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A note from Carmen...
It’s been a teaching beginning for the New Year, after a lively talk to book lovers at the Euless Public Library. The “Let’s Talk About Books” gathering added to my reading list and I introduced stories about some of Texas’ earliest women pioneers, Spanish, Indian and Irish settlers--some of the saucy Texas Dames I write about in columns and books.
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What a great idea a friend gave me last summer: “Why don’t you teach writing out of your home?” After visits with a few people who thought it was a great idea and wanted to be included, we started last September. And now here we are with a third round of the six weeks “Writing Circles.” The Monday night novice group grew by three new people so that group’s maxed out. Writers arrived last week with manuscripts, with ideas and with a yen to write “something”--novels and poems, essays, memoirs and short stories. So we’re off again for the teaching/learning/read/critique “class” for the next six weeks.
A handful of novelists capped out the Wednesday afternoon “Intermediate Writing Circle.” The riveting stories they’re polishing include WWII historicals, 1950’s historical, a western, a contemporary novel and a Christian romance. As a group we offer ideas for strengthening plus instructional tips.
In April, after my West Fort Worth “Scribbler’s Sanctuary” undergoes some changes, new groups will start, the dates to be determined.
At SMU a class of diverse writers gathered for Introduction to Creative Writing. And, the first all day seminar of the year kicked off at TCU on the topic, “Dialogue...the Tension Engine of Fiction.” Stories included mystery, fantasy, children’s and creative nonfiction.
See the “Writing Teacher” page for upcoming classes, locations and times. Quite a few this winter and spring.
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Last summer’s writing blossomed into print at the end of 2009 and beginning of this year: Persimmon Hill published one of my favorite pioneering Texas woman’s story: Peggy McCormick. Texians waged The Battle of San Jacinto off her front porch. There’s more on this on the Magazine feature writer page.
The Writer’s Institute of Connecticut’s Writer’s Guide 2010 arrived this week with a piece I wrote about narrative nonfiction and journalism, “Those Cunning Companions, Narrative Nonfiction & Journalism.” Gathering the interviews for this article--from journalists scattered around the country--highlighted a week on the phone last July. More about these writers and editors on the “Journalist” page.
