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some bits and pieces from the book in progress Chapter 1: A Cracking Sound, The Joy of Writing “What would happen if one woman told the truth about her life? The world would split open,” wrote poet Muriel Rukeyser. I gravitate toward her words, as I think of the wisdom, knowledge and universal truth we hold within us. Telling it, sharing it, writing it down sets the commotion in motion, and that's what we are about to do. Like a breakfast egg, we crack open the sphere that is our world, and find our truth, the simple wisdom that comes from our life stories. Though we may not tabulate our knowledge often, we possess a tantalizing mix of information to offer others; family secrets, old wives’ tales, homey postscripts, and our own true stories, things like:
We belong to an ancient tribe of storytellers ... women who washed clothes down by the river and talked about their experiences; women who cooked together at harvest and told of life events; women who sewed in quilting bees and shared; women at coffee breaks, visiting. Life stories are part of an old tradition. As writers, we pursue the stories worth telling, and find reasons enough to write the words down.
Chapter 4: Tea Leaves, On Remembering Others A Zen puzzle asks, "How do you drink from an empty teacup?" My answer gradually fills the cup with remembrance. I recall that according to Chinese tradition, floating dried chrysanthemum blossoms on steeped tea brings long life to any guest who happens by. In this spirit, I mentally float the pretend flower petals on my imaginary teacup. I sip the silent, invisible liquid slowly at dusk, inhale the fragrance of mind blossoms, as I listen for the footsteps of other people's memories to come near. The book Quill Song in hand, I turn to a haiku by Stephanie Chase, Someone passing by? Only the shuffle of autumn leaves in the wind. Fragile memories of others wait for us, in dim hide-aways and down long corridors. They linger in pragmatic places, far from the poetic cocoons of our own making. Songs My Mother Sang To Me, an oral history by my friend,Patricia Preciado Martin, features ten interviews with Mexicana women. One of the women, Livia Leon Montiel, talks about family reunions, "As we get older, we live with our memories that we have treasured away ... I think of my youth and my parents and grandparents. I think of the gatherings that meant so much" ... Stories of our parents and our grandparents can fill our empty teacups. You'll see.
Chapter 6: Splash, the Journal " ... if I die before I wake, please throw my journal in the lake," a woman in one of my classes quoted this line of doggerel, a rhyme aimed directly at the privacy issue of journaling. Privacy is mandatory because the diary, the journal, and the notebook exist as places where writers tell the hard truths and spill out their souls. Because the journal contains such personal pages, the volume turns into a silent listener to whatever secrets, musings and rantings the writer wishes to put down. Writers do not often intend for others to read the words written here. But relax, you can ease into it. Just find a place to hide the pages away. And I caution writers to be wary of words that may hurt others. If you must write them, burn them or throw them away after they have stained the paper. A line from Virginia Woolf's diary reads, " ... when I wake now I luxuriate most in a whole day alone: a day of easy natural poses, a little printing; slipping off into the deep water of my own thoughts navigating the underworld ..." Wade into the water, to your ankles, then to your knees. Soon you will be swimming through your own underworld.
Chapter 9: Cleaning Out the Closet, About Poetry It's the season for housecleaning, time to dust bookshelves, but I get distracted as I pull the volumes out and run the cloth over the bindings. I would rather sit by the window and read the poetry than polish the spines of the books that hold incredible rolling words. Dusting can wait. Anyway, not too many women are eulogized for their immaculate shelves.
To catch the dream, pause to cast the net of imagination more quickly forgot than remembered.
Chapter 12: Once Upon A Time, Writing For Children Can you remember where you read when you were a child? Was it on the sofa? In a tree house? Under the blankets after lights out? The places kids read are true cradles of literature, because the stories and characters stay with you in such detail for such a long time. The reasons why children enjoy reading, surface like corks in the fish pond. The humor tickles; the suspense grips; the words comfort; the images parade; the endings satisfy in literature for the young and young at heart. If you want an enthusiastic audience, write for little children, the children in your life. You'll find that this audience sits in your lap or curls beside you on rainy days, when you read lilting, rhyming words for their pleasure and for yours. When you're bored, when you're blue, there are things you can do. Match up socks. Feed the fish. Try on hats. Wish a wish. Hum a tune. Make a face. Pitch a tent. Hide someplace.
There's more. There's more. Here are the Chapter Headings A Cup of Wisdom I
Warming Up Chapter 2: Shuffling the Deck, On Ideas Chapter 3: Dust Bunnies Later, Why Writers Write
II The Genres Chapter 4: Tea Leaves, On Remembering Others Chapter 5: Dear Somebody, Writing Letters Chapter 6: Splash, The Journal Chapter 7: Peeling the One and Only Orange, The Memoir Chapter 8: God Rest Her Cotton Socks, The Decades Chapter 9: Cleaning Out the Closet, About Poetry Chapter 10: Walking Between the Spaces, Near Haiku Chapter 11: Point of View, Essays And Articles
III Fact Or Fiction Chapter 12: Once Upon A Time, Writing for Children Chapter 13: The Crystal Bowl, The Short and Shorter Story Chapter 14: Details Details, On Character Chapter 15 Big Bug Creek, About Names and Signs
IV Unbelievable Adventures of Writers Chapter 16: Yellow #2’s, A Writer’s Tools Chapter 17: Revise And Consent, About Rewriting Chapter 18: Sending Off the Children, On Rejection Chapter 19: The Big White Vacuum, On Writer’s Block Chapter 20: Hello Writers; Classes and Workshops and Groups Chapter 21: Oldering And Smoldering, On Wisdom Chapter
22: Celebration of Writing, Celebration of Age
Everyone
Wants To Write. Women
I meet everywhere talk about wanting to write. They have stories to tell,
but haven't moved to pick up a pencil and begin.
My book is about beginnings. The writing examples in the book come from published
women authors I admire, from my writing students, workshop attendees, and unpublished
women whose paths I’ve crossed.
Comments Back to Top To the BEEHIVE To the Magic Pencil
Why Women Write There are as many reasons as there are writers. I'd like to know why you write? By the way, the Dust Bunnies Chapter is devoted to this subject. If you email your name and address, your response will be considered for inclusion in the book . I write because ....click here
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