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problem.)
I have replaced all the links so that you can click on anything you'd like to. Thanks for being on the other end of these weekly zines—I'm grateful to have the opportunity to share the love of words and writing with you! And thanks for your patience and understanding with this pesky glitch.
Love and light,
Maureen
Volume IIII, Issue 30 July 27, 2015 |
Word of the Week: windswept |
Dear ,
You can see from
this very candid selfie I took on a quick trip to the beach with my longtime friends Christine, Mary Kay, and Joan (not pictured, she was reading while we walked) why I chose the word windswept.
It's one of my favorite states of being, actually—there is something about the wind whipping through my hair that clears the cobwebs out my mind. And I love the word itself—not the least because, depending on where you divide it, it holds both "wind swept" and "winds wept." And thinking about winds weeping reminds me of the old folks song "Donna, Donna" with its
chorus of, "How the winds are laughing..." (You can listen to Joan Baez sing it at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqzGZ5AaeSs) (I don't call my business WordPlay for nothing!)
I was surprised to see, when I searched, that I
have never used this great word in one of my essays, poems, or stories. Now that I know this, I'm determined to work in a windswept soon.
How about you? Is windswept a word you love but haven't used in your writing? And how many other
words fit into this category? It happens to us all—after all, we each have two different vocabularies—our expressive vocabulary, those words we readily use when we speak and write, and our receptive vocabulary, the words that we
understand when we read and hear them. This week's prompt, a lovely poem called "Music" by Anne Porter: (Learn more about her, here: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/anne-porter; she is inspiring!), who published her first book
of poetry when she was 83, will help you to reduce the gap between your receptive and expressive vocabularies. Happy WordPlaying!
Love and light,
Maureen Upcoming WordPlay WRITE YOURSELF
Register by Friday, July 31st and save!
Reap writing’s benefits—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Give yourself the gift of exploring how creative writing (journaling, memoir, poetry, fiction) can enrich your life, and what your writing can provide for others. Participants will learn and practice a number of fun, easy tools and methods to help your
words flow, whatever your particular interest. Whether you have published widely, sometimes write in a journal, or haven’t written anything since your senior year of high school, you will enjoy this lively, informative workshop.
WHERE: Piedmont Physic Garden (http://www.piedmontphysicgarden.org/). 301 E. South Street. Union, South Carolina 29379.
WHEN: Saturday, August 8, 2015 from 10:00 a.m. until noon
TO REGISTER: please email louiseunti@piedmontphysicgarden.org or call 864-427-2556.
COST: Pre-register and pay by July 31st for a special, reduced rate of $15! If you register after July 31st the cost is $20.
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JOHN CAMPBELL FOLK SCHOOL
Waiting list only
(Fulfilling Writing Dreams and Goals; Creating New Writing;
Revising and Polishing Your Writing) Does writing fulfill you? Do you wish you were writing more? Jumpstart your writing life and learn to keep your words flowing. Learn specific techniques and exercises to create nonfiction, poetry and/or fiction. Whether you would like to keep a journal for your own personal growth, spin stories for your loved ones, or further a career as a professional writer,
experience the satisfaction of developing a writing practice that works for you—come spin words into gold.
WHERE: John Campbell Folk School, 1 Folk School Road, Brasstown, NC 28902
WHEN: Sunday, August 23rd through Saturday, August 29th, 2015
TO
REGISTER: Call the John Campbell Folks School at 1-800.FOLK.SCH (365-5724). $594 for one week-long session, plus lodging and meals. (Registration is full, but sometimes there are cancellations. If you're interested, call and put yourself on the waiting list.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
(Fulfilling Writing Dreams & Goals; Creating New Writing; Revising & Polishing Your Writing) 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 and methods. Each week, writing prompts will generate material for new writing or further a piece in process, whatever your preferred genre. Through examples of accomplished writers, you’ll learn techniques to aid you right where you are in the process.
WHERE: Covenant Presbyterian Recreation Center, 1000 East Morehead Street, 28204
WHEN: Wednesday mornings from 10:00 a.m. to noon:
September 2, 9, 16 and 30, October 7, 14, 21 and 28, November 18, December 2, 9 and 16
COST: $399 for
12 classes
TO REGISTER: To register by check, please email info@wordplaynow.com for details. To register online with a credit card, please click this secure
link:
http://www.wordplaynow.com/product/under-construction-winter-wed-am/
INTERESTED IN A TUESDAY EVENING UNDER CONSTRUCTION CLASS? Email info@wordplaynow.com for more information. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GIFT OF MEMOIR (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.
WHERE: Covenant Presbyterian Recreation Center, 1000 East Morehead Street, Charlotte, 28204.
WHEN: Thursday mornings, 10:00 a.m. - noon:
September 3 and 17, October 1 and 15, November 5 and 19, December 3
COST: $229 for 7 sessions.
TO REGISTER: Space for this class is limited. Please email us directly at info@wordplaynow.com. ...For when we hear it
We half remember
That lost native country
We dimly remember the fields
Their fragrant windswept clover
The birdsongs in the orchards
The wild white violets in the moss
By the transparent streams...
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 "windswept." PROMPT:
As I said above, this week's prompt is designed to reduce the gap between your receptive and expressive vocabularies. Read Anne Porter's "Music": http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/index/index.php?date=2009/05/01. Choose any five words that capture your fancy and write them at the top of a sheet of paper. If you would enjoy focusing on words that you don't tend to use, or don't remember using, in your writing, do that -- but it's really not necessary. This is an organic process, and will work
regardless.
Now, choose a memory, scene, or story that you'd like to write. Start with the words, "When I was..." or "When he/she (a character's name) was..." Set a timer for ten minutes, and write continuously, capturing this memory, scene, or story. As you write, deliberately weave in each of the five words that you chose.
Try this exercise again and again, pulling your words from whatever you happen to be reading—it's a great habit, noticing great word choices as you read—and using whatever beginning words you care to.
It's fun to play with 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 at www.wordplaynow.com/offerings/. |
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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