Volume XI, Issue 6
February 9, 2022
Word of the Week: decision
Dear ,
I am so grateful to the lovely, talented WordPlayers who helped make Saturday's Write Now! workshop in honor of a beloved student of mine, artist and wordsmith Michelle Joy Handler. In addition to gifting me with her beautiful spirit in every class she took, Michelle gifted me with laughter—like the time she gave me what felt like a piece of wood as a Christmas gift. I unwrapped it from the back side, and when the whole class burst into laughter, I quickly turned that wood around to see this:
How true, how true! I put it at the top of my bookshelves, facing the outside door of my writing studio. It's often the first thing visitors see. (Along with my
autographed photo of children's writer James Howe, thanking me for our "excellent driving adventures." (That's a story for another day, but one I will tell one of these weeks!)
Yes, bad decisions do make great stories. And, sometimes, good decisions make great stories. And sometimes not deciding (which, I've heard tell actually is a kind of decision itself) makes a great story. To sum it up, if you're looking for a great story, do a little sleuthing into your own, or anyone else's past—or present, for that matter—to ferret out decisions that had . . . impactful, fateful, monumental, or otherwise interesting consequences.
This week's featured writing, ""Deciding on the Day," is, of course, about decisions, and in honor of Michelle, I picked the funniest piece I could find! Hope it makes you smile. And I hope you find the prompt fruitful for your writing. It's a love poem (of sorts!) so it's a good lead-in to wishing you a Happy Valentine's Day!
Love and light,
Maureen
Upcoming WordPlay
COMING SOON!
COASTAL WRITING RETREAT AT SUNSET BEACH
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/
Note: The Sunset Inn is paying loving attention to your comfort and safety in this crazy time.
TO REGISTER: Please call The Sunset Inn at 1-888-575-1001 to reserve your spot.
I can't see you next weekend,
she said. I'll be out of town.
I doubt I'll be available that following
weekend either. In fact.
I don't see a weekend
in which I'm not tied up. I can only
see you on a weekday.
If you think that means you
can have a weekend relationship
with someone else while you're
seeing me during the week
you're mistaken. I won't stand for it.
I'd appreciate you telling me
your decision as soon as possible
because I have another guy
who's pretty quick.
Pretty fun and funny, don't you think? Learn more about Hal Sirowitz, "The Stand-Up Poet King of Queens," 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 "decision."
PROMPT: Set a timer for ten minutes and list every decision that you can think of (your own or anyone else's, real or fictional), starting
with the most recent, the earliest, or anywhere in between. As you list, take note of your energy level. When you feel a little burst of interest, put a star next to that item, but keep listing.
Now, pick the decision that you'd most enjoy writing about, and write about it, in any genre/form you like. As a tip of the hat to Hal Sirowitz, put in at least one line of dialogue in for good measure.
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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