Volume IX, Issue 46
November 11, 2020
Word of the Week: retreat
Dear ,
Greetings from my "apart"ment in an old farmhouse in Stanly County, NC, an Airbnb I'm staying in this week for a writing retreat. Here's a photo of my writing chair. (The scarf is my "prayer shawl" to remind me I never write alone.) Next to it is my "writer's altar" holding objects that hold special meaning for me, including a turtle candle that was a gift from my writing teacher, mentor, and friend Irene
Honeycutt. It reminds me that slow and steady wins the race to a completed book.
It's blissfully quiet here, with few externally distractions, which is good, because I am so capable at distracting myself. (I confess I have not been completely
successful at staying unplugged from news, etc. but I am earning at least a B+, which I have decided is good enough, especially since, at least for now, the words "perfectly imperfect" are in my memoir's subtitle). I'm alternating blocks of writing time, both inside and out, with long walks.
Here's the pond across the road from my writing spot near the front of the property. (A camp chair and small folding table, lest you think it's anything fancy.) My host had told me when I checked in on Sunday that November is when calves are born, and I'd probably see some. Shortly before last night's sunset, a whole herd came to the
water. I wasn't able to get close enough to take a good shot, but there were a number of youngsters, so small that, from a distance, I thought at first they were dogs. Watching these calves run and leap (yes, leap, and even cavort!) did my heart good.
It's good, so good for highly introverted me to finally have some solid time alone. I'm at a crossroads in writing my memoir, as it's become clear that I can't just revise the original family cookbook, How She Fed Us, that I wrote in a race against time in the months before my mother died.
That was in 2002. Here in 2020, my heart is telling me that this version is not the book I'm meant to put out in the world. As sweet as it is to read all the good memories of my mother that it holds, my relationship with her deeply impacted the person I am in such meaningful, and sometimes challenging, ways that I need to expand the story. I've discovered so much about both of us in the
ensuing years. I want to share th continued growth in my relationship with her after her death, strange as that may sound, and the growth in my faith life as well.
It's been daunting, to say the least, to find my way to creating the book I now envision. I needed some deep time with little to think about but—to quote the attached reflection I wrote years ago—"what is asking to be born through [me]" in this time, when I am less than ten years away from the age my mother was when her Lewy body dementia was first making itself known.
My job this week is to listen, and list what comes—the events, the insights, the snippets of language—and periodically take items from the list and Sprint first drafts from them. I'm also exploring the
intersection of the old book and the new one. It is good work and I am very grateful for time to do it, centered in words by Frederick Buechner: "Out of each old self that dies some precious essence is preserved for the new self that is born; and within the child-self that is part of us all, there is perhaps nothing more precious than the fathomless capacity to trust." (from A Room Called
Remember)
It feels so very good to BE a writer in this full way again! I wish you the same joy, wherever you are in your life right now. To that end, check out this week's prompt. The writing today is a light-hearted excerpt from How She Fed Us that made me smile this morning. (After all that we are living through in 2020, we all deserve, yea, need, light-heartedness.) I'm not yet sure how, or if, this memory will fit into the book I'm working on—but I am sure it's perfect for a Word-zine that focuses on the decisions one makes as a writer.
Love, light, and happy retreating in your own way,
Maureen
I created the process shared in these two books in June of 2002, shortly after my mother died, as a way to mindfully mourn this loss—and celebrate her life. I shared it with a beloved friend, the Reverend Rebecca Taylor, when she lost her father, and she encouraged me to make it available to others. Here it is, in two versions, both of which offer quotes, reflections, prompts, and space to write about your loved one, as well as beautiful photographs by Wendy H. Gill that enhance each part of the process. Either
version makes a thoughtful condolence gift for a friend or family member.
How Do I Say Goodbye? is for those of any faith, with quotes from many different sources to accompany the process. It can be purchased on Amazon here.
Praying You Goodbye is specifically for Christians, with accompanying quotes from Scripture chosen by Reverend Rebecca Taylor. It can be purchased on Amazon here.
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POETRY ROCKS!
Would you like your writing—prose and/or poetry—to be more
graceful, powerful, beautiful? Do you sometimes find poetry confusing or intimidating and wish you could “crack the code”? Or do you enjoy writing and reading poems, but want a more thorough understanding of what makes a poem good? Then this poetry extravaganza is for you.
Expect a good time exploring what makes a poem a poem, gaining the knowledge you need to confidently create and revise poetry, and strengthening your writing skills in all genres.
It would be a joy and an honor to share what rocks about poetry with you.
HERE’S WHAT YOU GET:
- 23 poetry creation tools, delivered one per day (Monday through Friday) to your inbox—in honor of National Poetry month. Use them as you get them, use them when you can, use them over and over to create poems. Each tool zeroes in on one aspect of poetry and provides an innovative method to approach writing a poem. Many
of them are great for creating prose, too. The tools include:
* a purpose, so you’re clear what you will learn
* background information when helpful
* “how-to” directions to create a poem
* an example that illustrates the poetry tool in action
* a short reflection to solidify the concepts covered
* “Hone Your Craft” suggestions for further exploration
* a short reflection to solidify the concepts covered
- A PDF document of each tool that you can print or save on your computer
- An audio recording of each tool, so you can learn by listening and/or reading
- Instruction on the role of audience, reading like a writer, and the process of revision, including a handy Revision Checkpoint Chart—this information can be applied to strengthen your prose as well as poetry
- Additional poetry resources
- An e-book that contains the information and resources covered, as well as your 23 poetry creation tools for ongoing use
WHERE: From the comfort of your own home, via the web.
