Thursday, July 17, 2008

Relections on Memoir Writing

The last time I was this excited about reading and writing I was an undergraduate in the 80's. Being surrounded by people who love words as much as I do has been wonderfully invigorating. Of course, coming to class without shoulder pads or a hangover has been pretty nice as well!

Having Amy and Mary Alice as teachers, models, and mentors has been nothing less than a blessing. Putting my words on paper for them and my classmates has been terrifying at times, but more worthwhile than I ever could have imagined. One of the biggest lessons I have learned involves sensory detail. Before this class, my writing always sounded as though I had gone back to previously written sentences and added adjectives and adverbs. With good reason! Something else I will take with me is the understanding that I have to provide myself with time and permission to write. Often.

I thank you all.

2 comments:

Ronnie said...

Thank you for your encouragement, your support, your insightful suggestions, and your wonderful southern humor.

NYC and Savannah Gal said...

I agree - I needed reminding to not always leave the sense of taste out of my descriptions! This class was a wonderful renewal of something so simple that I've worked so hard to teach my students but in the process had forgotten myself!