Every session of my memoir class we 'workshop' 2-4 pieces of writing by class members. The entries are posted on the bulletin board a week in advance. Each class member is to read the piece and give constructive criticism. We also have an in class discussion led by Theo of approx 15 minutes apiece.
Here are SOME of the pieces from last night on my second piece. About my mother's passing last February. The Priscilla story was my piece last quarter. It's a lot of work to do this. I've experimented with different ways. I don't like writing longhand and I have a hard time reading others' comments written in longhand.
So I've been writing my comments in a separate text file, printing it out and contributing it. Everybody has to comment on everybody else's pieces and you must sign your name.
Theo first asks for general comments. This class of approx 20 women really really want to be involved so there's always a lot of discussion. Then Theo asks for suggestions and criticism is always mild and kind.
I haven't even tried to decipher these out yet. One thing that I've been hit on in both pieces is that it's not clear what the narrator is FEELING. And I can see that I don't want to expose or access this. So something to work on.
In fact, we have another smaller piece due right away that we will workshop in small groups. I posted it the other day. But, I can probably pump up the emotional content, as it was an emotional piece. Rumor control has it that the subject of that experience needs to be tagged.
Theo did mention that I had a dynamite close. Very strong high quality. I knew it was good. I had written it on a previous version and I knew I wanted to keep it.
Claire Ginsburgh feared being alone at the end. But she wasn't. Her children peacefully stayed with her. We had all the time in the world. Plenty of ski-jumpers still blasting down the mountains soaring into the air and figure-skaters spinning and spinning.
I used the winter olympics as a theme all the way through
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