January 21, 2005 10:27 AM
What writer's block?
It will be a busy ten days for me. On my dining room table are page proofs for The Mommy Manual: Planting Roots That Give Your Child Wings, which I need to approve for my book to be released by Revell next May -- it's on amazon, but no picture of cover yet.
And I'm working to meet my February 1 deadline to complete the manuscript for Dirty Dancing at the Prom and Other Challenges Your Teen Faces for Beacon Hill Press. It will be published in June, I think.
A writer/friend of mine is collecting quotes on writer's block for a workshop he's giving. I wrote this:
I never have writer's block. I simply have so many more pressing concerns -- like scrubbing grout with a toothbrush and alphabetizing my spices. When people marvel at how neat my house is, I just smile. If they only knew how much energy a writer has for everything else when a deadline is at hand!
Actually, that's more metaphorical than real. I'm more apt to visit my kids' favorite silly site: www.homestarrunner.com . And now that I have one, I'm very apt to blog.
For me, writer's block isn't drying up and having nothing to say. It's having so much to say but as though something just keeps me from moving forward with a project. A picture says a thousand words -
But deadlines loom, and so house-wise I'm going to let chaos reign for the next ten days while I get to work. Will blog as the spirit moves me. Well, it's moving me right now, but I really need to get to work. .
Comments
Dear Barbara Curtis,
This is a strange way to invite you to speak. But I could not find another email address and want to get this off as soon as possible. I understand I'm quite late in writing you.
I work with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) at the School of Writing in Lindale, Texas. Elaine Wright Colvin speaks in these schools and suggested I contact you about teaching for our Non-Fiction Week.
This school will run from April 1 - June 23. Each week a different speaker comes and shares in their field of expertise. Thus, after two weeks of principles of narrative as well and editing and grammar, the students get in depth teaching in magazines, fiction, non-fiction, children's writing and hopefully screenplay and humor. Students attend critique groups in the afternoon to improve their work from the last night's assignments. They have several weeks with no class, only writing time and critique groups so that they can implement what they've learned.
I understand you have a huge variety of subject matter. Your website fascinates me. Our adult students could learn what they need from your topics. I believe you could teach good deal about non-fiction foundations, research, and organization.
We schedule non-fiction for the week of May 16 - 20. I notice you could squeeze that in between Leesburg and Silver Spring. And, if you were working on your presentation you wouldn't have to alphabetize your spices.
Our speakers generally arrive the weekend before and leave on Friday or Saturday. Some enjoy time in Dallas. It's a beautiful time season here in East Texas.
If you would be interested, please contact me by email at dewitt@tyler.net or my phone number is (903) 882-8732.
Posted by: Twink DeWitt | January 30, 2005 6:49 PM
