...? How...? Why...? And listen for the shifts in your thinking!
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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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