January Class Bulletin
Lindsey Crittenden
Class BulletinWelcome to our monthly e-newsletter including tips about writing, our favorite books about writing, what we're reading now, and the latest news about our classes.
2016 is here, and winter classes at the Grotto have begun — from terrific intensives in getting unstuck, creating a writing habit, writing for social change, and harvesting ideas for short fiction to multi-week workshops in memoir, screenwriting, short stories, dramatic emotion in fiction, and much more. Classes fill fast, so sign up now. To learn more and register, scroll down to Note Four or go to http://www.sfgrotto.org/classes/upcoming-classes.
Note One: Writing Tips from Our Teachers
From Louise Nayer (The Art of Memoir: Drawing Readers Into Your World, 2 sessions starting Sat., Jan 23)
Writing a difficult scene — of an assault, a break-up, or a death — can cause brain-freeze. The language can sound stilted and distant. Instead of going more deeply into the scene, you might decide to clean the house or fold your laundry. How do you re-enter the scene? One tip is to write for three minutes without ceasing, starting with a word or two central to the location: barn, 14th Street, or BART train. By describing the physical place — or doing a word cluster around the word itself — you’ll be taken out of the difficulty of painful memory. Another tip is to open a book and grab a word or two from each page. Though the word “tractor” initially might not spark anything—perhaps a memory of visiting a farm as a child can work as a lead-in. Focusing on words themselves—whether from the location or from a book—helps you distance yourself from heavy material and also allows you to play with language and remember why you love to write.
Note Two: What We’re Reading Now