WOW!! What a great evening with our Netwest Poets at Tri-County College tonight. We had 14 poets present and that is unusual, I hear, in many areas.
I embarrassed myself. I had spent most of the day with Wayne Drumheller of Brevard who taught me how to use my Creative Memories program to make digital books. I am so excited about this program and the possibilities of making memoir books for members of my family complete with photographs I have stashed away in albums, on slides and on my computer.
Wayne will come to my writing studio in Hayesville, NC on April 6 at 1:00 p.m. to give a presentation on this subject.
But back to how I embarrassed myself tonight.. Because I was running late, I grabbed a stack of paper I thought was copies of a recent poem I'd typed from a handwritten piece I'd found in my clutter.
When my copies were passed out, we discovered two copies of the poem and some copies of other things. Boy, was my face red!
Then my fellow poets insisted I read the poem anyway. The consensus is that part of my poem is lyrical and part is prosey. I knew the poem needed work and I should not have taken it. I will take it back to the group after much time has passed and much revision has been done.
I've learned that it takes writing, revision, put it away, read, revise, put away, read, revise, put away, and finally, I might have it ready to take to critique where I will see more need for revision and then the process begins again and one day I hope the poem will be good enough to submit.
Why do we love to write when it is grueling work? Why do we agonize over every word, every line, and berate ourselves because it is not perfect but we don't know the little thing that will make it perfect?
Why?
Showing posts with label 2010 writing classes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2010 writing classes. Show all posts
Friday, March 5, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
Why do all good things have to end?
I wish you all could have been at John C. Campbell Folk School this afternoon at 4:45 p.m. to hear my students read some of the pieces they wrote this week.
Judy began the reading with stories of the Border War between her grandfather and his neighbor. Judy researched her grandfather, talked with her siblings and others who told her about this character, but she fleshed out this man and told his story in class. The audience loved it.
Pat is an Episcopal Priest. She is also a writer. She writes sermons and has great command of the language, but this was her first attempt to write outside her spiritual work. She said this class has been fun and she now feels confident enough to submit work for publication. The listeners this afternoon at the Keith House loved her reading. I'll never forget "The Conductor."
I’ve read much of Nadine’s memoir since she has been in my classes in the past. She is writing the story of her life and when it is finished, it will make an excellent book. Today she read an excerpt called Aunt Betty’s store. The story stands alone with a beginning that grabs the reader, a great setting, delightful characters and humor. The story entertains and enlightens the reader. Nadine was a hit with the audience she faced today, and her marvelous sense of humor endeared her to all of us.
The biggest surprise this week, for me, was Vicki, another former student who is often quiet and fairly serious in the subjects she chooses. She was the last to read this afternoon. Vicki began with a short but powerful story about death, an elderly woman and an old dog. As I watched the small group sitting before her, listening to every word, I saw tears begin to roll down cheeks, tissues pulled from pockets and faces contorted in efforts to hold back the water works.
The second piece Vicki read was as humorous as the first was sad. Within a few minutes the writer, who had reduced her audience to tears, turned them completely around, and they laughed throughout the hilarious true story about Vicki dying her grandmother’s hair. Much of the joy of this story was in the performance, the dramatic voice and gestures of the writer. I hope Vicki will do some open mic reading in our area this summer.
As you can see, this has been another class at JCCFS in which students and teacher fell in love with writing about our unique lives and sharing funny, sad and nostalgic memories. I hope my students from this class continue to write, to attend writing workshops and seminars with good instructors. That will enrich what they have learned this week. And I hope to see them in my classes again one day.
Tomorrow is our last day, and we sadly say goodbye to the folk school experience, to each other and to having a full week to engage in our passion for writing.
Judy began the reading with stories of the Border War between her grandfather and his neighbor. Judy researched her grandfather, talked with her siblings and others who told her about this character, but she fleshed out this man and told his story in class. The audience loved it.
Pat is an Episcopal Priest. She is also a writer. She writes sermons and has great command of the language, but this was her first attempt to write outside her spiritual work. She said this class has been fun and she now feels confident enough to submit work for publication. The listeners this afternoon at the Keith House loved her reading. I'll never forget "The Conductor."
I’ve read much of Nadine’s memoir since she has been in my classes in the past. She is writing the story of her life and when it is finished, it will make an excellent book. Today she read an excerpt called Aunt Betty’s store. The story stands alone with a beginning that grabs the reader, a great setting, delightful characters and humor. The story entertains and enlightens the reader. Nadine was a hit with the audience she faced today, and her marvelous sense of humor endeared her to all of us.
