The Daily Grind

Learning to be a writer is a multi-pronged approach. I recommend:

• writing in your journal each day, whether you employ totally free writing, or thematic prompts; 
• engaging in drafted pieces of poems or stories; 
• editing drafts to completion; 
• examining and discussing the work of other writers in the group as well as works by famous writers.

If you are having trouble coming up with ideas, check out this site:
Journal Prompts

And here are some suggested exercises:

Creative Writing Exercises
Writing Prompts
Exercises

Some poems to analyze together: (Note--there is a lot of analysis on these poems online, so don't be afraid to see what others think about them. Do, however, try to look at them on your own before checking out the ideas of others.) 

On Reading Poems to a Senior Class at South High
The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
The Red Wheel Barrow
The House on the Hill

And some short fiction:
Hills Like White Elephants
(Suggested group activity: Use this Dream Dictionary to look up symbols.)
A Jury of Her Peers 

And some creative nonfiction:
Living Like Weasels
Notes on Writing Creative Nonfiction

I sent these all to you digitally, but you probably want to print them out so you can write on them. 

Language IS A Virus!

Welcome to our Wednesday evening writing group! I think we had a fabulous first night yesterday and look forward to many more interesting discussions.  I know I gave you lots of stuff to look at, but please feel free to do as much or as little as you feel like doing.

I do challenge you to engage in at least ten minutes of free writing each day. If it helps you to have a topic, choose one of the six that I gave you, but do allow your mind to drift. You never know where it will go.

Consider these words from Chesterton: "There is a road from the eye to heart that does not go through the intellect." And try not to self edit as you go. Just get your thoughts on the page as quickly as they come to you.

Among the pages I printed for you yesterday was one labeled THE CUT-UP POEM.  Click on this link for an explanation of this process: http://www.languageisavirus.com/articles/articles.php?subaction=showcomments&id=1099111044&archive=&start_from=&ucat=&#.Vk3Yxc1bwzY

Language Is A Virus is an interesting website most worthy of your exploration. To go to their home page, click here: http://www.languageisavirus.com/

Another website I love to visit is http://www.dreammoods.com/. This is a website dedicated to dream analysis. I use it, however, more as a dictionary of symbols. After all, isn't that what our dreams are? So when you are looking at literature and come across something you think might be functioning as a symbol (and it most certainly is), look it up here and see how the meaning might impact your reading, and of course, your writing!

So, don't forget you have a short piece by Virginia that we all need to look at before next week.

Don't hesitate to email each other or leave comments on this blog. See you Wednesday.

Creative Writing Workshop

I will be setting up a blog to support our weekly writing workshop. It will contain links to interesting sites, examples of writing, assignments, etc.

It would perhaps be helpful if we utilize the "Comment" section to keep up a running commentary, ranking and rating assignments, progress, etc., and generating new ideas for the group

Please keep in mind that this is a public forum. It is not specific to our group. That will allow us to add other members as needed. Confidential comments may of course be shared by email between members. Or consider this: we may even have the opportunity to talk in person!!!