Day 14
Already Alive
If I came alive the last time I was at a writing workshop, this time, I was reminded how alive I already am. And how alone I am not, both in life and in the writing. Other writers there were thinking about and writing about some of the things that I’m thinking and writing about. It’s good to get a fresh take and talk some things out, even if you get tripped up and tongue tide and unsure of yourself. It’s all part of the process.
Second person POV was one of the larger topics. I’ve tried it only a few times and sucked, but given the samples that we read, it can be a delightful change of pace from the usual 1st or 3rd. As I said in the workshop, I liked the particular distance that 2nd person offered.
As an exercise, we had to write in second person about a birthday. With no pressure, the writing flowed. And the subject wasn’t one that should have been easy to write about.
Details were the 2nd larger topic. Which ones most serve the story, which ones need to be cut. Or as it’s often discussed now in writer circles, “killing your darlings.” In my practice, I’m going to work on tightening up my details, making them more specific, more concrete.
I brought pen and paper and my Chromebook and ended up using both, pen and paper more for notes, and my Chromebook more for the actual writing. It’s still weird often composing first drafts on a laptop, but it’s less weird than it was. And I can always go back to the notebook whenever I feel like I need to.
Just like last time, the rest of the prompts were good.
One was to write a response to yesterday’s horoscope. I’d never heard of that one before, but it’s one that I intend to use in the future. That produced the hardest piece of writing, because of the subject.
Another prompt, we used a song from a different time, to take us back to a time when we heard it, to produce details the song brought up in us. That one was really fun. We used the Nostalgia Machine. We supplied the year and the leader supplied the songs. I suggested 1985 for the year. The song I ended up writing about: Everybody Wants to Rule the World. I’m such a sucker for the 80s, still.
I always enjoy these workshops and bootcamps. I’m looking forward to the next.
Also, I really need a regular class and a desk.