The biggest surprise this week, for me, was Vicki, another former student who is often quiet and fairly serious in the subjects she chooses. She was the last to read this afternoon. Vicki began with a short but powerful story about death, an elderly woman and an old dog. As I watched the small group sitting before her, listening to every word, I saw tears begin to roll down cheeks, tissues pulled from pockets and faces contorted in efforts to hold back the water works.
The second piece Vicki read was as humorous as the first was sad. Within a few minutes the writer, who had reduced her audience to tears, turned them completely around, and they laughed throughout the hilarious true story about Vicki dying her grandmother’s hair. Much of the joy of this story was in the performance, the dramatic voice and gestures of the writer. I hope Vicki will do some open mic reading in our area this summer.
As you can see, this has been another class at JCCFS in which students and teacher fell in love with writing about our unique lives and sharing funny, sad and nostalgic memories. I hope my students from this class continue to write, to attend writing workshops and seminars with good instructors. That will enrich what they have learned this week. And I hope to see them in my classes again one day.
Tomorrow is our last day, and we sadly say goodbye to the folk school experience, to each other and to having a full week to engage in our passion for writing.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW
Write what you know. What do we know better than our own stories, our own lives?
Recently, I overheard two little boys sitting on a bench outside a market. “I don’t think Mama and Daddy had video games when they were little,” one said to the other.
Kids wonder about what life was like for parents and grandparents. If your children or your grandchildren were gathered around you waiting to hear about what life was like when you were a child, what would you tell them?
Spend a week at Orchard House on the John C. Campbell Folk School campus in Brasstown, NC writing the stories of your life.
In 1998, I published a family history chronicling the lives of my grandfather and each of my ten aunts and uncles. They were not famous people. Just simple men and women who lived in the early twentieth century, who endured hardships and triumphs, and who will be forever remembered by future generations because their stories have been recorded in this book.
Since then, I’ve been writing and collecting incidents and stories about my own life. An example is Tar, Tallow and Prayer, which tells how a home remedy saved my baby sister’s life. My Mother’s Reunion is a humorous story of the time we crashed another family’s reunion.
In my writing classes students aren’t expected to be experienced writers.
Besides exploring our lives for stories, we learn to use the five senses to draw the reader into our work. We learn to use strong verbs, to avoid overused adjectives. We help cut out the fat, the extra verbiage, and show how to use historical events to place a story in time. We learn how to entertain and enlighten our audience, to tell true stories using the same components as good fiction.
A former student said this: What was so special about your class is that you created a harmony among strangers that evolved almost immediately into a group connection of respect, joy and genuine warmth and understanding. I believe every one of my classmates is a beautiful and courageous writer. … as you had us read our stories we were able to glimpse and appreciate the depth and the diverse culture of their fascinating lives.
We have openings for Leave a Written Legacy, February 21 – 27, at John C. Campbell Folk School, but registration must be made by January 29.
Anyone living in Clay, Cherokee, or Graham counties in NC or Towns, Union, and Fannin counties in Georgia, receive half price tuition. Call 1-800-365-5724 or click on http://www.folkschool.org/ and register online.
Local number is 828-837-2775.
Contact Glenda Beall, writerlady21@yahoo.com for more information.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Write Your Family Stories
Leave a Written Legacy,
Write Your Family Stories
February 21-27, 2010 -- Instructor: Glenda C. Beall
Recover old memories using family photos and keepsakes. Write stories and personal essays about your unique life experiences for your children and grandchildren, and then fine-tune your work by sharing with classmates in a safe, comfortable atmosphere. Beginners to intermediate writers - join us to get your start or for motivation and ideas to organize your work.
Contact John C. Campbell Folk School for registration information.
Ask for local discount if you live in Clay, Cherokee, Towns, Union, Graham counties
Saturday, November 14, 2009
2010 classes for JCCFS have been published on their website.
I took this photo behind Orchard House where our writing classes are held.
The John C. Campbell Folk School has published classes for next year, 2010, on their website and in their new catalog.
See the sidebar of this post to find my classes for 2010. I will teach in February and again in December of 2010. We are nearing the end of 2009.
Register for 2010 classes.
Nancy Simpson, Jayne Jaudon Ferrer, Dana Wildsmith, and many other good writers and poets will be teaching at JCCFS next year. If you haven't taken a class at the Folk School in Brasstown, NC, you are missing a wonderful experience.
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