Volume VII, Issue 40 October 8,
2018 Word of the Week: happily Dear ,
Greetings from the Dulles Airport! I am flying home late this afternoon after a very intense four days of helping my daughter and her family, who are moving back to Charlotte soon, prepare their chaotic
household of five (two frenetic young boys, one five, one two, and three-month-old Ellie, who seems to be suffering digestive difficulties and cries much of the time unless she is simultaneously being held, joggled, and walked simultaneously) for a photo shoot. It was, to say the least, a massive undertaking to have every inch of their townhouse sparkling clean, decluttered, and inviting, all at the same time. I won't lie to you—I am exhausted!
But I love all these people so deeply! Even when they are throwing temper tantrums. And I want them to live happily ever after. I do. Even saying this
sounds crazy. I know. And for all my efforts on their behalf, I was rewarded with some heartfelt thank you's. Even better, I was rewarded by the happy occasion of being there for Ellie's first real laugh. (Turns out I am pretty good at engaging babies. I'm the one she's smiling so big for here.)
But here is what I know: we are in charge of making our own happily-ever-afters. It was hard to learn this lesson, growing up in a culture of "Someday My Prince Will
Come" and "Happily Ever After." Check out this link for Carol Burnett singing this one in "Once Upon a Mattress."
My favorite line (said with an eye roll you can't see on your screen) is "I want some happily-ever-after to happen to me." Really!
I am taking every chance I can to teach my sweet little "Cinder-Ellie" that it's her job to create her own happily-ever-after by not only following her bliss but also by creating her own opportunities. And that while, marriage to a "prince of a guy" is pretty wonderful, as I am fortunate enough to
know firsthand, a happy life is, in the end, available through our own choices and our own hard work and the relationships with loving others that we forge, whether or not marriage is one of them.
This
word-of-the-week is inspired by this week's WordPlayer, Sheryl Bradford, whose book OMG...You're Still Single, So Where the
Hell Is Your Lemonade? came out recently. It's a book addressed to Sheryl's fellow "swl-lers" (women who have never been married; women who are living single). In it, she shares her own growing realization that she is in charge of her own happiness. I'm sharing the opening few paragraphs of Chapter 4, "Cinderella Turns Forty," below.
I had the pleasure of copy editing this book for Sheryl, and found much of her advice to be good for all women, living single or not! I also enjoyed Sheryl's warm, friendly style.
May your own happily-ever-after begin unfolding now if it hasn't already!
Love and light,
Maureen Upcoming WordPlay
THE GIFT OF MEMOIR:
How to Get Your Most Meaningful Life Stories on Paper with Ease
(Preserving Family History; Writing for and about Your Family; The Art of Memoir)
NEW OFFERING FOR OCTOBER 2018!
Just for you, a two-session Gift of Memoir class to help you get your most meaningful life stories written. 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.
You will learn and practice the fundamental tools and steps needed to both capture individual events that have been important to
you, reflecting on the impact and meaning as well as what happened, and the process of collecting events together into a full-length memoir or book of essays—whether this is for personal reflection, to share with family and friends, or to publish to reach a larger audience.
At the second session, you’ll have a chance to share one or two of your stories with the class to receive feedback and guidance in moving forward.
Our 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.
* For the benefit of participants, an audio recording of the class will be made each week so that participants are able to listen to classes they miss and/or review material covered at any convenient time and place. These recordings are
available throughout the class session, along with all handouts, in a shared Dropbox folder.
WHERE: The WordPlay studio, Ballantyne area. Directions will be sent upon registration.
WHEN: October 18th and 25th, from 10:00 a.m. –12:30 p.m.
COST: $77 TO REGISTER: To pay with a check via mail, email info@wordplaynow.com for instructions. To register online with a debit or credit card, please click this link to pay via PayPal. ------------------------------------------------------- 
THE ART AND CRAFT OF POLISHING A POEM
I have the honor of teaching the Master Poetry Class at The North
Carolina Writers’ Network 2018 Fall Conference, November 2-4 at the Hilton Charlotte University Place in Charlotte, NC. The class, titled “The Art and Craft of Polishing a Poem,” which will offer registrants the opportunity to learn and practice specific revision tactics, as well as get detailed feedback/critique on at least one of their poems.
For the first time, Fall Conference will offer a full slate of sessions designed specifically for writers of stage and screen. In addition, as part of the Network’s ongoing mission to serve writers at all levels of experience, the Charlotte Center for the Literary Arts will sponsor a “Business of Writing” track at Fall Conference for those who feel ready to take
their manuscripts to market. And, because of the Hilton’s convenient location, getting to (and parking!) at a Fall Conference in the Charlotte Metro area has never been easier.
If a poetry master
class is not for you right now, please check out the many, many other offerings available that provide so much ways to learn and grow as a writer no matter what your level of experiences, plus many networking opportunities!
For more information, and to register, visit www.ncwriters.org. -------------------------------------------------------
COASTAL WRITING RETREAT Connect with Your Creativity at the Sunset Inn
Good news! I've talked with the manager of the Sunset Inn,
and they are back open for business, so our retreat is a go.
Meanwhile, I know you, like me, are continuing to think of all the people who
are still struggling from the effects of Hurricane Florence and sending all best wishes for recovery.
Renew yourself and reconnect with your own creativity, whether you are a practicing writer, closet writer, or as-yet-to-pick-up-the-pen writer! The techniques and prompts we’ll use will spur your
imagination, and can be used to create nonfiction, fiction, and/or poetry—the choice is yours.
$458 + room tax for the weekend beginning Friday, November 9th through Sunday, November 11th. The Coastal Writing Retreat
includes writing sessions, two nights’ lodging, two breakfasts and Saturday lunch (hotel tax and Saturday dinner at a local restaurant not included).
