by Sioux Roslawski
In March I'm going on a writing retreat. A self-made one. Two other writing friends and I are going to cram our laptops and our bodies into my car and head to Conception, Missouri. Specifically, to Conception Abbey...the place where monks create a blissful aura over all who stay there.
No teachers. No frills. No schedule. So if that's what it doesn't have, what does this writing retreat have?
Loads of uninterrupted writing time. A lack of distractions because I don't have to sweep or mop or do dishes. I don't have to cook. I don't have to run after my dog as he hunts for poopsicles to eat in the backyard. And no internet unless I go to the abbey's library (and their hours are limited).
This is what I need now. I'm in the finishing stages of my manuscript (first draft) and am hoping to have it finished by this retreat and get some feedback prior to going...so I can then slash and burn the unnecessary parts and build up what I need to bolster while I'm in Conception.
What I want from a retreat—at least this one—probably differs from what you would desire. However, I do think writers should dig deep to discover what they need from a retreat before signing up for one.
Can you create your own?
If your constructive writer friends can dole out great critique, perhaps you can plan a DIY retreat. Rent a cheap cabin. Beg one of the attendees to give up their basement for a night. Check out the retreat centers—they'll feed you and give you a bed, and the rest is up to the group.
Before packing your bags, agree to what is going to happen. Are there going to be scheduled critique sessions? Where is everybody—are some polishing while others need some inspiration to begin something new? And what distractions/nonwriting activities are going to happen—if any?
Big or Small?
You might benefit from a large regional or national retreat, where you'll be able to network with writers and make new connections. Or, you might be better off working with your writing guild/circle of friends and paying a locally-known writer to lead a small group. Survey what everyone is looking for and where they are. Is everyone working on memoirs and they need a gifted memoir writer to help them fine-tune their voice and create an unforgettable place? Or is everyone a novelist and they would each love to have a pitch-critique session with an editor/publisher?
Be Creative
If time and money are at a premium, think outside the box. Your local library might have a room that they'd let you use. Many art museums have education wings. You could reserve one, and when anyone needs a break from their writing, they could wander through the galleries for more inspiration.
So—don't retreat too deep into yourself and miss out on some productive experiences. Go on a retreat...and watch what happens.
* * *
Sioux Roslawski is a St. Louis third grade teacher and a freelance writer. She's been published in Sasee
magazine, eight Chicken Soup for the Soul
anthologies, as well as several Not Your Mother's Book
collections. In her spare time she's working on a novel and rescues dogs.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I’m a writer.” When I tell people this, I automatically know what is going on inside some of their heads.
I pad around in my jammies, free as a bird, with occasional bursts of brilliance as I nibble on chocolate and mainline coffee. The words? The words just flow out effortlessly. At least that’s what some folks think.
They also assume my mailbox is full of checks and my email box is full of acceptances. In their brain, I’s sure they imagine me skipping down the driveway every day (in my PJs, remember?), cradling a stack of envelopes from publishers and agents, and they’re all full of contracts.
First off, I should explain that writing is not my full-time job. During the day I teach third graders, and as much as I’d like to be able to say to my students, ”Guys, I’ve got my critique night tonight, and I’ve got nothin’ to share with them. Would you all mind working on something independently while I work at my computer?” I can’t. Teaching is my mission; writing is my love. Writing is crammed in during the evenings and sometimes during the weekends; it only gets a portion of my waking hours.
And coffee is too bitter of a drink, in my opinion. But if you were offering up a bottle of Bolthouse Farms Vanilla Chai Tea, I’d start tapping away at my laptop with a frenzy.
We’re making scads of money, you say? Anyone who writes knows that only a few of us are getting rich. We often get more rejection than praise, yet we continue to plug away. We become excited if we get into an anthology and get $10. I could make more money—per hour-- running the hot dog machine at Costco than I do at writing.
Furthermore, those who are not obsessed with a well-turned phrase can’t even fathom why writers contribute to markets that pay absolutely and positively nothing. Sometimes we have a publisher who was responsible for our first acceptance. Out of loyalty and gratitude, we will send them a story or an essay when they have a new anthology they’re developing. They supported us, and now we’re just returning the favor.
Sometimes, we just want the opportunity to have our writing out there. The joy is not in the money or the possible fame. No, the joy is in the process. It’s exhilarating to be able to see a piece of writing evolve from a steaming pile of poop into something that is capable of moving others. We don’t always need a monetary reward for the job we do. (However, it is delightful when it does happen.)
So when you say, “I’m a writer,” to someone, be prepared to share a bit of your “reality” with them. Or, let them hold onto their delusions.
‘Cause sometimes, fantasies are nice to entertain, if only for a moment…
* * *
Sioux Roslawski has been published in three (so far) Chicken Soup for the Soul anthologies, as well as several Not Your Mother's Book collections. A third grade teacher with the Ferguson-Florissant School District, she is also one of the five founding members of the famed WWWP writing critique group. Her musings can be found at http://siouxspage.blogspot.com.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Start from the beginning. No, that’s not what I meant to say.
