Click below to see what KABB & JT Street had to say about our Yo Soy / I Am Online Poetry Workshop!
Greetings, alphabet artists, writers, and thinkers! And WELCOME!
Someone, a very long time ago, is said to have spoken the following words: "Practice makes perfect." Ask football legend HallofFamer Vince Lombardi, though, and he might not be so quick to agree. At least, not until he's made a certain revision or two to the ageold adage. "Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect." It is in the spirit of Lombardi's words, then, Young Word Makers, that we must begin our first writing workshop the way we will begin ALL of our writing workshopswith a warmup writing exercise (or writing prompt). Just as with many sports, skills, or hobbies, the "warmup" is a key component to development and improvement. In other words, warming up is SUPER IMPORTANT if we want to get better! Not to mention, we don't want to pull a hamstring, or be sore for the rest of the week. (Or do ya?) WARMUP, WARMUP, WARMUP! (In fact, I've already written too much without stretching.) WARMUP: In the beginning, there was food. (Class #1 Warmup writing prompt) Today, let's discuss food memories and other memories that inevitably unfold through the tradition of meal time. In our casual discourse via our nifty online forum, we can examine how the seemingly simple concept of eating creates an intricate and revealing dialogue pertaining to aspects of family, culture, history, and, ultimately, of ourselves. In other words, let's talk talk about the stuff that happens around the table! In the kitchen in the mornings when everyone is trying to make their lunch in a rush. The spills that occur (milk, orange juice), and what your Mother screams every time that spill happens. Then tell us how Dad comes to your defense. What about your uncle with the jalapeños stuck in a secret compartment in his hat? How about that one time he paid your Sister $20 to eat a habenero, and how she's still recovering. Does someone tell the same story over and over and over again at dinner time? Perhaps there is no designated meal time in your household. Where does food happen for you? In the car? On the drive to work? Is the evidence of your breakfast lining the interior leather upholstery of your SUV? Take a moment to really think. Or HEY! If something comes to you right away, go ahead and start writing away! Inclass writing exercise: freeform writing of a particular food memory (or memories) triggered or surrounded by any variation of culinary occurrences. What do I mean by "freeform?" There are NO RULES. No scheme or form, and no requirements. I urge you, however, to challenge yourself to keep your pen moving, whatever you do. Do not allow your hand to stop. "Dive in!" as Natalie Goldberg (author of Writing Down the Bones) calls this method. Remember, just as the physical act of diving in suggests, the moment you stop moving, will likely be the moment you begin to sink. (And we're all out of life jackets!) If you get stuck, just rewrite the same word or phrase, same word or phrase, same word or phrase until another idea strikes and you are ready to move forward. Let us not fall victim to the second guess, fellow writers! For it is the gateway to third and fourth thoughts, who are in turn bitter close cousins to doubt. 15 minutes of maniacal writing. Ready? GO! And don't forget to share! We'd love to hear your food stories! Did I scare ya away with the 15 minutes? If that seems outofthisworld for you, then just write for as long as you can. Baby steps are still steps, that's for SURE! But don't forget to push yourself! A good rule of thumb for practice, is when you think you're done, write THREE more sentences (or lines, if it's poetry). Still not your flavor? Hm. Well, DO YOU LIKE COMMERCIALS?! Stay tuned for some quick popcorn writing prompts to come. Still creative. Still stories. Just shorter. And (probably) a little more wacky. |
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