“Read with passion, emotion, enthusiasm. Keep in mind the things we’ve talked about. Unity. Insight. Point of View. Intuition. The importance of Story. And Setting. Beginnings. Endings. The Well‑made Sentence. Using the Subconscious. As you know, these and others following were our signposts pointing to different roads. Travel them all. They lead to the same place. We have that destination in common. But getting there will be our measure. Characters are not slim imaginings, not illusions or imitations. They are blood and bone, richly alive ‑‑ caring for, and cared for in their worlds. They live on. Neither Ulysses’ life nor Penelope’s ended with Homer’s final sentence. Do you think you could kill them if you tried? No one would believe you. Dickens
is dead but his characters aren’t. And too, Ahab is still searching, still sailing, Lear still Learing. Writing is not made of words, it is made of lives. But words are the cloth and coat of these lives — her nose, the knocking of his knees. Learn to love words and choose them with excitement and care. If the right word doesn’t arrive one day, go back and try it the next. It’s there. It will wait for your meeting with the same anticipation you have.”
Upcoming workshops with Terry Jordan
Songwriting (with Vanessa Kuzina of Oh My Darling)
Millennium Library
Tuesdays, January 17, 24, and 31
7 – 9 p.m.
The lyric and creative side of songwriting: getting started, using different structures, rhyming schemes, use of language, common pitfalls, marrying mood to melody and awareness of rhythm. To register, call 986-6779.
Memoir Writing
St. James-Assiniboia Library
Wednesday, February 8
1 – 3 p.m.
You’ve got a story; in fact, everyone does. Do you need help finding a way to write it down? Don’t know where to start? Terry will use inspired examples of autobiographical writing and particular exercises to help you find your writing voice.
Please bring a small object of some personal importance along with you to the workshop. Call 986-3424 to register.
Readers' Salon 