Nature Writing Workshop

My first writing class was last night; I’m all fired up now to go out and write a bunch of stuff. We’ll see if I can hold on to that feeling for any length of time. Hopefully at least till the end of class, 12 weeks from now.

The class went very well. There were 10 people not including the teacher. At least 4 others will be joining us later; for whatever reason, they were not able to make the first class.

We all sat around a table and talked for a little while, then we did a “free writing” session: he gave us a couple ideas to write about (why I took this class – or – what I want to get out of this class, things like that) and gave us 12 minutes to write whatever came to mind. We then read each piece aloud and talked about them.

Writing at the spur of the moment for 12 minutes about a random subject is a bit harder than you’d expect. For one thing, I was using a pen instead of a computer. Typing what you think is so much easier and faster than writing what you think – my brain thinks so much faster than my hand can make that pen go, you know! I ended up with cramps all night (boo-hoo!). My brain tends to wander, too. He told us to just go wherever your thoughts take you, so my “piece” was all over the map. I tried to keep it somewhatly on track…

After our free-writing session, he handed out some essays written by various authors and told us to go home and critique them, and to write our own pieces to bring to class to be critiqued. The pieces are, as one would expect in a Nature Writing Class, about nature and the outdoors.

One of the authors is a favorite of mine, David Quaman, and is about a favorite subject of mine, to boot: spiders! Black Widow Spiders, to be specific. Those of you who know me know that I have an affinity towards that particular spider, having met more than my fair share down in Arizona when I was in college. I can tell you from experience that to be bit by a Black Widow Spider involves at least 3-4 days in the hospital and leaves you with a “dead spot” that lasts for over 6 months.

As for writing a piece, I’m thinking that I will turn in a piece I wrote last year to see how well it is received. After I get the feedback and get a feel for what the class expects from me, I will be able to come up with new material.

Should be interesting!