Bounce Back
Feeling Like Myself Again
It’s been a long few weeks of finding my footing again, pushing through the last hazy days of COVID-19 and trusting my body a little more each week. I’ll say it again, for those who still want to play the game, contracting COVID-19 was no good, and I had a mild case. It took me weeks to take full, deep breaths (and I still don’t know that my breathing is back to pre-COVID strength) and the fatique lingered for a lot longer than was ideal. All that to say, please don’t minimalize the risk posed to you or others, especially those with compromised immune systems that may not bounce back like I, or you, did.
The slow recovery aside, I am happy to report that I am feeling back to myself. I am back to my fitness routines, carefully returning to my running and weight training practice while thoughtfully setting up a work schedule that feels productive but also acknowledges my need for rest and pleasure.
Though my spring schedule is packed with opportunities for expanding my teaching practice and connecting with community, trust that I’m also creating and holding space for things that bring me relaxation and joy. I’m talking hour-long baths with sexy ass playlists, slow afternoons reading and daydreaming in my hammock, listening to albums while sipping something bold and delicious, and of course, taking Octavia out to explore the night skies.
Getting back to myself, bouncing back from being down, feels good and that is by design. All of this, my life, my community, my career, is by design. Every day, I (re)commit myself to living the life I have imagined, and every day, I am inspired by how close I get to living my dream.
Thankful. So very, very thankful. For being back. For being here. For you.
Chopping it Up with my Writer Boo!
Fiona Zedde and I have been writing partners for over a decade. We’ve gone on adventures, we’ve edited each other’s work, and we meet almost every week even though she left me and moved to Spain. I’m only semi-salty. Clearly.
I welcome the opportunity to talk with her about what makes our writing relationship work, why I wouldn’t trade her for the world, and what it means to get on each other’s nerves in the loveliest of ways.
Memoir and Fiction? Yes, Please.
There are some dope opportunities to write with me this spring! I’m teaching memoir and fiction next month and would love to see your face in the place.
Going There: Memoir and Scene
When writing memoir, writers must strike a delicate balance between exposition and scene. This balance is made all the more difficult when we consider the fallibility of memory, which brings to the fore multiple challenges related to the elements of a scene—setting, dialogue, and showing rather than telling. What if we don’t remember it exactly? How can we write a scene when details aren’t clear? In this eight-week class, we’ll explore those questions and use them as starting points for (re)imagining scene within our memoir-writing. Class runs six weeks ( 6 - 8 p.m. CST on Tuesdays) beginning April 5th!
Fiction and Memoir with Story Studio Chicago!
Foot on the Gas: Continuing Work on Your Novel
In this generative, six-week course, we will explore strategies for structuring plot and maintaining dramatic tension, as well as developing chapters that balance scene and exposition to engage the reader and keep them invested in the story. Writers will build upon the foundation built in Jumpstart Your Novel to firmly establish a focused, responsive, and productive strategy to getting their story on the page (but you don’t have to have taken Jumpstart to join us now).
Our work together also includes a one-on-one novel consultation where writers can submit up to twenty pages for personalized feedback and support. Class runs six weeks (Wednesdays, 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. CST) beginning April 6th. <<< REGISTER HERE >>>
Reckoning with Remembrance
This workshop examines the intersections of memory and research in crafting memoir and personal essays. Writers will explore the science of memory, its strengths and weaknesses, the ways it helps us make sense of our lives and the ways it complicates our feelings. We’ll use what we learn as an opportunity to retool our memories as writing prompts, recast them as research topics, and reimagine the way we tell our stories. Class runs six weeks (Mondays, 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. CST) beginning April 25th. <<< REGISTER HERE >>>
Let’s Play with Point of View: a Free Expressions Webinar!
Many times, we are certain who our protagonist is and how to tell their story, but do you ever wonder what hidden gems can be found in exploring various vantage points in your draft work? Changing point of view as a creative exercise can help us blast through writing blocks, identify stakes in stalled plots, and uncover motivations for lead and supporting characters alike. Through discussion and writing prompts, we’ll use point of view as a way to explore voice, character development, and plot movement by exploring how different vantage points can reveal much-needed nuances and complexities in our prose. Join me April 7th, 7:15 - 9:45 p.m. EST <<< Register Here >>>
New Collabo with Hub City!
Can’t do a multi-week class? Rock with me on a Saturday afternoon with HUB WRITERS PROJECT!
Recalling all the details of a particular experience can be challenging, but that doesn't mean the story of that experience is impossible to write. In this interactive, generative workshop, writers will explore how memory both inspires and informs memoir writing. Through discussion, writing prompts, and short exercises, writers will (re)discover the intersections of creative inquiry and lived experience to craft their own resonant, reflective stories that are begging to be told.
Guess who’s going back to Mineral Point?
Mark your calendars for the Shake Rag Alley writing retreat… better yet, register TODAY and join me!
I’ve been invited to join the workshop faculty this year and we’re digging in to research for writers!
Join us for the sixth annual Writing Retreat at Shake Rag Alley, open to writers of all levels. Enrich your talent and prospects in one of three genres:
Memoir and Personal Narrative with Patricia Ann McNair, Retreat Artistic Director
Writing Fiction with Christine Maul Rice
Digging In: Research and Writing with Sheree L. Greer
