Antioch Writers' Workshop 2012

Last week was the Antioch Writers’ Workshop in Yellow Springs. This event, to me, is mecca. I have wanted to do this for years but something always got in the way. (Usually my own self – lack of confidence, lack of funds, etc.) But it’s different now. Now I am a student at Antioch University Midwest. In order to graduate I MUST do the workshop. Wow. What a concept: A writing student being required to participate in one of the greatest workshops in the writing sphere. Daunting? Yes. Exhilarating? Again, yes.

The festivities kicked off on Saturday. As I walked into the reception I was scared to death. The first person I saw that I actually knew was Rebecca Morean, the President of the Workshop’s Board of Directors, who was also one of my instructors. She noted the abject terror in my eyes and immediately made me feel more comfortable. Then I ran into Sharon Short, the Director of the Workshop, who also happens to be one of my instructors. (It was actually her encouragement in class that pushed me to do the workshop this year.) A few minutes later I ran into a fellow writers group member, then another classmate and more instructors. Slowly, I relaxed. As I did so, I realized something. The energy in the room was palpable. The longer I stayed and mingled with the people around me, the more I realized that I was where I belonged. (Of course that feeling was made stronger due to the encouraging words of Gilah Pomerantz Anderson, my wonderful Poetry instructor from last quarter.)

John Grogan (of the Marley and Me fame) was the keynote speaker. He was low-key, approachable, and funny. I took his master class the following morning and listened to him give advice about writing and life in general. His teaching/lecturing style is casual and full of interesting tidbits. As he talked, I looked around the auditorium at my fellow attendees, writers who were also here to improve their craft. There was a very broad spectrum of people – from young teenagers to people who were easily in their 70s (or beyond). We were here to learn, we were here to grow. To be honest, it takes a certain amount of courage to sign up for something like this. Courage that I didn’t possess for a long time. But then I realized: I’m here now. And that’s what matters.

All week long I took classes, learned about the craft of writing, and made new friends. And I loved every minute of it. I loved the direct teaching style of Hallie Ephron. I loved the humor of Jerry Dennis. I loved the wanderings of Jeff Gundy’s travels through poetry. I loved my afternoon seminars with Carrie Bebris. I loved being able to have lunch with Hallie Ephron and C. Kelly Robinson. I loved my one on one time with Linda Gerber. I loved the inspiration and excitement I felt every day. 

But what I think I loved most of all is the absolute sense of community – the encouragement, the understanding, and the acceptance that we were all writers and we were in this together. That is the beauty and the magic of the Antioch Writers’ Workshop.

Butt In Chair: Write, Edit, Polish, Publish. Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

I created this blog to write about a number of things. (Hence the description “A blog about writing, motherhood, love, and life in general.”) I’ve reviewed some of my more recent posts and I realized I had a few rants in there (Family, Fundraising, and Four Years of Lies). There are also posts about motherhood, (Things I’ve Learned) and little bit about love. (Matrimony 2.0.) However, I haven’t written much lately about writing. And then I realized I haven’t been doing as much writing for myself because I have been doing a lot of writing for school. (Damn those pesky professors who want me to write essays like they grow on trees! Kidding – their guidance and feedback have been invaluable.) I have also been doing a fair amount of ghostwriting, which provides a modicum of income and tons of practice regarding the actual craft of writing. But ultimately I want to write for ME -- not some corporation or business that needs help with managing their blogs or website content.

I think about writing all the time. (Ok, I’ll be honest. I obsess over writing. I’m constantly thinking about the novel I’m working on, along with the short stories etc). I troll the Interweb looking for writing blogs, I connect with other writers via Twitter and the FB and I belong to a writers group. However, all that isn’t worth shit if I’m not actually writing.

Then there’s the publishing aspect of the whole process. As a writer, I am super curious as to how the publishing world works. I know traditional publishing is hard to break into. To be honest, I haven’t even tried. I want to, and when I finish my novel I will definitely query some agents to see if I can spark their interest and maybe get some attention from a traditional publisher. But in the meantime, I’m going to try my hand at e-publishing. I’m putting together a small anthology of short stories that I’ve written and I might submit them to one of the smaller e-book publishers. I know some people who have published this way and they seem happy with their experiences. Seems like a good idea for a newbie.

Another avenue I’m interested in is self-publishing. That means I do all of the work -- formatting, cover art, blah blah blah…. but I also clear almost all of the profit. I’m not the most computer literate person in the world, but I have a friend or two who said they were willing to help me through the process of publishing for e-readers such as Kindles and Nooks and iPads and the list goes on – I’ve made my point. For this venture I will be writing in a specific genre and using a pen name.  

The world of publishing is changing, it seems as if on a daily basis. I’d like to be part of that change. So that means sitting my butt in my chair and writing, and hopefully writing something that people might actually buy. I am a writer – and although at the moment I am unpublished, I am going to work hard to make sure that 2012 is the year I turn into a (insert trumpets, drumroll, etc. here) PUBLISHED AUTHOR! Who knows…maybe in a few short months you’ll be downloading one (or more) of my books on your handy dandy e-reader? 

I Love My Writers Group

I joined a writer's group last summer. It happened in a roundabout way, via a friend who currently lives in New Zealand who used to be a DJ and is currently an actor. That friend noticed a few posts I had on Facebook regarding writing. He was nice enough to hook me up with a friend of his who lives in my general vicinity and who happens to be part of an active writers group. The group is an eclectic bunch that includes published authors, talented wordsmiths and academics - did I mention one woman (huge hero of mine) also rides motorcycles and is an accomplished tattoo artist when she's not at her dayjob?  I am truly in awe of these people. Lucky for me, they were willing to expand the circle and let me in.

I was able to go to meetings during the summer, but then I went on vacation and missed a few. Shortly after I came back from vacation I decided to go back to school. One of my classes met on Tuesday nights, which is the night my writers group meets. On top of all that, my other half was away on military duty. Sadly enough, that led to months of missing the weekly Tuesday night meetings. I kept in touch with them via the interweb, yet I wasn't happy about not being able to connect with them in person.

But lo and behold, tonight I finally got to go to my beloved Tuesday night meeting. Ah, what a sense of relief it was to sit around the table with all of those talented writers, exchanging stories and being able to talk about writing with other people who truly understand what goes into creating a short story or a novel. After all, writing is mostly an endeavor in solitude. It can be grueling, time consuming and maddening. However, it can also be a transcendental experience and an eye-opening journey.

Tonight, my group listened to me read from my novel, as they have before. I had employed the edits they so generously gave me all of those months ago. They noticed, and gave more advice. And I realized, in an instant, that their advice was so right, and so spot on, that I began creating the new scenes in my head as I sat around that table, in the busy bookstore, surrounded by people.

I love my writers group.