Making a literary life
Monday, February 28, 2011 at 10:54 PM | Writer's Cramp ;)
my writing tools: laptop, headphones (off frame), inspirational space, awesome new Night Owl mug from my husband full to the brim with expensive hot chocolate, and my story journal with notes for Books 1 & 2Writing is a mostly solitary pursuit. It suits me well in that way, but there’s a part of me that craves interaction with other writers, a writer’s circle, people who know and understand what it’s like to wrestle with plot and character, to beat your head against the wall during revision after revision, to lose yourself in the high of a writing groove and know how precious those times are. It’s an aspect of literary life I want for my own.
Tonight was the first step in that direction. For a birthday gift this year, my husband bought me a spot in Prompt, the 10 week writers’ workshop hosted by Write Around Portland. I’ve never participated in a writers’ workshop before so I didn’t know what to expect.
A corner room high up in Powell’s, reached through a secret door up two extra staircases no one but employees ever see. Two walls of tall mullioned windows with an invigorating view of the city. An oval table with mismatched chairs. Twelve strangers, a notebook, a pen. Terrifying. Exciting. Full of possibility.
;)
a new journal bought just for this purpose, with the expensive pen that was a gift from my thoughtful brother-in-law and sister-in-law a few years agoWe didn’t go around the table and introduce ourselves or talk about why we were there or what we do for a living or what kind of books we read. Our facilitator, Robyn, introduced herself and talked a little about philosophy behind the workshop. On a large sheet of paper taped to one of those tall windows, she wrote the rules we decided on as a group: “Listen.” “Give constructive feedback.” “Turn off cell phones.” “Read your words with the conviction that you have a right to write.” “What’s read here, stays here.” A few more.
We did four exercises tonight. We introduced ourselves through our writing in ways that going around the table and giving superficial answers to icebreaker questions can never do. We were entertained and amused and moved and intrigued and blown away. It will be a couple more weeks before we know each other’s names without asking.
We started forming a writer’s circle.
Reader Comments (4)
It sounds absolutely wonderful.
It was. Still nerve-wracking, and next week I'll be just as anxious as I was this week. But I think it'll be good to push my own boundaries a bit. And the people involved are certainly a fascinating mix, all of them greatly talented, and such diverse backgrounds/interests/etc. I'm looking forward to getting to know them better.
The workshop sounds great! I look forward to hearing more about it.
They really don't waste any time. No introductory anything, we just plunged right into writing. Group writing, of which I've done very little, and then group reading, which is something that makes me break out into a cold sweat. But I managed it fairly well, and feel a little more confident about the reading part. Hopefully by the end of the 10 weeks, I'll have developed some skill with reading aloud.