Congratulations on completing Writing from Life!

Great job writing these past 8 weeks. It isn't an easy thing to make time for, but your stories and fragments of stories were just lovely. Thank you for participating. Please be sure to send your course evaluations to Marilyn.Blumsack@tufts.edu.

I can attest that they read them and go over them with other board members and take them very seriously.

I believe I've read everyone's pieces at this point and given feedback, but if somehow I missed you, please let me know.

Thanks again and please keep in touch.

More on Blogging

My friend Vicki, also a writing teacher, wrote a post about blogging and publishing that you might be interested in. I'll quote her:

Blogs, online columns, social networking sites and all the rest give an emerging writer the opportunity to create an audience, build readership and even control the flow of information in a way that puts the writer in charge. The availability of these forums, their ease of use and increased connectivity allows writers to create and build communities. These changes are permanent–there’s no going back to a life before blogs–and they are revolutionary.

Writing Groups for WFL Fall 2007

I'm splitting you into two groups so that it's easier to focus on only 3 other writers' work rather than all 7 other writers.

I'm splitting your right down the middle of the list on the right side of the class blog:

group 1 is: Beth, Hal, Bob, and Frank
group 2 is: Elisabetta, Kevin K, Barbara M, and Colleen

Blogging Resources

Hi Writing from Life!

I just wanted to check in and give you some links to interesting blogs and articles. I hope you are all well and I can't wait to see your Week 2 homework assignments.


1.My Mom's Blog

At 82 years young, Millie Garfield is one of the Internet's oldest bloggers, according to The Ageless Project. With an authentic and humorous voice, a knack for story telling and frequent updates, Millie's blog, My Mom's Blog, shows that people want to hear from someone with a story to tell.

2. The Ageless Project

We're sending the message that the personal, creative side of the web is diverse and ageless.

3. World's Oldest Blogger

4. USA Today article with links to seniors who blog

5. A man's response to articles that diss older bloggers

Getting Started

Getting Started

Your job in this first week of class is to get acquainted with blogging and the Blogger software. Once you read through some of the informational pages, please complete the lessons for Week 1.

Some questions you may have---(click on highlighted text for link)

1. What's a blog?

If you can send an email, you can blog.

A blog is a website arranged in reverse chronological order (with the most current post showing up at the top of the page). Tufts alum, Meg Hourihan, is a pioneer in blogosphere and developed the blogger software we are using.

For an article about blogs in the writing classroom, see this article by Charles Lowe.

I have a blog that I started in August 2006 and it's been enormously helpful in terms of my writing. I invite you to visit my blog, see what I've done and how I've used it.

2. How does the class work?

This class is an enrichment experience for you. Participate as much or as little as you'd like and have the time to. I understand some weeks are busier for you than others. Please never feel like you are "bad" because you didn't do all of the homework.

I want you to feel like the class is a comfortable space for you to try new things, practice writing, and have fun. I have homework and of course, I highly recommend you do it in order to get as much as you can out of the class.

After you set up your Blogger account, expect about an hour a week of homework, which includes readings and your writing assignment.

3. To get started, please read blogger's site guide. You can post to the collaborative blog, named Writing From Life Fall 2007, almost immediately by responding in the comments section. I would like you to have a personal blog as well and we will link to your personal blog from the collaborative blog, Writing from Life.

4. Blogging recommendations. Please read about privacy and protection on blogger.

I've chosen for my "Grace Notes" blog to be searchable through Google (so anyone can type up my name and my blog will come up). The Internet is archived so anything you post is there forever. If you don't want something linked to your name, then use a nickname or a fake name. Or password protect your blog. Or only give your student blog address to us, your classmates. Decide what level of privacy you are comfortable with and make your decisions from there.

Please read about privacy on your profile and controlling who reads your blog. The Collaborative Blog (tuftswfl.blogspot.com) is not password protected. Keep that in mind when using your full name. I encourage you to only use your first name when posting to the blog.

5. You may need to have a gmail or google account. I've sent an invitation to all of you for a gmail account.

Thanks for you open-mindedness and your patience. I look forward to working with all of you. If you're stuck, you can always call me. I'll email you my phone number.

