Write your last creative piece to submit online. Combine poetry and prose in an experimental piece. Use the principles we have covered this semester.
”Letters Written & Answered” is a major category in WhereIDwell.news, a blog still in development. What follows here is being submitted as a ”Final piece of writing” for Dr. Kathleen Hudson’s Creative Writing Class.
Dr Kathleen Hudson
This is an actual photo taken during class. Look carefully, you can almost hear a main principle — as I am hearing at this very moment — coming from Dr. K’s lips, ”SNAG THE MOMENT”. It’s 12:53 AM, I’m snagging it!
Subcategories of Letters Written & Answered in Where I Dwell are broadly grouped as:
This assignment is intended to become part of an explanation of the focus of the Letters Written & Answered category. An example of a letter I wrote and posted previously, When God is Created by Man, can be found is available for review on my blog created for this class. I place this squarely in the ethereal subcategory.
My poetic contribution tries to show where my writing is taking me…
Where I Dwell
In a night filled with mad passion, Egg & Sperm first met. 264 nights later, I chose to offload.
I came out screaming, Turning a mother’s pain to joy 4 walls enough for me Wm’s cabin, my Physical abode.
What day, what hour is not filled With thoughts that drift to those we love? Our family, our friends Even those that may cause grief and harm
May thoughtful letters written Become welcome letters received Freeing mind, body and spirit from States of Personal alarm
Far deeper thoughts arrive unannounced Oft times as a dream in a dark night Or wandering along a stream, a forest path A place, a time, no one can tell
Letters Written & Received Transcendentally from an unknown abode Evoke thoughts of eternity In which to Ethereally Dwell
From the class, this piece forms a basis for another strong principle. That is, we all have stories worthy of telling and the ability to tell those stories in compelling ways. Throughout these past 6 weeks we have been given the confidence to trust in ourselves to share those stories.
Still deep in dream,
You spoke to me.
Struggling to awaken,
You appeared.
A shadowy figure
Turning away.
Disappearing into the night
Through my cabin wall.
When God is Created by Man
Italics from Thursday 2022/4/28 at 3:52 AM
Megan, it’s after 3 am, I awakened with a very strong feeling a woman was in my cabin, speaking to me. What she was saying isn’t now, perhaps a 1/2 hr has passed, clear in my mind, it’s not as important as what came next for me. As I opened my eyes, a shadowy figure seemed to quickly turn away from me, disappearing through my cabin wall.
Still deep in dream, You spoke to me. Struggling to awaken, You appeared.
A shadowy figure Turning away. Disappearing into the night Through my cabin wall.
This, of course, can easily be placed in my dream world. However, for a short time it was “reality” for me.
What powers doth our minds hold? What secrets lie deep inside By words never able to be told?
How many of the gods created by man Revealed in the night, shadowy figures in dreams?
I want to apologize for including a reference in my reply to your very succinct “serious” question about “ghostly experience” that was clearly off topic. I should not have included “god” in my response.
How brazen thinking God has come in a vision. A simple dreaming man Becoming a prophet to some.
Leave my dreams in the night Visions safely inside My mind to reside.
I elided that portion of my comment once I fully realized you have touched on a very large topic I have wanted to discuss for a very long time, one that deserves to stay on topic.
It appears the one response to my original comment is also gone. Good. I do believe, however, that response was nicely written. If you don’t mind, since he’s not someone I know, could you give me his name so I can personally thank him. If I eventually take on the greater question I would like to have him included in the conversation.
If, and it’s currently a big IF, I take that on I cannot see ME doing it on my Facebook page. I am glad you asked yours on Facebook. I would try to have my conversation in either a blog or, perhaps a private, by invitation, separate Facebook group. You would be amongst the first I would invite.
That’s more than enough about that for now.
I finish up a writing class on Monday. It’s consumed a lot of my time, but I believe it will be looked back upon as time well spent. Sometime, hopefully in the next couple weeks, I’ll get over to Taylor and visit you, JD and Texas Beer Company.
Okay, back to sleep now, who knows what awaits… stay well, thanks for your “Like” on my more ‘on topic’ comment.
Part 2: A “serious” question on Facebook
Posted by Megan Klein Wednesday 2022/4/27
If so many of people, including many of y’all, have ghostly experience, then why aren’t ghosts universally accepted in society?
Thankfully I don’t seem to be able to tune into it myself/I don’t want to. But I know lots of you can.
