Some of you reading this today may be familiar with the fact that I attended my very first Writing Workshop a few days ago. Happy dance, pointer fingers pumping up and down in rhythm whilst my head bops back and forth
You may be familiar with me personally or know me through this blog of mine, and you may have realized that I have a lot to say. A lot to share. And one of my favorite forms of communication is the written word. Ahhh. Sounds like cool lemonade on a hot day. Refreshing.
So, given an opportunity to educate myself about this interest of mine, you can believe me when I say that, it was the number one item on my calendar last Saturday. Thatcher and I, we would be there with a burp cloth and eager expectation!
The writing workshop was hosted by a local author, Lee Zacharias, and she sat at the opening of our semi-circle formed with tables and 90degree corners instead of smooth curves- we formed a "U". Thatcher and I sat close to the door, which I discover later to be the undeniably best place for us to be seated. A gentleman to my left and a woman to my right. About 30 of us in attendance. Yellow legal pads and pens.
Mrs. Zacharias shared writings with us, her own and others as well. Additionally, she had us share pieces of work...but more of that in a moment.
As promised to some fellow writing friends of mine, this post will be a condensed review of what I learned. Let's begin with my biggest takeaways!
We are to Look at the Skeleton
When we are composing a piece and reading a piece alike, there needs to be some hard, underlining substance which carries the flow of the piece from chapter one through chapter ten, from paragraph A to paragraph B, and from sentence to engaging sentence. This it the skeleton.
The meat of the piece is all the extra. We enjoy the extra because it is the detail and engages our senses, but without this firm foundation -this bone- the rest falls short because it, in essence, has nothing to keep it together.
Engage the Senses
We are all aware of our five senses and how they work, but when we are sharing something with someone who has not experienced this account firsthand, it is our privileged and responsibility to bring that special something to them. To their sense of smell as they recall from their memory banks childhood cookies fresh from the oven and their sense of excitement coming through the words and springing goosebumps up and down their arms.
This is the extra, the "fluff", or the meat of the piece. Without this, the writing, although informative, is not personal and leaves much to be desired. It does not have the same, stimulating, effect on the reader.
Shaping
What we are hoping to present to the reader. We do this through engaging and alluring the reader, (the skeleton and the senses), but the piece has to go somewhere.
Are we trying to make our piece to invoke a sense of the greater good? To provoke the reader to tears through self-evaluation and apathy? What do we hope the outcome is? What does the reader walk away with?
In addition to those objectives listed above, there were some points , simple bullet points, worth sharing:
*Why? How? These are the questions we ought to ask ourselves when writing. Stay away from "what".
*Learn to recognize yourself in others. When you read, can you picture the characters? Carry this over to your writing.
*Digging deeper into the meaning. You have something grand to share, great! How can you take it deeper? How can you pull more out of it, share more of it, and articulate this that much more?
*Your angle.
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I have decided to publish different posts each referring to the Writer's Workshop so as to break up the information some as well as offer you, the reader, a moment to pause, reflect, or continue on your own timetable. Please look for post Writer's Workshop, Part 2! In it, I will share the writing exercise Mrs. Zacharias taught us!
Thank you!(Please scroll down to continue reading)
Writing Workshop, Part 2
Writing Workshop, Part 3
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