6. Do I need to buy books for the course?

I have a list of recommended books, but have not required you to read them. I want the class to focus on you getting writing done so the bulk of your reading time will be reading some short articles I post as well as the other writers' work in the class.

That said, there are many books I would recommend to supplement the work we do here. I have listed them under recommended books.

7. How do I find out the class assignments?

Look on the right hand side of the class blog page and find the title, Class Schedule for a list of the classes. If you don't see the list of classes (for example, the first week's lesson is listed under August and is titled "Welcome to Writing from Life! Class 1 Sept 17")

You can move through the course at your pace and all course materials are present. Keep in mind, there may be slight updates to the class schedule, depending on how the class goes.

8. Will the instructor read multiple drafts of my personal essay?

My main role is as an instructor, educator, and facilitator--not an editor. I will be able to provide extensive feedback on one draft and then brief remarks for your revised draft. As your class leader, I will do this for each of you.

Professional editors will usually charge $60 an hour to read manuscripts and provide feedback. It takes me about an hour to read, analyze, and provide thoughtful feedback for your draft of the short essay. Some students would like more feedback outside of the course constraints and they have hired me privately to provide this service for them. I am willing to consider doing this for you.

Class Policies

This is a study group led by a study group leader. But all study groups members are leaders and should expect to be active participants in the learning activities, reading each other's work, providing each other with feedback, and helping each other with any questions that may arise.

The goal of the course is to end the 8 weeks with a revised draft of a short personal narrative (600-800 words).

Each week of the course students will learn about creative nonfiction and memoir writing and write and develop this essay step-by-step. Students will participate in all the steps of writing a short personal narrative (600-800 words): generating ideas, writing drafts, reading, and rewriting. Every week, students will read from the reading list, complete the weekly learning activities, and contribute to class discussion. Study group members will give each other feedback on development work. Expect intermittent feedback from study group leader on your ongoing work and extensive feedback on ONE working draft only.

All of the lessons will be available at the start of the course, allowing students flexibility in working.

Every other week, students will have short creative writing assignments due on their blogs with the final draft of the essay due Week 7. The creative writing assignments build upon each other and will result in a working draft of a short personal essay.

Students will engage in discussion and provide feedback to each other.

Study group leader will comment briefly on students' on-going work and will provide extensive feedback on ONE 800-word maximum working draft of personal essay. Students will inform study group leader of draft they want extensive feedback on.

Recommended Texts:

*Dinty Moore, The Truth of the Matter: Art and Craft of Creative
Nonfiction*Judith Barrington, Writing the Memoir: From Truth to Art
*Vivan Gornick, The Situation and the Story
*Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
*Jane Taylor McDonnell, Living to Tell the Tale: A Guide to Writing Memoir

Course Description

Writing From Life
E-Learning

We all have stories to tell. Writing allows our most
meaningful stories to exist outside of ourselves and
provides an opportunity for readers to share our ex-
periences. Good writing can make us feel less
alone.

Do you have a story to tell? Chances are you have many stories to tell.
But how do we write our stories in a way that extends beyond ourselves?
How do we compose and construct a narrative that satisfies?

In The Situation and the Story, Vivian Gornick writes, "Every work of
literature has both a situation and a story. The situation is the
context or the circumstance, sometimes the plot; the story is the
emotional experience that preoccupies the writer: the insight, the
wisdom, the thing one has come to say."

In this course, students will discuss the genre of creative nonfiction,
read published work, and practice the craft of creative nonfiction. At
the end of the course, students will have a working draft of a short
(600-800 word) personal essay. The course includes easy to use
technologies such as blogging and wikis. Instructor will provide
information about these technologies, but encourages students to learn
about these tools in advance.


During the eight weeks of class, expect to:

1. Read articles about the craft of writing
2. Read published pieces
3. Read other study group members' writing
4. Generate ideas
5. Practice writing techniques
6. Give and receive feedback from study group members
7. Receive feedback on ONE draft of personal essay from study group leader

FINAL CLASS! Class 8 Nov 5

WRITING
1. Post the revision of your piece to the comments of this posting as well as to your personal blog.