This 76 year old returns to college to take Dr. Kathleen Hudson’s Creative Writing class to develop story writing skills. It’s felt like most of my stories have been locked behind some doorway, deep inside my brain. I hoped developing those skills would become the key to unlocking that doorway.
Before class started, I created a blog, WhereIDwell.net. I bought a $110 Apple Pencil, which I intended to use taking class notes directly on my iPad. Back at my cabin, where I physically dwell, over a glass of wine, I would edit, add links and transfer those notes to my blog.
One story, still in the writingpractice stage, takes place when I worked for IBM. A few times a year, one or two employees from sites across the U.S. would be selected to attend IBM’s highly regarded Systems Research Institute. At that time, SRI was located on East 42nd St in Manhattan. Over 10 weeks, college graduate level courses in systems architecture, computer science, math and logic, were taught by respected PhDs. I was honored to be one of those attendees.
On our first day we were given a group orientation, the kind of advice that sticks in your head.
An instructor told us, there are two types of people, ”BE’ers” and ”SEE’ers”.
He then drew a huge outline of Manhattan on a white board. Scattered dots all over the island. Those dots represented safe areas. He said, “pay close attention, trust the hairs on the back of your necks getting from one safe area to another. Those safe areas are constantly changing”.
Today I see that as a metaphor pertaining to writing stories. Those dots may trigger memories or the inspiration for stories, poetry, song… all writing. They can appear anywhere, even in a place we’ve never noticed them before.
As Writers, I see us constantly shifting between ”BE’ers” and ”SEE’ers”. Yes, we must remain close observers, but in our writing, we also must BE what we SEE.
Well, I didn’t end up using my $110 Apple Pencil, I used pen and notebook. I did have those glasses of wine.
Dr. Kathleen Hudson, during these 6 short weeks, you have shown me that doorway inside my brain has always been open.
You’ve provided an amazing list of guest speakers.
Class time, required reading, assignments and, in very large degree, my fellow students, have combined to convinced me, we all have amazing stories to tell.
My stories, of course are written for me. But I also know, once completed, I have Something of Value to leave for those that come after me, along with the confidence that I will tell my stories in compelling ways.
I remember the night we danced to Gary Lewis & The Playboys. You sang every word to This Diamond Ring. We danced nearly every song. That night, as the music died, we walked hand in hand, across the narrow street to our dimly lit inn, my heart was racing with excitement.
You unlocked the door to your room, turned to me and, for the very first time, our lips met. That kiss was like none other, before or since – softer, shorter than I could have ever imagined. And to think, in what seemed like the same instant, you turned, disappearing. As the door closed between us, I heard a muffled “good night”.
I remember the night. Happy Valentines Day JB You’re swell,
First thoughts on the second half of Writing Down the Bones, by Natalie Goldberg, starting with Sipping Wine. You can see my thoughts on the first half, which ended with Sipping Wine, in the post Goldberg, First Ideas.
In the class on Friday, 4/1/22, we did some journal writing. Most of the class read from their writing. I chose not to, my thoughts were still formulating. As I read this last half of Goldberg, I had 3 things from my Friday’s class notes on my mind:
Ekphrastic – the original meaning was “telling in full”. The more modern definition is “a self-contained description, often on 2 common place subjects, which can be inserted at a fitting place in discourse.”
Stone – the object I chose from Dr. Hudson’s office. A common place object, often overlooked, it is pulled from the earth. My stone is symbolically two common subjects linked metaphorically.
Window – A medium through which our mind transports us to another place.
I’m not explaining that well here, I had no chance of explaining it in class. I’ll occasionally make references to these.
Start of 2nd Half Review
I’m going to put page numbers where I found ideas that I feel are worthy of noting. I’m doing this for myself. I intend to return every so often and reread.
p. 72 Russell Edson emphasizes the importance of first sentences. Write these down, along with a short piece, return later. Maybe choose one to expand upon. p. 74 Take chances. You’ll succeed only if you take chances
p. 75 Don’t Tell, but Show
p. 77 Be Specific
p. 82 {Window} using details to step through to the other shore
p. 84 Talk is a window to great material
p. 85 {Window} Talk about the ordinary can be a conduit to writing that is extraordinary simply in the telling.
p. 88 My blog can be one of the most basic, and effective, ways to self publish.
p. 89 {Window} become what it is you are seeing, express it in your writing
p. 90 As with an animal, move slowly, stalk your prey. This is how I naturally approach most of what I do. Let the writing percolate.
p. 98-102 There’s an art to choosing the right restaurants in which to write…
p. 113 Write. When you’re done, write a little more.
