June Westphal will talk about her long love affair with writing and the power of words to preserve.
Writers' Night Out welcomes anyone with an interest in writing.
Dinner begins at 5. Jessie will serve tacos.
From the Director . . .
Stories that Might have Been
They pop into my head at the oddest times, like 2:30 a.m., when I hardly realize that I'm awake but suddenly, there's the story floating around. And the odd thing is, it's not my story. It's a story someone else needed to tell.
They're like ghosts, these unborn spirits of stories that should have been told, that needed to be told, that clambered in someone's head and heart for decades to be told.
There was the Dallas TV reporter who got the call from the man who had murdered his family. It should have been a powerful novel about a hot day in Dallas when the lives of three men intersected to change them all forever. It should have been a movie. "I've carried this around with me ever since," the reporter told me. "I need to write it to get it out."
There's the old man who pulled into our parking lot saying, "I need a writer." Verifiably, through his work with two U.S. presidents, he changed world history. But it's too late to get that story out of his head. If only he had written it down thirty years ago.
Or what about Isabella D'Este, one of the leading women of the Renaissance, a major cultural and political figure referred to as the "first lady of the world?" Why should an innkeeper in Eureka Springs feel so drawn to her and long to write about her?
When I write, it always helps me to believe that the story exists before me. Even if it's fiction, I try not to think of it as something I am creating, but rather as a past event that I am reporting. I believe that our stories exist in the ether, waiting for us to reach up and grab them.
When we don't, because we're scared, or we're distracted by the Kardashians, our untold stories become sad, wan spirits, floating about to wake people up at 2:30.
Are you carrying a story? Make it live. Turn it from a wispy ghost to a vivid, high-def creature that will outlive you. Give it fangs to rip out a reader's heart. Give it wings to sweep across history.
Your story matters. Write it. Make it readable. That's why the Village Writing School exists.
The Plot Whisperer Workbook by Martha Alderson Need help with plotting? Character development, action, beginning, ending, this book takes you step-by-step with exercises that will help you develop a winning story.
You're on such a roll with the WIP that you've forgotten a "real" world exists (including laundry). You're down to wearing your husband's socks and he's either going commando or is forced to wear that thong given to him on his 40th birthday as a joke gift. The kids? Hell, they went feral a week ago.
--Kristen Lamb
Meet a Village Writer Cris Senseman
Cris Senseman sent us this picture from Alaska. A retired attorney and one of our first VWS board members, Cris has a lot of serious writing in the works, but lately she's hatched a plot for murder on a cruise ship. That would be as much fun as a husky puppy.
Eureka Springs.
Maumellel/Little Rock
Rogers/Bentonville
Fayetteville
Our Awesome
Newly Reformatted Workbooks
Thanks to Alice French for the layout and Kate Wicker for the cool covers.
Jackie Wolven will speak at Cornerstone Bank on Wednesday, June 10 at 9 am about Instagram. This is a free event.
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Save the Date!
Organizations need resources to survive or grow. New ideas take money.
People in organizations know that there are resources "out there" they might be able to get - but how? "
Mike McIntyre, a veteran proposal writer, will teach his POWER proposal system on Tuesday, August 11, 9-4.
The Little Free Library could use some children's books.
The MISSION of the Village Writing School is to foster a vibrant literary community in Arkansas and
to provide resources for ALL writers who seek to improve their craft.
Become a FRIEND of the Village Writing School
Donate as Little as $10 per Month
WE GROW THROUGH YOUR SUPPORT
THANK YOU TO OUR 2015 FRIENDS: David Auernheimer, Tandy Belt, Wendy and David Carlisle, Jean Elderwind,Crow Evans, Alice French, Valerie Fondetti, Linda Harrison-Gracia, John & Nancy Grosella, Gary Guinn,Nancy Harris, Kate Lacy, Shirley Lamberson, Gail Larimer, Judith McCartan, Richard Schoe, Shiva Shanti, Greg Sherar, Cris Senseman, Judith Ulch, Brent Wendling
The Village Writing School is a 501c3 organization.
You are receiving this email because you asked to be kept informed about writing workshops and coming events.
Publisher: Alison Taylor-Brown
Editors: Alice French & Jessie Rex