Start from the middle. No, that’s not quite it, either. Start at the end.
There. That’s more like it.
As children, if we were lucky enough to have a teacher who encouraged us to write down our stories, we usually heard the same advice. “Just tell the story. Start from the beginning.” And if we followed those directions, it certainly didn’t lead us down the wrong path. However, if we had chosen a different route, the journey might have been a bit more intriguing.
Sometimes, beginning at the end of the story and flashing back is a wise choice. Whether you’re working on a novel or a short story or a memoir, don’t fall for the idea that you must tell your story in chronological order.
Consider opening with some action. Some dialogue. Think about a beginning that causes a sense of disequilibrium.
You stumble over that last line. Dissss-e-kwil-what? It’s too early for anything beyond a monosyllable? You haven’t had your morning dose of coffee/tea/chocolate/Mimosas yet? My apologies.
Start off your story in a way that causes some instability or imbalance. Make the reader wonder, and thus wander further into your tale because they’re intrigued.
For example, I had this beginning for a childhood memoir of mine. I didn’t open with getting my swimsuit on and gathering together my towel and snack money. I didn’t begin with walking to the pool. Instead, this is how I started:
Still, decades later, I have no idea exactly how it happened. Did I stumble and slip, like a thread through a needle, through the opening in the guardrail? Did I veer off the edge, despite the sandpapery surface I walked along? I have no clue what caused the accident. All I know is one moment I was fine, high above all the neighborhood houses that surrounded me and the next moment, I was half on the concrete and half in the water.
It all began on a typical June afternoon.
So, consider beginning at the end of the story or the middle and using flashbacks to fill in the holes. Give the reader something a bit different when it comes to the organization of your story. They’ll appreciate it…
* * *
Sioux Roslawski has been published in three (so far) Chicken Soup for the Soul anthologies, as well as several Not Your Mother's Book collections. A third grade teacher with the Ferguson-Florissant School District, she is also one of the five founding members of the famed WWWP writing critique group. Her musings can be found at http://siouxspage.blogspot.com~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sioux...thanks for this post. I think you will enjoy the humor in my comment. Right before I read this, I furtively peaked out my kitchen door and dashed quickly to my mail box...still in my nightgown. Unfortunately, the similarity ends there, because they were no contracts or checks waiting for me.
Audrey
Sioux:
The images in this are hysterical. First, I love thinking of you skipping down your driveway in your pjs.:) And I love how you referred to our first drafts as a pile of poop!HA! HA! :)
Think of all the time you'll have in the summer when you are not teaching those third graders. I mean, teachers do NOTHING all summer long but eat bon-bons anyway, right? :) LOL You have the unfortunate advantage of having two professions where people have no idea what you do with your time. :)
Thanks for the smile, and the reminder that everyone who is not in our world does not understand what it's like. Sometimes, that can be very frustrating.
Cheers!
Oh goodness, it's so true isn't it. I almost cringe when someone asks me what I do for a (cough, cough) living. After over 20 years in a professional, paycheck occupation, it makes me laugh to start over again and call myself a writer. It's like being in an internship all over again, paying my dues, waiting for the breaks. We're all behind you Sioux. Heck, we're all right there with you in our sweats, jammies and hair in cute little knot buns!
Audrey--You're welcome.
Just yesterday, I got so excited because I received an email regarding a submission I had sent--and I had just sent in the story the day before, so I was surprised by the speed of the response. It was a "No thanks" which instantly burst my bubble.
Maybe we should have a pajama/pity party? ;)
Margo--If it smells like poop and reads like poop, it IS poop. And if it's hot off my laptop, it's still steamin'.
Yes, as a teacher and a writer, you know what writers and teachers do. With my third graders, all I do is sit at my desk, point to the chalkboard and give them verbal directions. And they do it. And I sit there and grade papers and create lesson plans for the next week and read a book while they quietly toil away. Yeah, that's my Monday-Friday life...
Julie--Getting into conversations about writing does create some cringe-worthy situations. Sadly, my hair is way too short to be put into cute little knot buns--it just stands on end in scary spikes.:)
You are always so inspiring with your words and honesty about the writing life.
I certainly hope you slip into some Crocs before you go skipping down the driveway in your PJs. We wouldn't want you to stub a toe and go down in a flurry of fluttering contracts.
Maybe you could combine your mission and your love, and assign your third-graders a query letter, each to a different agent or publisher. They get practice writing, and you get a full mailbox.
Lynn--That's like the pot callin' the kettle black. You can be brutally (and beautifully) honest with YOUR writing.
Val--Brilliant idea. (The letter-writing bit. I already LIVE in Crocs.)
I'll get them started today. One letter a day from each student equals 20 letters a day and 100 letters in a week. That means I'll be sending out a truckload of queries by the end of May...
If only their little hands can hold out...
Cute post. I loved the image of having your 3rd graders just allow you to take some time to write while they manage themselves. I've helped out in my kids elementary classes, lol. My oldest is now 14 and has started to drink chai tea lately, like you. ;)