Volume VII, Issue 7 February 12, 2018 Word of the Week: setback Dear ,
This is such a
happy, happy zine for me! Here's the story, which does indeed include setbacks.
You'll learn how it all started back in first grade for this week's featured WordPlayer Bridgett Bell Langson. For me, it began some perhaps ten years ago, at a reunion at Camp Golden Valley, a Girl Scout Camp in Rutherford County, North Carolina where I had once been camp director and Bridgett, some years prior, had been a
counselor.
We struck up a conversation, and Bridgett perked up her ears (rather like Bandit, the main character of her new children's book Finding Home, My Arf-O-Biography is wont to do) when she heard I taught writing classes. Bridgett and I share a love of singing Girl Scout songs, similar Catholic school backgrounds, and having been school teachers who specialized in special education,
not to mention both dreaming of being authors at a young age.
Bridgett tells her story below, so suffice it to say that Bridgett has been delighting me and her classmates for quite a while now with her stories about Bandit, a dog with a big heart who just kept going when he encountered setback after setback on his way to finding a “forever home.”
Bridgett
encountered setback after setback herself, and I might even be happier than she is that she can now hold her first book in her hands. (I am working on my selfie skills, , I promise I am!)
I love this book, and if you know any preschool or elementary school children who like dogs, I think they will too. You can order them a copy here.
Or you can pop by my house next Saturday, February 24th sometime between 2 and 5 for an Open House. Bridgett will be giving a short reading at 2:30, 3:30, and 4:30, and signing books personally. There'll be kid-friendly snacks, too, so feel free to bring kids if you have them and they'd like to meet an author. Email here for address and directions if you live in the Charlotte area and would like to come.
So, you may be thinking, setbacks. I've had a few of those. And just how do you get past them?
Well, perhaps Winston Churchill said it best: "Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm."
As I told the beautiful, amazing women who attended this past weekend's coastal writing retreat (sadly, two of our members had to leave before picture
time), our biggest pitfall lies in not expecting there to be setbacks. Julia Cameron, who wrote a book called The Artist's Way that's been very critical to my success, puts it, "All creative successes require creative failure."
Simply knowing that you can't possibly succeed without failing at least a bit on the way (for that's what a setback is, right, a failure of some sort, even if only a failure on our part to keep writing, or a
failure for something along the way to go as we hoped it would?) is extremely helpful.
Here's another tip: Think of everything that happens in the writing of your own book as a part of the story of its creation. How good would a story be without some severe setbacks? How could we root for the main character (in this case, you) if she/he didn't encounter setbacks and then overcome them? That's called
tension, suspense, plot.... and it's integral to a story. When I encounter setbacks, I imagine the story I will tell about them to the amorphous radio show host about the challenges I overcame along the way to publishing my literary work when I'm asked about the writing of it. (Not that I've been interviewed by a radio show host. Yet. But dreaming of such things can be a part of the fun.) A little imagination can make all the difference.
Another thing that's helpful is leaning into what I call "the energy of community." Who can you find to give you advice, feedback, support? Who has overcome setbacks of his/her own and can pick you up, dust you off, and get you writing again?
You'll find one more helpful strategy below in this week's prompt. And remember, a setback only stops you from get your book written and out into the world if you don't start writing again. It's not too late to begin again where you left off. And begin again, and then again, with as much enthusiasm as
you can muster. Take it from Bandit, from Bridgett, from me, and from Winston Churchill.
Love and light, Maureen Upcoming WordPlay
THE FINE ART OF COOKING UP A POEM: A Poetry (and Prose) Craft Workshop
Ever wished your writing had more finesse? Or wondered what goes into the making of a fine poem? This class that explores “poetic ingredients” in the areas of content, sound, and form will increase your expertise—in poetry and prose. Learn how to identify and use these ingredients, as well as how
reading work by writers you love can inspire and instruct you. All levels welcome.
WHEN: Tuesday, March 6th, from 7:00 until 8:30 p.m.
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EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT POETRY
* But Were Afraid to Ask
There are at least ten thousand ways to write a poem! In this lively presentation about the art and craft of
poetry based on Maureen’s latest book of poetry, Ten Thousand Cicadas Can’t Be Wrong, participants will learn how content, sound and form work together, and get to try their hand at the process. They’ll also have the opportunity to ask every question they’ve ever had about poetry.
WHEN: Wednesday, April 11th, 2018 from 10:00 a.m. until noon
Other
News
SENSORIA: A CELEBRATION OF LITERATURE & THE
ARTS
I hope you can join me and my beloved teacher, mentor and friend Irene for this year's Irene Blair Honeycutt Legacy Award Presentation and Reading ( it's free, as are most Sensoria events, and it's on Monday, April 9th at 7 p.m. (preceded by a reception at 6 p.m.). More important, I hope you come for as many Sensoria events as you can make it to! You'll be glad you did. Full schedule here.
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Lanier Library is holding their 10th Annual Sidney Lanier Poetry Competition. They are accepting submissions through March 15, 2018 with prizes awarded April 28, 2018 at the library in Tryon, NC.
Adult and Student categories are available with prizes from $500 (Adult) and $100 (Student).
WordPlay Success Story
"What a joy to attend these weekly [Under Construction] sessions and get such invaluable instruction, support and mentoring by Maureen and from all the amazing writers in class.