WHEN: Any time you want! And once you receive all 23 tools, they’re yours to keep, which means that you can keep using them for years to come.
COST: $45
TO REGISTER: To pay with a check via mail, email info@wordplaynow.com for instructions. To register for Poetry Rocks! online, click here.
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TAG, I'M IT!
Both the year-long TAG, I'M IT! AND three-month TAG, I'M IT! journals offer—in no more than five to fifteen minutes—a simple way to recap and celebrate
the very best of each day of your life. The practice of writing out your “T’s” (things you’re thankful for), “A’s” (actions you can acknowledge yourself for), and “G’s” (gifts you’re grateful for) is a transformative one, especially combined with the final step, I’M IT!, in which you intentionally choose three do-able, most-important-to-you actions you’ll take the next day.
The TAG, I'M IT! journal grounds you in two important habits: keeping your focus on appreciating and celebrating the good in your life and intentionally accomplishing what matters most to you. You’ll also create a record of
your most meaningful, happiest events and experiences.
Start your journal—or restart, if needed—whenever you like. (Though a new year is a perfect time!)
An introduction with tips and ideas will help you make this practice your own. Soon, you’ll notice that you’re living your days with more joy, presence, purpose, and intention.
Thank you to Maureen Ryan Griffin for creating TAG I’M IT.
TAG, I’M IT is my new best friend. It’s a guided writing journal that helps me sort through the mental travels of my day. And it helps me zero in on the special moments by reflecting, acknowledging, and saying thank you for the invisible gifts collected in my daily journey.
“TAG” gives me joy. And it gives me a sense of peace. It helps me discover the small and large wonders around me.
“TAG” sits on my nightstand – it’s my last conversation of the day. And I feel satisfied when I turn off the light. When I write in my TAG, I’M IT journal, I’m giving myself a gift. What a treasure!
~ T. D. Taegel
2021 WordPlay opportunities coming soon.
Stay posted!
Casual Josephs
“Would a supper dish by any other name (to paraphrase Shakespeare) smell as sweet?”
My father renamed “Sloppy Joes,” a Saturday night favorite back in the 60s, “Casual Josephs,” having reached the conclusion that any food with the word “sloppy” in its name could only undermine his never-ending efforts to teach his often-unruly children appropriate table manners.
Mother clearly didn’t care for the name “Sloppy Joes” either, given that she called this recipe “Wineburgers” in Plain & Fancy, the cookbook she co-edited for Saint Luke’s, our church in Erie, Pennsylvania. (I'm quite sure she used water, not wine, in the “Casual Josephs” she made for us.) Mother took her editing seriously, names and all. Our 1966 Christmas newsletter begins:
“This has been a hectic year, mostly because Pat has been co-editor of the parish P.T.O. cookbook. We have the feeling she has always had the urge to write a book, but at this point it seems a try at the great American novel would have been simpler.”
Mother often wrote our Christmas newsletters in the third person, but I’m guessing these are Dad’s words, as he told me, as I was making copies of each year for my siblings and myself, that he’d done a lot of pinch-hitting for Mother over the years. Despite her experience on the staff of her high school newspaper, she wasn’t much of a typist.
Dad was right Mother’s literary yearnings. I found out many years later that Mother had indeed always wanted to write a book. But it was a cookbook with her name on it that she dreamed of, not the great American novel. (And certainly not poetry or essays or memoir, like her younger daughter.)
Despite the fact that Mother gave me everything I needed to become a poet, essayist, and memoirist, and even a typist and editor—including frequent trips to the library, gifts of books on Christmas and birthdays, and shelves of her own childhood fiction to read—food, not literature, was always Mother’s true passion.
Honoring that passion, Mother, ever committed to variety and quality, as well the appropriate quantity and ratio of menu items—even, mind you, in the P.T.O. cookbook—discerned, after entering in all the recipes submitted by her fellow parishioners, that there were unacceptable gaps in some food categories. The obvious solution was to fill in with her own recipes, which is just what she did—but, with a twist.
Thirty years later, looking through a copy of Plain & Fancy, I saw my grandmother’s and my Aunt Genny Lou’s names listed under a number of the recipes. This was a real-life mystery, as they both lived in Cleveland, Ohio, at the time, and at no point had been members of Saint Luke’s parish in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Mother, when I asked her, had a perfectly reasonable explanation. Her name, she said, was in the cookbook an embarrassingly large number of times already. What else could she do but resort to some finessing?
Ah. So, Mother was, in a manner of speaking, a fiction writer after all.
~ Maureen Ryan Griffin
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 “retreat.”
PROMPT:
Give yourself a retreat. What's the longest period of time you can devote to your writing (and your writer self)? Maybe it's one weekend, or one weekday, or one afternoon. Start with your when and where in whichever order works best:
- Block out the time and put it in your calendar.
- Choose an amenable spot. To add to the feeling of retreat, consider writing in a different space. If you can't leave your home, no worries. Which room have you not regularly written in? Make it special, even sacred, with candles, photos, cards, and/or anything else that makes you feel connected to your creative self, and your Creator, too, if this is meaningful to you.
Then, as Jean Luc Picard would say, "Make it so." You may want to print out the attached "Seven Steps to a Writing Dreams Fulfilled" to support you before, during, and/or after your retreat.
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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