Friday, May 29, 2009

No time like the present...

I'm excited and nervous! I decided to sign up for an online summer writing class called Mother Words with Kate Hopper. "No time like the present", Paul said, when I asked his opinion.

Am I nuts? The summer is full of baseball, swimming lessons, more baseball, zoo camp, baseball tournaments, a few visitors and more baseball. So, yes, Abe will be playing A LOT of baseball this summer. I love it -- I love the kids' excitement, their hard work, their camaraderie, coaches, the families, and, of course, the games. It's a great community for our whole family. I don't want to miss a second of it.

But still, I'm going to distract myself slightly from all that baseball and also take a writing class. Have I ever mentioned that I have absolutely no writing training? Well...unless you include that time Senior year in High School, where I somehow got chosen to compete in a county-wide writing contest. In the van on the way over to the school where the competition was taking place the smart kid English teacher (not my teacher) gave us some general guidelines. "Use lots of sensory details and imagery", he said. So, I did. I remember the adrenaline rush and sitting on my knees as I crafted my piece. It was a fiction piece and it unfolded in my head faster than I could put it on paper. The experience was almost magical -- and I came in 2nd place! (The girl who won, for the record, supposedly won every competition, and is probably a very famous writer now). That was my shining moment. But that was 1986.

I don't care though. I've been wanting to write for a long time. I might as well learn HOW.

5 comments:

  1. Congratulations! Summer with kids is so intense that I think this sounds like a big blessing. It will probably benefit everyone, for you to have something special just for YOU this summer. It sets a good example for your kids, too. Good for you.

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  2. Bravo! It will be great. I've never taken a class online, but I love Kate Hopper and her blog, so I'm sure this will be a wonderful experience. Writing workshops are fantastic -- the ability to share one's work, hear feedback and get support is galvanizing. And I agree with Karen about setting that good example for your kids.

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  3. Yay, Mary! That's awesome! I just caught up with your blog and as usual your posts are so, so good!Looking forward to hearing how the class goes.

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  4. Mary, that is GREAT news! I'm one of those Closet Creatives. I don't come out unless I'm really passionate about something. I would LOVE to take a writing class -- or a painting course -- anything to help fuel those creative juices!

    I'm looking forward to hearing how you enjoy it!

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  5. You may have no writing training, Mary, but you have plenty of talent. My sister, Kerry McInerney Freeman, turned me on to your blog. I've heard of you for a long time now -- you got to know Kerry and Dale through your kids -- and it's great to put a face to the name of such an inspirational family.

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