Volume III, Issue 34 September 22, 2014
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Word of the Week: network
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Greetings from the John C. Campbell Folk School!
Are you one of the many writers (I was one of them, too!) who cringe when they hear the word "network"? Like me, you may be an introvert who gets energy from time spent alone.
But networking isn't really anything at heart but
connecting with others for the power and pleasure of sharing, contributing, and/or creating something more than you could create on your own. For example, I owe this photo to WordPlayer Edward Middleton, who sent it to me when he read that I was coming here. He also told me he learned about the Folk School from me -- ta da! Networking. And I wouldn't be teaching at the Folks School in the first
place if I hadn't done some networking of my own (AKA made friends with a writer who needed, way back in the summer of 1996, to find a last-minute replacement for her teaching spot.
I believe in the power and magic of networking that starts with a smile and a shared love of words. And I'm excited to be registered for the North Carolina Writers'
Network's (NCWN) Fall Conference in Charlotte November 21 -23. There'll be lots of opportunities for connecting with other writers. But don't take my word for it! When NCWN asked writer Kim Wright, "What's one piece of advice no one gave you when you were
starting out, that you wish they had?" she replied, "Make more of an effort to meet other writers. I stayed solitary far too long!" There's lots of good networking advice on the NCWN, as part of their "14 for '14" series. You can read it here.
That's all for now -- got to go get ready to teach my class!
Love and light, Maureen
Upcoming
WordPlay
FALL WRITING RETREAT
(Writing - and More - as Renewal / Creating New Writing)
Renew and
delight yourself. The Fall Writing Retreat is an opportunity 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, October 11,
2014, 10 am - 5 pm.
TO REGISTER: TO REGISTER: Register online here. Or email info@wordplaynow.com or phone
704-494-9961 for details on registering via mail.
-------------------------------------------------------------- COASTAL WRITING RETREAT
Connect with Your Creativity at the Sunset Inn (Writing - and more - as Renewal and Inspiration)
Full details here. Register now if you want to come: just two spots left!
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
"network." There are many ways to network. You can, for example, attend any kind of writing event and strike up a conversation with one person you see. To quote Kim Wright again, when asked by NCWN, "Many writers are solitary creatures. Coming to an event like Fall Conference can be a little intimidating, navigating the exhibit hall and ballroom events. Any advice for working the room?" she replied, "Start before you're in the room. The best friendships are begun in halls and elevators."
But writing letters can be a great way to network, too. One of my favorite pieces of mail ever was Ray
Bradbury's response to a heartfelt note I wrote him, telling him how much I loved a particular passage of his writing and asking if I could use it in Spinning Words into Gold. He wrote back "Thank you for your good letter and kind words....By all means you have my permission to use it." Wowie zowie! (I don't believe I've ever written this phrase out before, but that note warrants such a response.)
PROMPT: Pick a writer whose work you absolutely love. Write him or her a letter expressing your feelings. Don't expect a response, but be open to
one.
Or network in some other way, such as calling or emailing someone you met in a writing class to see if he or she wants to get together and share writing -- or sign up for a writing
conference, class, retreat, or workshop.
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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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