You are invited to come write with me at a Spring Writing Circle on Saturday, March 26, from 10-4.
In timed writing exercises designed to prime the creative pump, writers focus and fly, letting loose the unknown in the wonder of words. We immediately read this new work, bearing witness to the strange and wonderful stories that emerge. A synergy develops in these workshops, where participants invariably write more, write better, and write with greater confidence.
Renewal and rebirth will be our theme for this one-day writing retreat to be held in a private home in southern Vermont. The cost for the day is $75, lunch is potluck, and space is limited.
I attended my first such writing circle in the late 1980’s, and have been using them to support my writing practice ever since. In the beginning, I was simply grateful to have two hours a week away from home, husband, children and chores.
In this first circle, I started writing parenting columns that were published in the local paper. At the next one, I started writing a novel. In the safety of the circle, I’d find myself discovering scenes I couldn’t have imagined on my own. In addition to discovering my voice, meeting my characters, and inventing problems for them to solve, I made friends with other writers; I wasn’t always a writer alone.
Even before attending my first writing circle, I’d used the technique of automatic writing as a writing teacher at Columbia College over thirty years ago. In addition to teaching in the Ivy League, I’ve also taught in Vermont prisons, in elementary schools and in senior centers. By supplying prompts, encouragement, and a safe place to write, I help writers tell their story, unleash their words.
If you are interested in joining me to write at on March 26, contact me, and we’ll take it from there.