p. 123 Hemingway. Not the why, but the what.
p. 133 I disagree with “write a lot of forms”. I say, write. Write without regard to what form it may be taking. When done, look to discover what form it has taken.
p. 139 I qualify what I just noted on p.133. I’m finding I’m grazing in different fields of writing. I don’t always like the taste, at least at first. I was further reminded of something Aunt Jean told me…
Aunt Jean – an excellent writer an avid reader – once told me that when she was first married she hated olives. Her mother-in-law told her, “if you eat 8 olives, you will love them for the rest of your life”. Aunt Jean choked down a couple, then a couple more, then… she loved them to her dying day.
p. 140-140 The chapter speaks to me. “Rules” are lost on me, I break them from the start. This song came to mind: I drink when I’m hungry, I eat when I’m dry I’m always hungry and I’m never dry. Hallelujah, I’m a bum Hallelujah, bum again Hallelujah, give a handout and Revive me again
p. 147 Food is a stone for me. Go to food when you cannot think of anything to write about. Food is filled with metaphor, as I look at my egg cooking, I see the morning sun breaking through fluffy white clouds. I have only to look at my Facebook posts, rarely a week goes by without posting about food.
p. 150 Loneliness is my window, transporting what’s inside my mind to the outside physical world around me.
p. 152-155 Going Home. In nearly all my writing, I find something from the time I can recall my very first memories thru the time I left home to go off to college.
Write sentences, or very short paragraphs, and stick those in notes. Better yet, in a private post. Review these from time to time, there’s a story there waiting to be told.
p. 159 Kathleen has us form a circle, every class becomes a “story circle”. Have a better awareness of this, record the stories that form from the images in my brain as I listen to my budding fellow student writers.
p. 164 Claim Your Writing
p. 167 Trust Yourself
p. 170 Alan Ginsberg was asked, “How come you don’t criticize work more?” His response was, “Why bother talking about something you don’t like?” I’ve received virtually no responses, not even very many simple “Likes” on my Facebook post to a link to my Short Story, A Woman Named Stephanie. I’m going to re-post that link and use Ginsberg’s quote as a possible reason I’ve had a paucity of responses.
p. 172-176 I made numerous revisions to my recent short story submission, after submission. A powerful tool, available to anyone posting online with WordPress, is the plugin Yoast SEO (I subscribe to Premium, but the basic is good and it’s free). Search Engine Optimization moves your post, and blog, up in Google rankings. Many, perhaps these days most or all, of what Google looks for is what publishers look for and what readers demand.
Goldberg says to look for what gives your work energy, makes it hot. These are the same things that ranks your work high among search engine rankings.
p. 177-178 I don’t want to die. I made a note, this last chapter is “worth re-reading”.
I’m going to do a very quick re-reading, then make this my submission. It will then be also available as a post on my blog. I intend to give this a day or two, then re-visit and pull perhaps the top5 things from my above list.
Ideas from reading the first 75 pages of “Writing Down the Bones”, by Natalie Goldberg.
(1) Beginner’s Mind When I do my Daily Calm meditation or yoga, the master often talks about beginner’s mind. We refer to our sessions as a practice, always striving to improve. If we start becoming complacent, assuming we have little to learn, we will in fact gain little. By resetting our mind, looking at our session as if for the first time, we will always find something fresh and stimulating.
Equanimity
(2) First Thoughts Back in the days when was running regularly, somewhere around 20-30 minutes into my run, I would almost always get what runners often refer to as a second wind. Often times at the start of my runs I would have thoughts of quitting, making it short, a constant struggle. Long before I discovered yoga or meditation, I found setting my mind on my breath, counting my steps to 100, 1, 2, 3… 10, 1, 2 ,3… 20,… or smoothing my strides would cause my mind to get further and further along into my run. All of a sudden the second wind would occur. It was like a calming came over my entire body, in meditation I would refer to it as being in the present moment, equanimity.
(3) Practice Writing vs Writing Practice Just as in the Beginner’s Mind thought, I prefer to think of writing as a practice. I’ve been trying to write all my bog entries first doing Writing Practice, using the approach actually described in First Thoughts. That is: not being concerned about spelling, grammar, punctuation; writing continuously; losing control; no stopping to edit in your mind; just write.
(4) Composting You can always edit a bad page of writing, never a blank page. That actually came during Day 3 of class, a list of “tips for writing”, but it popped into my mind as I reviewed notes in the book.
