Volume X, Issue 29
December 29, 2021
Dear ,
Happy New Year! My hope for you is that you'll have a wealth of moments in which you feel at least as happy as I did when I snapped this photo of myself back in November.
I'm not much for selfies. In fact, 90+ percent of mine have been for the Word-zine. This one, though, taken at Sunset Beach, North Carolina, I didn't
take to share. I was capturing the happiness I felt, so I wouldn't forget.
Why was I so happy? Well, windblown at sunset on Sunset Beach is reason enough for me. But I'd also just led a fulfilling, heartwarming Coastal Writing Retreat for the first time in nearly two years—after wondering if I'd ever get to again. (Interested in coming to a Coastal Writing Retreat in February or March 2022, with Covid safety measures in place? Scroll on down, or click here.)
And, before that, I'd had several days of my own solitary writing retreat. To be honest, writing hadn't been going very well for me for a
while. Back at Sunset Beach, with long walks at sunrise and sunset and hours of solitude, new words surfaced. I got back in touch with why I write, which freed me up to write.
Ever since, my words have been flowing. And I keep thinking of a poem I wrote in one of my writing workshops, while my students were writing, called "Why You Can Go Back to a Story You Abandoned Years ago and Finally Finish It." (I wrote it for one of those students, who'd abandoned a writing project I just loved, but, in
retrospect, I wrote it for me, too. And for you, even if I might not have even met you yet.)
As I mulled over what I'd share in this last zine before the New Year, it occurred to me that this is the perfect time to get in touch with our Whys—for writing, of course, but also for anything that matters to us that we find ourselves not
doing.
Here are some thoughts about the importance of a good Why from my writing guidebook, Spinning Words into Gold, including a reflection by Clarence Eden, a student of mine who inspired me greatly. Clarence is no longer here on this planet,
and I miss him, but, thankfully, he lives on for me through his words:
Why Write?
We each have our own reasons for writing. As Why? is one of the first
questions I ask students when they walk into one of my writing classes, I know that from experience. Here’s what one of them, Clarence Eden, said:
I want to write because I have a story to tell. I must tell it because it is His Story, being written on the parchment of my life. I received the gift of my story and it was meant to be passed on. To this I am called. I can only share the gift without concern for who may receive it or who may value it.
I want to write because I am a storyteller. I find joy and peace as I wrestle with the telling. I find excitement when the stories are revealed to me, and when they find their way to completion. I will be the better for it even if no other reads a word. The more I tell the stories, the more stories there are to tell.
. . . Your Why might be noble, like Leo Tolstoy. Your Why might be inventive, like crime novelist Sue Grafton who, after an acrimonious divorce, turned her fantasy about poisoning her ex-husband into a novel called A is for Alibi.
Whys are likely to be multi-layered, and they may change over time. Grafton’s novel, published in 1982, grew into “The Kinsey Millhone Alphabet Mystery Series." Having read a number of them, I can tell that writing is delivering fun and adventure, not to mention success and fulfillment, to Grafton. Delightful Whys, one and all.
Our Whys serve as road maps. . . .
Why not use the power of a deeply felt Why as you take on filling 2022 with what matters most to you?
Love and light,
Maureen
Upcoming
WordPlay
COASTAL WRITING RETREAT AT SUNSET BEACH
Friday, February 24th - Sunday, February 26th
OR
Friday, March 3rd - Sunday, March 5th
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.
Give yourself time to write in community with others who love words and ideas, and time for solitude, too. There’ll be ample free time to savor your beautifully appointed private room at The Sunset Inn, with king-sized bed, private bath and balcony, and the coastal setting the Sunset Inn provides. You’ll return home refreshed, with new ideas and energy for your writing — and your life.
Full details here: https://www.wordplaynow.com/coastal-writing-retreats-early-2022/
TO REGISTER: Please call The Sunset Inn at 1-888-575-1001 to
reserve your spot.
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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 via Zelle, Venmo, or a check via mail, email info@wordplaynow.com for instructions.
To register for Poetry Rocks online, click here.
More WordPlay opportunities coming soon. Stay posted!
Because a field that’s been fallow yields a better crop
Because seeds have germination periods
Because some cicadas need seventeen years
Because we need darkness to see the light and so do our stories
Because we had some living to do first to become
who we needed to be to write our story
Because we grow into the stories that are ours to tell
Because the thing we need to include to make our story
what it needs to be hadn’t happened yet
Because we needed to practice
Because our stories are patient, our stories are kind, our stories
keep no record of wrongs nor count the number of times
we have abandoned them
Because our stories seek only to serve us
and the people who need them
Because some births are harder and more painful than others,
because labor is called labor for a reason
Because we say yes to a labor of love, to birthing
a story when we are ready and not before
Because we can come to see
that a story is often too polite to say “ready or not,
here I come” but will come
if you call
that it is time for supper
Because a story
loves to be supped
Learn more about Ten Thousand Cicadas Can't Be Wrong 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 "why."
PROMPT:
Choice 1:
What about you? Why do you want to write? Go ahead. Let it rip.
I want to write because… Write for ten minutes, keeping your pen
moving. What’s in it for you? What do you want writing to give you? Then read what you wrote, highlighting the words and phrases that best capture your own reasons. Craft these into a mission statement and post it in a place where you'll see it often.
Choice 2:
Use the above exercise to explore your motivation for anything in your life that matters to you that you have abandoned or neglected.
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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