How lucky I am to be
part of such a fabulous writing community."
Meet Bridgett Bell
Langson
Before she became a writer, Bridgett Bell Langson taught children in public schools in North Carolina in both special education resource and elementary classrooms. After several years of teaching, she applied and
was selected to participate in the UNC Charlotte Writing Project for teachers. Along with continuing as a classroom teacher, she trained other teachers in methods of writing instruction for their students. After retiring from teaching, she pursued her dream of being a published author of children’s books by participating in a number of Under
Construction classes.
In February 2018 her first book, Finding Home, My Arf-O-Biography, was published through Tale Wag Press. Most of this book is based on true stories of her rescue puppy.
Bridgett and her
husband live in North Carolina with their sons and dogs.
What Bridgett says about WordPlay
"Because of Maureen Ryan Griffin of WordPlay, I am now an author! In first grade, sitting at a desk in my Catholic school uniform—navy jumper, white blouse, and matching navy bowtie—I remember thinking that when I grew up, I wanted to write books that children would love
to read. Now, many, many decades later, I have achieved my dream of writing a children’s book."
"In this first book, Finding Home, My Arf-O-Biography, I wrote: “I thank Maureen Ryan Griffin of WordPlay. Your belief that I could and should do this kept my fingers on the keyboard. I would not have started or finished Finding Home without
you.” I have taken several classes of Maureen’s over the years. Poetry. Publishing. Writing from Photos. However, the classes that were my north star to following my dream have been the semester long Under Construction classes. What a
joy to attend these weekly sessions and get such invaluable instruction, support and mentoring by Maureen and from all the amazing writers in class. How lucky I am to be part of such a fabulous writing community. Since my book was just
published on February 1, I’m still new to the idea of thinking: I am an author; I wrote my first children’s book. I hope Finding Home does fulfill the other part of my dream. I hope that children will, indeed, love my book."
Chapter 3
Bad Boots’ Threat
It rains so long that we sleep all night in the hurts-my-nose shed. It gets colder and colder. I curl up close to Sis’s warm body. In the
morning, I wiggle to a hole in the wall and peek my head out to get some good-smelling air. The wind smacks my nose and I pull my head back inside.
I remember that I need to think. But about what? Oh yeah, how to get Bad Boots to like me, so he’ll want to keep me and all of us pups. It’s not the best place to live, but it’s our home and we’re all
together.
Sis, Sis! I arf until she wakes up. Help me think of some ways I can be nice to Bad Boots.
She blinks her eyes and yawns. Why? He’s mean. He was going to leave us at Kate and Leo’s. And Darf barked for you to stay away from him.
I know all that. But I need him to like me so all of us can stay here. I’ll be careful. Maybe he’s mean because he doesn’t live with a pack, like us, I arf.
Pups, muzzles shut, or go outside, barks Marf.
I creep out and look back at Sis through the big crack. I want her to come with me. But she puts down her head and closes her eyes. My paws crunch on the cold leaves that cover the dirt yard. The leaves have a good odor that tickles my nose. But I want to sniff out a chipmunk. Then I’ll pounce on it, and catch it like Darf and Marf do.
I
trot and breathe in deep. No chipmunks. Instead, my nose smells a stink like in the shed. Looking up, I see I’ve come all the way to Bad Boots’ truck. It’s not near his house, so I’m okay.
I move my head back and forth. Oh, I sniff an animal scent. I poke around with my muzzle. Got it!
My teeth
grab a fat chunk of leather. It smells like the collars Marf and Darf wear. The clinking, clanking things on it stink like the truck. I wish Sis was here to see this. I toss it in the air and pounce on it, pretending it’s a chipmunk. Again, and again.
When I get tired, I lie down and chew on the good-tasting leather. Yum.
I hear Bad Boots clomp out of his house and slam the door. Sounds like he’s mad. I grab the leather in my teeth and dart around a fat tree to hide.
He goes toward the truck and starts kicking the leaves. He looks on the ground. “My keys! Where are they?” he says.
I
stay hidden. He’s scary, but chewing on the leather helps me feel calmer.
“I put that big leather tab on the keys so I could find them,” says Bad Boots.
Leather! What luck! I have just what Bad Boots is looking for. I rush out to him, the leather held tight in my teeth. The keys swing as I
prance toward him.
But I don’t get to drop the keys and arf, I found your keys. I found your keys.
Because, before I can do that, Bad Boots yanks the leather from my teeth and smacks me hard with his hand. As I topple over, he yells at me.
“You troublemaker! You stole my keys. And you’ve chewed up the tab! I’m going to…”
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 "setback."
PROMPT: You (or one of your characters) have encountered setbacks before, haven't you? Sometimes, tapping into our own ability to overcome them in the past is just what we need to inspire us.
Make a list of accomplishments, large, medium, and small. Then list a few of the setbacks you (or your character) encountered along the way. How did you (or he or she) overcome them?
Write out the story. And then share it with someone. (The energy of community, whether you're on the giving or the receiving end) is a truly powerful thing.
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 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 three collections of poetry, Ten Thousand Cicadas Can't Be Wrong, This Scatter of Blossoms and When the Leaves Are in the Water. One of her long-held dreams came true in July of 2015 when Garrison Keillor read one of her poems on The Writer's Almanac. You can listen to it here. 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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