(5) Artistic Stability As I reviewed my notebook I’m keeping on “Writing Down the Bones”, I saw an entry “This page intentionally blank”. Apparently on first reading I didn’t find much to note. I read it again. This time I’ll note, “do not be afraid of the voices inside you”.
(6) A List of Topics for Writing Practice On my blog I have a list that is growing quite long. My plan is to put links to the topics I actually write about. Actually, two links, one normally private, the “practice”, the other what I’m willing to share as my current offering. In the book I wrote idiosyncrasies, I have many.
(7) Fighting Tofu Add flavorful sauce to your bland, but healthy, ‘tofu’ writing.
(8) Ideas for writing? What’s in front of you is a good start!
(9) Tap into what’s below the surface. It’s free and available for the taking.
(10) We are not the poem What we have written came about at a moment in time. We are not what we write.
(11) Start your writing simple, exposing yourself in layers
(12) Obsessions Make a list. {I’m thinking…}
(13) Original Detail Doesn’t need to be where you found, include original detail. Use enough and you’re done. Be awake to the details around you.
Nora Ephron, photo by Hilary McHone
This reminds me of something I have always done, no idea if it’s just one of my many quirks, or if everyone does this. I might stand in front of something, let’s say the Mona Lisa. Everyone looks at the smile, right? Not so for me, I find myself looking at the background. What is it? Mountains? A lake, a stream, a footbridge across a stream? Why did Da Vinci do that? Why isn’t she in a studio? I used to do the same thing when I would go wandering around Manhattan, taking photographs of store windows. I was more obsessed with the details in the edges as I composed the scene. In big screen movies I look away from the main characters, will I see Alfred Hitchcock’s back as he moves around a corner? I’m forever amazed looking at my daughter Hilary’s photos – she’s sold many, I need to write about the one of Nora Ephron, used by Frank Rich in New York Magazine – when I look at the edges, always seemingly effortlessly composed.
I think I need to add this to my list of obsessions. Might be in my list of topics as well.
(14) The Power of Detail Read this chapter again and again. The opening paragraph is all you really need to read…
(15) Baking a Cake You have all the ingredients, you need to put them together, you must add the heat and energy of your heart. You need both the ingredients and the heat and energy coming from your heart for writing. Be totally into your writing… writing does writing.
(16) Living Twice Writers go back outside in the rain with notebook and pen…
Not the best of starts for Day 1 of my Creative Writing class. My sports watch failed to sync over the weekend, it was still on Central Standard Time. Instead of being a 1/2 hr early, I was a 1/2 hr late for the first class.
I also missed an email from Schreiner, got my Username and Password after class. This is what I should have prepared:
What brings you to creative writing class? I was wearing a SXSW t-shirt in a yoga class one day and it led to Kathleen striking up a conversation. A SX t-shirt is perhaps not quite as good as a puppy to meet interesting women, but you can’t bring a puppy to yoga. We’ve been connected on Facebook since soon after, I spotted an announcement she made about this class. I like to write.
What is your experience with reading/film/video games? I’m not an avid book reader, but I loved “A Gentleman in Moscow” by Amor Towles, one of my more recent books. I am an avid journalism reader, I’m hoping to develop some skills in that area. I follow Dan Rather’s blog, Steady. My younger daughter, Hilary, was an English major at NYU. She works in film, mostly documentaries. We both like films that involve real life situations, ones that evoke deep emotions with characters and situations we can relate to. I don’t do video games, I’m a pretty good backgammon player.
What is your reflection on creativity? On creativity I often find myself more of a voyeur, I find art and artists of almost any form fascinating. I rate myself as a good photographer. I’ve spent extensive time doing photo jaunts, especially when I lived in NYC. B&W medium format, my own darkroom. I hope the creativity I do possess shows in my writing.
What do you want to get out of this class? I’m a procrastinator. Left on my own, I start far more projects than I finish. I was a math major, physics minor, in college at UVM. A very good computer programmer at IBM, Morgan Stanley and managing computer operations for a financial firm on Long Island. I always needed deadlines, but they had to be for projects I believed in. I’d leave companies, good paying companies, always finding work soon after. Over the years I’ve accumulated easily enough credit hours for a masters degree, but I never finished my B.S.
This class has deadlines and structure, I need those. It’s also something I believe in. We’ll see where that takes me, but I believe I may actually surprise myself, finish the class with something of value.
And tell us something interesting about yourself. I’ve already mentioned at least a couple things that I find interesting about myself. I’m a voyeur (not in the shady sense) and a procrastinator. I think of both as being assets, not liabilities.
