Having trouble viewing this zine in its proper format? Read it online at http://www.aweber.com/t/AGnL0
Dear ,
Ayyyy Matey! Mark your calendar now -- September 19th is National Talk Like a Pirate Day!
What???? you may ask. First Texas, now pirates!?!?
Well, I could tell you that I'm thinking about pirates because I'm starting to get very excited about the two (2!!!!) different WordPlay writing opportunities coming up at Sunset Beach. (After all, pirates and the ocean just go together, right?)
It's true, I AM very excited about both the Coastal Writing Retreat and the Project: Book Retreat. (In fact, I would absolutely love it if you came to one of them -- not just because your company is so delightful, but also because I know it would be good for both you and your writing (details below).
But that's not the real reason "pirate" is the word of the week -- it's because one of the awesome participants in my First Ever Step into Your Writing Dreams Coaching Program shared a Writer's Digest Article on "6 Reasons Being a Pirate Is Like Being a Writer" with her mastermind group, and it's a fun and clever article, and pretty instructive as well.
And then I thought, I'll be pirating it if I share it with you and that made me laugh (even though I'm not really pirating it because I'm not taking any credit and I'm sending you right to the source. Right now. Here's where you'll find this article:
http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/6-reasons-being-a-pirate-is-like-being-a-writer
It was written by guest columnist Laurie Lazzaro Knowlton, author of Pirates Don't Say Please, a picture book that came out last year. It speaks of the importance of "a hook" and "an anchor," and...
Well, click the link and find out for yourself!
While you're there, you can also enter your email address to receive Writer's Digest's free weekly email newsletter and a download of the "101 Best Websites for Writers." And poke around reading all manner of articles about writers -- I wanted to be sure you knew about this great resource for writers!
Meanwhile, check out WordPlay's coastal writing opportunities (maybe I'll bring a bottle of rum, yo ho ho!) and more pirate stuff below.
Upcoming WordPlay
COASTAL WRITING RETREAT AT THE SUNSET INN,
SUNSET BEACH, NC
(Writing as Renewal and Inspiration)
Back by popular request: a weekend writing retreat full of activities to reconnect you to your creativity. Renew yourself, whether you are a practicing writer, closet writer, or as-yet-to-pick-up-the-pen writer. $378 includes writing sessions, two nights' lodging, two breakfasts and Saturday lunch (hotel tax and Saturday dinner at a local restaurant not included).
WHERE: The Sunset Inn, 9 North Shore Dr., Sunset Beach, NC 28468
WHEN: Friday, February 22 - Sunday, February 24, 2012
TO REGISTER: Contact the Sunset Inn at 888.575.1001 (if you would like to handpick your room, view your choices here first, then call). Register soon - this is a popular event and spaces are going fast.
PROJECT: BOOK AT THE SUNSET INN, SUNSET BEACH, NC (Writing / Publishing Your Book-length Writing Project) / 1 weekend session
A hands-on workshop for any writer who would like to write and/or submit a book for publication and 1) doesn't know how, 2) doesn't get around to it, 3) feels a) intimidated, b) confused, c) overwhelmed, d) uninspired, 4) all of the above! In a beautiful coastal setting, you will gain working knowledge of the steps you need to take to write and publish a book and begin creating your own personalized plan. Note: Class doesn't include critique of your book manuscript.
WHERE: The Sunset Inn, 9 North Shore Dr., Sunset Beach, NC 28468
WHEN: Friday, March 1 - Sunday, March 3, 2012*
TO REGISTER:
Contact the Sunset Inn at 888.575.1001 (if you would like to handpick your room, view your choices here first, then call). Register soon - there are only 8 spaces available.
For details about more 2013 offerings, visit
www.wordplaynow.com/current.htm.
|
Featured Writing (This isn't pirated either because it's in the public domain.
But it is about pirates. And it is delightful.)
Pirate Story
by Robert Louis Stevenson Three of us afloat in the meadow by the swing, Three of us aboard in the basket on the lea. Winds are in the air, they are blowing in the spring, And waves are on the meadow like the waves there are at sea.
Where shall we adventure, to-day that we 're afloat, Wary of the weather and steering by a star? Shall it be to Africa, a-steering of the boat, To Providence, or Babylon, or off to Malabar? Hi! but here 's a squadron a-rowing on the sea-
Cattle on the meadow a-charging with a roar! Quick, and we 'll escape them, they 're as mad as they can be, The wicket is the harbor and the garden is the shore.
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 "pirate."
1. Click on this link, read all about the six things writers have in common with pirates, and then go through the list and write out what your book's hook, anchor, navigation tools, etc. are. Very good for clarity, whether your book is already writte or you are just beginning to think about writing it.
2. Go ahead -- write your own pirate story, just for fun!
Want to be featured in a future Word-zine?
S
end in a piece of your writing that you think could inspire other WordPlayers to write. 500-word limit, please.) You can send something inspired by this writing, or anything else of your choosing. Email your words to WordPlay here and your piece may be chosen for a future Word-zine.
|
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! |
|
