Volume IV, Issue 45 November 9, 2015 Dear ,
You've probably
heard it said of a story that it "has legs," meaning that it will continue to be relevant—and read—for a long time to come. Don't we all want that for our writing?
At this past weekend's Coastal Writing Retreat, we talked about what makes a story endure—and one of the examples I used to
illustrate the necessary elements truly had legs, both figuratively and literally! Read on to learn these elements, and to read/hear this comical example.
But before we get to that, here's a visual exercise for you: can you find all 18 legs in this picture taken as our retreat came to a
close?
We sure had a wonderful time together, and I'm grateful to each of these fine folks for being such great company and such good word and story-spinners. I'm so glad the weather cooperated to give them a fine Sunset Beach sunset from the pier.
Hope you can enjoy one of these yourself one of these days, WordPlay Coastal Writing Retreat notwithstanding. The Sunset Inn is a great place to spend a few days. (And, if you're interested, there are still two spots left for this coming weekend's Project Book Retreat. Details just below.)
Meanwhile, do scroll down to this week's featured story with legs, which I do so hope you enjoy even half as much as I do, and today's prompt, which includes the ingredients
all stories with legs need!
Upcoming WordPlay
PROJECT BOOK: GET YOUR BOOK OUT
OF YOU AND INTO THE WORLD
(Coming this weekend-two spots still available!)
(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
You’ll gain clarity, confidence, direction, momentum, and working knowledge of the steps you need to take and the procedures and pieces that are necessary (overview, synopsis, outline, and all that jazz), as well as an introduction to today’s publishing world (major publishers, university presses, small presses, self-publishing, e-publishing, and print-on-demand). We'll talk
about marketing, too, whether you're an introvert, extrovert, or ambivert. $418 (plus tax) includes retreat, lodging, two breakfasts and Saturday lunch.
WHERE: The Sunset Inn, 9 North Shore Dr., Sunset Beach, NC 28468
WHEN: Friday, November 13 – Sunday, November 15, 2015* 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.
Find out more here.
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WINTER WRITING RETREAT
(Writing as Renewal/Creating New Writing/
Tools for a Writing Life)
Renew and delight yourself. The Winter Writing Retreat is an opportunity to create new pieces of writing and/or new possibilities
for our lives. Enjoy various seasonal prompts; they 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 19th, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
TO REGISTER: To pay with a check via mail, email info@wordplaynow.com for instructions. To pay online with
your credit card or PayPal, click here.
More WordPlay opportunities here. WordPlay Featured (Song)Writing
I got to know Christine Kane through her coaching business for entrepreneurs, but she was a singer/songwriter first. Please click the title to hear Christine sing this song sure to please any pet-lover! Funny as it is, it's
also a very good example of a well-told story, as you'll see in the prompt below. As with any song, this is meant to be heard, though I am sharing the lyrics, too, which Christine is kind enough to share on her website.
Jenny found Mariah back in 1999
When she was living in a town called Bend
The dog was in a dumpster and she went and got it neutered
And Mariah’s had it made since then
Then a little while later at a truck stop in Decatur
She saved a skinny cat she calls Clyde
And then she found another and another and another
If you add it all together there’s
five
Oh to be a dog or cat
Who’s living in a house like that
Where sofas become scratching pads
Four legs good two legs bad
Jenny met Bob a man not a dog
And her mother had a moment of peace
Jenny thought he was her soul mate and a year after their first date
He moved in and started sharing her lease
There was so much to get used to like the dog hair in his tofu
And
tripping over all the cat toys
And each time they eliminated each one was congratulated
In a squeaky high-pitched voice
Obviously Bob is of the opinion
That something must be
Different if they live together
Four legs good two legs better
Bob had been there half a year when all the things he’d found endearing Were beginning to get
on his last nerve
Making love at dawn with all the vermin looking on
Made him think he would give up boycotting fur
So when Jenny brought a kitten home
She’d found outside a nursing home it finally reached the very last straw
At the risk that she would hate him he gave her his ultimatum
It was high time that he laid down the law
He said choose
You must choose
Between paws and
this relationship
And please, it’s dog-doo
Not a cause for celebration
If those beasts of yours are not gone before
I go out and then I come back again
You can be assured I will slam the door
It is them or me it is me or them
Cut to noon the next day she was waving from the driveway
As his pickup disappeared in the dust
It was a good thing while it lasted too bad he became a
bastard
He was lucky to be living with us
So she took the brand new kitten and they went into the kitchen
And she made herself some corn-on-the-cob
The dogs and cats all showed and she took everybody’s vote
And they decided they would name the kitten Bob
Once again the dogs and cats have taken their dominion back
Sofas should be scratching pads
Four legs good Two legs
bad
~ Christine
Kane Purchase the CD or download the song 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 "legs."
PROMPT:
Much of time, I suggest beginning to write with a word or phrase, with little or no forethought, and just letting the words flow. This week, I'm inviting you to do some useful "pre-writing."
But first, read over this list of the elements that you are very likely to find, in some degree, in "stories that have legs." Here's another exercise for you: how many of these elements can you identify in "Four Legs Good. Two Legs Bad."? (Seriously, giving this some thought will help you as you construct your own stories. You won't
find every single detail listed, but each of these elements is present.) - A SENSE OF THE SETTING. When and where did the events of the story you're sharing occur?
- Place:
“Where” in space (geography) and specific sensory details—shapes, sizes, colors, textures, sounds, smells, flavors, movements, even weather and local distinctions, like food and customs.
- Time: “When” in time—time of day, time of year, historical period, social conditions, etc.
- A SENSE OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS. Who was involved and what were they doing as the events unfolded? What were they thinking and feeling? What were you doing, thinking, and feeling? [Readers care about characters by knowing them through all four “elements” of human being: mind, heart, body, soul (connection)]
- A CLEAR
DESCRIPTION OF THE EVENTS. What triggered them and what happened? How did you/others/the characters react as they were unfolding? [These events make up the PLOT, which includes desires, action events, suspense, and climax. Pacing matters here too. (Did you notice, in the video, how Christine Kane controls the pacing from
minute 4:15 to 4:47?)]
- THE CONSEQUENCES. What happened as a result of the events?
How were the lives of you/others/your characters’ affected?
[This is the PLOT RESOLUTION, in other words, the outcome or ending.]
Now it's your turn. Choose a story from your own life you'd like to tell, or a story that you have an idea for or are actually working on.
For each item in the list of elements above, jot down words, phrases (and even full lists and paragraphs, if you're so inspired) that you
could use to tell your story. Give yourself the time you need to think through how these elements can be included in the story you're telling.
Now, write your story, weaving these elements into your story as you tell it.
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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