Janine and I attended the
Wild Writers festival for the second time this year. So much inspiration in one weekend.
As a kid I I wanted to grow up to be either a saint, an astronaut, or a writer. As an adolescent I wrote poetry, in college it was screenplays. I enjoyed the discovery and self-expression but was daunted by the thought of earning a living by the pen, especially when I learned so many struggle to pay their rent and buy their groceries. Creative writers became mystical creatures, beings set apart.
Instead of creative writing I have become an appreciative reader, and whenever I go to a literary lecture with the author in attendance I'm in awe of their tenacity and ability to get the book published. What a journey!
And there are so many books on shelves these days, I know it is impossible to read them all, however much I would like to.
Literary festivals are one way of tasting what's out there, and at Wild Writers this year, I attended three panels:the Opening Showcase, Character Reinvention in Fiction Writing, and the Literary Brunch. The authors read from their books, each voice distinctive. I had the pleasure of hearing
- Elizabeth Hay: All Things Consoled
- Kathy Page: Dear Evelyn
- Philip Huynh: The Forbidden Purple City
- Nadja Lubiw-Hazard: Nap Away Motel
- Casey Plett: Little Fish
- Jessica Westhead: Worry
- David Bezmogis: Immigrant City
- Michael Crummey: The Innocents
- K.D Miller: Latebreaking
I swore I wasn't going to buy any more books! Still, I couldn't resist. And so many new titles added to my 'Want to Read' list.
When I was younger, I remember being seized by an idea or needing to get things out and on to paper. Waiting for inspiration to strike isn't necessarily as effective as dedicating time and demystifying the process.
I DO plan on finding time for creative writing in the near future, but right now, insights into the writers' craft make me appreciate the magic and power of language all the more.
At the Opening Showcase, Hay and Page talked about how they wove personal experience into both memoir and fiction. How there is a bit of fiction in the best memoir, and truth in fiction.
Casey Plett shared Steven King's advice to "Write with the door closed, edit with the door open." Others agreed that it is important just to get the thoughts out and on paper, editing can come later; but if you edit yourself before you even start there won't be any material to work with.
Facing Your Fear of Poetry with Sarah Tolmie was eye-opening. She broke us into groups of four, and gave all of us the same instructions to create a braid with three lengths of rope. Our own little group experimented with different approaches for a tight braid, while others discovered a more rhythmic dance. After about twenty minutes or so we placed our creations on the floor. Each so different!
Sarah went on to say that what we had created was a simple text... 'text' literally means woven; the braid is motion captured. Each of us then wrote a poem about our individual experience, then we collaborated to create another.
Unfortunately, when people read the poems aloud, I couldn't hear them entirely well, but the impression was made. There were beautiful phrases that somehow transcended experience.
Also the concept
ekphrasis arose when some late arrivals were asked to write poems about what they saw laid out on the floor, rather than their experience in creating them. Very cool... "i
n this way, a painting may represent a sculpture, and vice versa; a poem portray a picture; a sculpture depict a heroine of a novel; in fact, given the right circumstances, any art may describe any other art..."
Creating Character with Kathy Page was a straightforward exercise in building a character, thinking about what they look like, what they wear, what they think about, fear, love. Some authors work out all the plot details and then set characters within the arc, others assemble the characters first and then let them spark the story. What is the worst thing that could happen to your character right now? Thinking about those difficult people we come across in our lives.... what made them so?
Nothing to write about? There really is no shortage of raw material.
Mavis Staples / Koerner Hall (November)
