Small-Group Writer's Workshop

Hello friends!

Well, my plan today was to post the registration information for the small-group writing workshop I'm hosting through Community Education in October. But it turns out that the class is already full -- with a two-person waiting list!

Just in case you're interested in getting on the waiting list... or you want to see what my one-day workshops entail, here's the link, anyway.

I'll be launching another independent four-week workshop in the near future, as well. I'll keep you in the loop.

Workshop Inspiration

At my small-group writer's workshop tonight, I assigned this writing exercise: "Write about what your mother's or grandmother's hands have done."

(The assignment, incidentally, was inspired by my aunt, who, gathered around her mother's deathbed with her siblings, said, "Imagine what those hands have done." It's a fantastic thought, isn't it?)

Usually, while my students are writing, I review the day's workshop pieces and prepare for the second half of class. Today, however, I scrawled out my own brief response to the assignment. It reads:


My grandmother's soft, vein-lined hands did not...
latch necklaces
apply rouge to wrinkled cheeks
play piano
write high school assignments
dip their fingers in the Rhine, the Danube or the Thames
hold the hand of her evil stepmother
soak for a manicure

They did...
Pour molasses
Flatten lefse
Deal cards
Wash plastic straws
Fold in prayer
Open the cookie jar
Knit socks and mittens and a thick pair of taupe legwarmers I refused to wear
Form popcorn balls for 30 Halloweens
Spank sons
Throw away the half-full bottles of whiskey they found in a can of nails in the garage
Hold six newborn babies to her chest
Weave their fingers in mine

Oh happy day! (And a recommendation to boot!)

One of my very first thoughts every morning, even before I even get out of bed, is this: What do I have to look forward to today?

There's always something--and I think I could make a pretty compelling argument that having something to look forward to is a significant component of happiness. (I mean, think of the alternative: Nothing to look forward to?) So whether I'm due to finish up a deadline, meet a friend for lunch, or carve out an hour to read uninterrupted(!), I take a few seconds every morning to acknowledge these activities before I start my day.

So this morning, I'm lying in bed (laying? I can never remember; must look that up) when Christian wakes me with breakfast. This is his new thing. He's been bringing me breakfast in bed every morning since Mother's Day: One bowl of Cinnamon Life on a plate with a napkin, and a cup of juice. After he leaves me with breakfast, and after I think about how lucky I am (Seriously. Can I just keep my kids young forever?!), I think: Okay, what else do I have to look forward to today?"

And that's when I remembered: The first meeting of my new small-group writing workshop! Tonight I'm sitting down with a new group of students for a four-week workshop. I cannot tell you how excited I am to get to know these writers and read what they've written.

We'll start the evening with a few writing exercises -- likely a few that I've gleaned from Abigail Thomas' book, Thinking About Memoir. Thomas is one of my favorite writers, and if you're looking for a good read, I highly recommend her book, A Three Dog Life.

Stephen King called A Three Dog Life, "The best memoir I have ever read." For other reviews, visit Thomas' Web site here.

Under the "Getting Started" link on Thomas' site, Thomas recounts how she got started in writing -- and offers a few writing exercises, too. Worth checking out.