Want to extend your retreat? If you’d like to stay another day to
write, or to just enjoy the beach, the Inn is offering Coastal Writing Retreat participants the opportunity to stay Sunday night at half price.
WHERE: The Sunset Inn, 9 North Shore Dr., Sunset Beach, NC 28468 WHEN: Friday, November 9th – Sunday, November 11th, 2018
TO REGISTER: Please contact the Sunset Inn directly at 888.575.1001 or 910.575.1000. If you
would like to handpick your room, view your choices here first, then call.
You’ll need a copy of Spinning Words into Gold, available for $23.54 at the retreat. Or order a copy now. Sheryl L. Bradford is a native of Wilmington, N.C. She is a proud graduate of N.C. Agricultural and Technical
University in Greensboro, N.C. She enjoyed two careers, as a fashion buyer and advertising sales consultant. After receiving her Master of Divinity degree from Hood Theological Seminary in Salisbury, N.C., she became an ordained minister. Although, she has been single for most of her adult life, she still believes in love, marriage and pursuing dreams. She resides in Charlotte, N.C. and can be reached at Facebook.com/The Lemonade Memoir or bradforddsheryl@gmail.com. What Sheryl says about WordPlay
After relocating to Charlotte, N.C., I tossed a mental coin in deciding between starting my dress business and completing my first book. My dress business won and I dove into
actualizing my vision for a “cottage- industry” plus size dressmaking business. I soon learned that the capital investment for such an endeavor is tremendous. Sadly, I had to dismantle the business temporarily. Since I had put my dressmaking business on the back burner, I decided to take real steps to getting my book for single women published. I had started to write it many years earlier, and knew that it was a part of my life’s calling. As a Christian, I believe that God orchestrates the sequence of life events. Here in lies my path to Wordplay and Maureen Ryan Griffin. Since I am a ferocious reader, I have a special place in my heart for the library. As a young girl, I walked several blocks every Saturday to the one closest to my neighborhood to nurture the visions I had for my future. To this day, the library is like home for me! I knew instantly when I saw a flyer for a workshop Maureen was leading in the elevator at Morrison Regional Library that Maureen would be instrumental
in getting my book published. I was working two jobs at the time and unable to attend the scheduled writers’ seminar. Later, I spoke to the coordinator of events and he led me to Wordplay. I was so excited because I knew that the website would lead me to Maureen and her services for writers. After visiting her site, I enjoyed the word quizzes, brainteasers and news about retreats, seminars and other writers, as well as her writing
services.
From the beginning, Maureen was gracious, encouraging and
genuinely interested in my desire to become an author. In my first session with her, I felt validated as a writer. I completed my manuscript and later ecstatic to learn that she could format it for publication with Amazon.com. Throughout the process, I was in awe of her professionalism and demand for excellence. The acknowledgement awarded to her in my book fails to express fully my gratitude to her. OMG, You’re Still Single, So Where
the Hell is Your Lemonade? is now available at Amazon.com. Chapter Four
Cinderella Turns Forty
In my journal, May 26, 1999, I wrote, “The day had arrived that I always dreaded…forty…still single. I had fought a good fight…now I had to face the music…and the tune would not be ‘Here Comes the Bride’.”
Yes, girls, it was heartbreaking. No prince; no happily ever after. There was no 40th birthday celebration for Cinderella. Not in any of the
versions I’d ever watched or read—and there were many. All my struggling—and no Harlequin romance novel ending?
I know; if I stopped to analyze things, that could be part of the problem. But all I could think was that I would not get to use all those beautiful wedding plans; there would be no honeymoon filled with endless nights of passion; no one to show off to family, friends, and the world (let’s just admit this desire); no birth of two baby boys (I always wanted a traditional family); no home smelling of delectable casseroles, baked goods, and
fragrant candles; heck, no diamonds! I dreaded my future—a life filled with more lonely moments and striving to exist on my own.
At forty, after being single many years, it really hits home—the realization that you didn’t snag Mr. Right and that you are childless. (Of course, that’s my total truth; some of you probably have children.)
But did you girls think it strange that the topic of loneliness was one that I had not yet discussed in detail? Perhaps it’s because I am older and somewhat removed (genius at re-imagining) from it. Maybe cuz it is one of the more difficult areas
of being single. (+I)
Sorry to say, it comes with the territory. No way to sugarcoat it…re-imagine it (not yet)…it’s a lemon for sure. It ain’t easy shaking the dread that sneaks upon you when you’ve spent months dateless and on your own.
Nor can you easily shake the emptiness that can be felt living day to day without that special someone to help “ease the pain of the world,” (a phrase from Motswana Precious Ramotswe, a character created by author Alexander McCall Smith in The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection, The No. 1 Ladies
Detective Agency.)
Christian
Sidebars
(+I) It usually takes great effort to distinguish between loneliness and being alone. But the line drawn is easily blurred for the swl-ler (a woman who has never been married; a woman who is living single) the longer
she remains single. In my early twenties, I would never have imagined that I would be alone through my 30s, and 40s. And I never would have imagined the feelings of loneliness that I would have to overcome to fully enjoy life. I would come to rely totally on my faith to make this transition. God promises that he will never leave or forsake us in Hebrews 13:5. God became my refuge and my strength through the years as promised in Psalm 46:7. Today, my family and friends can hardly believe how much
I enjoy my time alone. You could say that God helped me to perfect the art of being alone.
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 "happily." PROMPT: Write about a "happily-ever-after" you, a character, or someone you know made happen for her/himself.
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.
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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