2. Write your evaluation and comments about the class and email to Marilyn Blumsack (marilyn.blumsack@tufts.edu) at the Tufts Osher Lifelong Learning Program.

3. Write one line and post it to the comments of this blog posting about your next steps--either in the writing, in sharing your essay with others, trying to publish it, etc. . .

Class 7 Oct 29

READING
Read the essays your classmates have written as they post revisions.

WRITING
Post the revision of your piece to the comments of this posting as well as to your personal blog.

Class 6 Oct 22

READING
Read any essays and memoirs from The Sun Magazine for examples of great creative nonfiction. Even look at Reader's Write.

WRITING
Revise your short personal essay and post it to both your personal blog and to Week 8 comments of the collaborative blog.

Read your group members' revisions and leave one line feedback and response.

Class 5 Oct 15

READING DUE BY CLASS 6
You have a lot of writing to do this week, so reading is option.

If you have time to read, listen to stories on audio or read stories from Common Ties

WRITING DUE BY CLASS 6
1. Develop one of the timed writing pieces your have written. Write a piece that is between 600-800 words long and post it to your personal blog AND in the comments section of this blog posting.

This is your working draft. I will take an hour to read through ONE of your working drafts and give you substantial feedback. Email me the draft (as a MS word attachment) that you want me to give extensive feedback on.

2. Give written comments to all members in your group on their working draft.

Class 4 Oct 8

I will assign you to groups to read each other's work. Please see here for updates about which group you are in.

READING Due by Class 5
Pose questions or comments to this blog posting, but it isn't required.
1. A Riff on Creative Nonfiction

2. Read through at least one issue (or read 6 separate essays in any of the issues) of Brevity Magazine. (Extra points--just kidding--if you read my piece--My Father's Noose)
3. Read your group members' timed writing exercise from Class 3 and leave a comment on their personal blog. Tell them what seems compelling, powerful, interesting, vivid, mysterious, or interesting.

Don't give any critical feedback at this point. It's too early. Just tell them what stands out to you and why. Tell them what comes to life in their piece.

WRITING Due by Class 5
Repeat the step by step writing exercise from Class 3 with an item from one of your lists that your colleagues have alerted you as being interesting.

Repeat this exercise with as many items from your list as you'd like this week. Try to write a new one every day if you have time.

Class 3 Oct 1

Class 3 Oct 1

READING
1. Read this short craft essay, The Vagaries of Memory
2. Write a short response to The Vagaries of Memory essay (say anything about it and/or pose a question to the other writers) to the comments section of this blog posting. DUE BY FRIDAY OCT 5 AT 6PM
3. Respond to something one of your classmates has written in response to The Vagaries of Memory essay in the comments section of this blog posting. Due BY MONDAY 5PM OCT 8.
4. Read through your classmates' personal blogs and their lists that they created for Class 2.

Cull through the lists and leave them a note in the comments section of their personal blog, the top 3 most compelling items from all of their lists.

What 3 items would you love to read an essay about? Why? What about that story is compelling? What about that story do you want to know more about?

WRITING DUE BY MONDAY 5PM OCT 8
Read through your lists of lists. Find one item that you want to write about. Label a new post on your personal blog with that item and do the following writing exercise:

1. Take the item and write it (by hand on a sheet of notebook paper) on the top of your paper.

For example, I might write "chicken noodle soup made by my mother for me on days I stayed home sick from school." This is taken from my list of Top Ten Meals Made for me with love by someone else

2. Number 1 to 10 every other line on the notebook paper.
3. Set a timer for 4 minutes. Write down the ten images that come to mind that you associate with this item--this can be sounds, memories, tastes, moments, a color--anything specific that you associate or remember about this item.

My list under "chicken noodle soup made by my mother for me on days I stayed home sick from school" would include: damp bedsheets, Channel 56 daytime television, cold medicine, loneliness, the yellow bus driving by the house without me, quiet empty house, dreamless sleep, noodles stuck in the sink drain, sadness because the world seemed dead

4. Stretch and walk around for a minute. Now, return to your writing. Close your eyes and try to imagine yourself back in a specific moment from the image or item that is written at the top of your page.

Once you are able to imagine yourself back in that moment, take notes and gather information about that moment. I encourage you to write this out by hand, but you can write it and post it on your personal blog if you want.

For 7 minutes only, use the following questions as a guide. Not all of them will apply to you, that's fine. Just give it a try:
Where are you?
How old are you?
What are you doing?
Are you inside or outside?
Turn around in the image--what do you see in front of you, to the right of you, behind you, to the left of you, under your feet, and above your head.
What do you smell, taste, feel on your skin, and hear?
What time of year is it?
What time of day or night is it?
What are you afraid of?
What do you want most in all the world at this moment?
What is standing in the way of you getting what you want?
How will you try to get around this obstacle? What tactic will you use to get what you want?
What are you not saying aloud? Why?

5. Look over the notes you've taken. For two minutes, write an outline of what you want to include in the story you're about to write.

6. Set your timer for 7 minutes. Tell the story of this image--of this moment that you have just taken many notes on. Begin your piece with "I am. . . "

Because this is a first draft, it's ok to write this in present tense. You can go back later and change it in revision. But for now, just try to write as much as you can about this image. No detail is too small.

7. Type up what you've written and post it to your personal blog by BY MONDAY 5PM OCT 8.

Class 2 Sept 24

Class 2 Sept 24

READING
This week, I would like you to consider the genre of creative nonfiction--what it is and isn't. Please read the following short craft essays by Friday Sept 28 at 9PM and post a short response, question, or remark to the comments of this blog posting. Respond to something one of your classmates brings up by Monday 5PM Oct 1 to the comments of this posting.

Advise to My Friend Beth's

Nonfiction is Translation

WRITING DUE BY MONDAY 5PM OCT 1
Create 5 separate postings this week on your personal blog that respond in list form (make a list numbered 1 to 10 with phrases, fragments, ideas, brainstorming) to the following:

1. Top Ten List of the topics, moments, and subjects you've always wanted to write about, but thought was impossible or too scary to actually write about.

2. Top Ten List of meals you've made with love for someone or were made with love, for you.

3. Top Ten List of Significant Moments (big or small, life-changing, epiphany, or slight shifts in the way you see the world) in your Life

4. Top Ten Most Significant Conversations in Your Life

5. Top Ten Things You Love The Most in This World and One Reason Why

Welcome to Writing from Life! Class 1 Sept 17

Class 1 Sept 17

Your main task this week is to familiarize yourself with the software and technology we are using to deliver the course, namely the blogger software. Please read through blogger's materials as necessary to set up your blog.

Step One
Create a google account. If you don't already have a google account, please respond to my invitation sent by email to set one up.

Step Two
Create your own blog through the blogger. Once you have a google account, creating a blog is as easy as filling out forms and clicking items to select how you want your blog to look.

Step Three
Email me the web address of your blog once you've created it.

Step Four
Do the writing assignment for the week and post it to two places: as the first posting on your personal blog and to the comments section of this blog posting on the class blog.

Week 1
Writing Exercise: Due by Friday Sept 21 at 9PM
POSTED TO BOTH YOUR PERSONAL BLOG AND THE COMMENTS SECTION TO THIS POSTING OF THE COLLABORATIVE BLOG

Spend ten minutes observing your hands and taking notes about what they look like. Write a brief description (under 250 words) of your hands--what do they look like physically? What about their physical appearance gives away the person who uses the hands? Try not to tell the reader explicitly what that the hands belong to an X kind of person. Instead, show us the callouses on the hands, the scars, the way the fingers and thin or stubby. Show us the hands so that we can infer and understand a little about the character who owns these hands.

Reading Exercise: Due by Monday Sept 23 6PM
POST TO AT LEAST 4 OF YOUR COLLEAGUES' BLOGS IN THE COMMENTS SECTION OF THEIR HANDS PIECE

Read through the other writers' descriptions of their hands. Write one line about what stands out to you, what seems powerful and interesting, what seems compelling, or what you have a question about to at least 4 of your colleagues' hands.

This exercise is a way to get you started writing as well as learn about your classmates in a meaningful way.