THE
WRITERS' RETREAT NEWSLETTER
July,
2008, Volume 8, No 3
http://www.writersretreat.com
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IN
THIS EDITION
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1. CREATING
A ONE PERSON PLAY
2.
WRITING IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL
3.
THE CHOICE IS YOURS
4. UPCOMING
WRITING WORKSHOPS/CLINIC
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By
Adilah Barnes
More
and more writer/actors are beginning to combine their talents to create
one person or “solo” plays. They are more commonly called “one
person shows.” Some choose to create historical figures to portray,
while still others draw from their own personal lives to create pieces
that are sometimes termed “personal stories.” I have conceived both
but for this article I want to focus on writing personal stories. In
essence, I see this genre of writing as autobiographical or memoir
writing in nature.
As
Co-founder and Executive Producer of the Los Angeles Women’s Theatre
Festival, I have produced over 400 solo artists from around the globe.
They have ranged from first love, rape, family, breast cancer, culture,
incest, identity, menopause, death, the workplace, the life of an actor,
and many, many others.
I
have also taught writing workshops such as From Thought to Pen,
Connecting the Inner Dots, and From Stage to Page. In my
workshops, the bottom line is first getting stories on paper that
actor/writers want to tell.
Some
say, “I want to create a one person show on my life but I do not know
where to begin!”
I
say, “Start with childhood memories.”
Our
youthful days are filled with a plethora of memories, charged with
emotions that are both pleasant and painful. One way to activate those
memories is to use the senses to excavate our past experiences.
For
example, as a writing instructor, I have an exercise I use when teaching
solo writing workshops where I use guided imagery that makes use of all
five senses, one sense at a time. In one group I taught, I guided my
students who laid outstretched on the floor as they sensorally went back
to their youth. One student in that workshop responded to the sense of
touch with a memory of the feel of shag carpeting underneath him on his
family’s New Rochelle, New York living room floor.
He
remembered how he and his brother’s played “slow motion” football
on that green shag carpet without ever disturbing any of his mother’s
furniture or fine crystal. From that exercise, he activated the memory
of that slow motion football game. That memory also connected him to his
individual relationships with his brothers. From that exercise he
ultimately created a one-man show called, My Boys and Me,
a very compelling piece that explores his relationship with his
brothers, both then and now.
Another
way to activate childhood memories is to chronologically explore the
past, either by age or grades in school. I personally prefer going grade
by grade because I have remembered in great detail each of my grade
school teachers by name and can visualize quite clearly our classrooms,
which have also guided me to relationships and past experiences, year by
year.
In
either approach, once a series of experiences have been explored on
paper, the task of deciding what to choose to what about may
begin. Usually, through a series of exercises, there is one or more
memories that seem to resonate more than others and that begin to take
center stage. This may begin the process of narrowing down the theme of
the solo show, as in the former student I mentioned.
I
have found that writing in an unedited fashion by just getting the
stories out can work quite well. Because we all have many personal
stories dancing around in our heads, material is rarely an issue. Giving
oneself permission to allow the stories is another matter.
For different reasons, some stories we want to share with others, and
some we choose not to.
I
do believe the more free we are in our storytelling, the more engaging
and riveting the work can be. In actuality, there are few experiences we
have had that have not already been experienced by others. What sets our
own particular stories apart are the specifics, but the broad strokes
are essentially the same (i.e. a woman’s fight with breast cancer, the
dynamics of coming from a dysfunctional family, coming of age, online
dating, etc.)
The
telling all begins with the desire to create a one person show.
With guidance, the rest will unfold. How exhilarating it is to see a one
person play develop step by step from thought to page and then from page
to stage!
Adilah
Barnes
is a writer, actor, acting instructor, producer, Internet talk show host
and lecturer. She owns and operates The Writers’ Retreat in Sharpsburg,
Georgia. You may contact her directly at abarnes@
2.
WRITING IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL
Writing
is a solitary endeavor and one that often takes as much as it gives.
Those of us in pursuit of publishing have to keep so many literary balls
in the air while working on our craft that sometimes the technical
demands overtake the creative ones. With so much outside (as well as
self-induced) pressure, we sometimes forget why we decided to write in
the first place. That’s why it’s important to find ways to renew our
love of writing.
Avoiding
burn-out and renewing enthusiasm for the joy of written expression are
only part of the inspiration behind the upcoming writing workshop titled
“Writing
is Good for the Soul”, to be held October
17-19, 2008 in Folly Beach, South Carolina. The weekend workshop is
geared to help writers connect with and free up our creativity; take the
everyday pressures off; and find a new way of looking at our work and
our lives. Using writing as a form of expressive meditation, this
workshop allows writers to delve deeply into who we are: our minds, our
bodies and our spirits.
The
weekend begins with a Friday evening session titled ‘Connecting With
the Spirit of Nature’ where participants will write from the senses in
a class held at the ocean’s edge. Saturday includes an all-day
workshop titled ‘The Story of Your Soul’s Journey’ and Sunday ends
with ‘Connecting With Your Creative Spirit.’ The workshop, taught by
Creative Writing teacher Mary Ann Henry, has proved to be hugely popular
in the Carolina Lowcountry where it is held.
“I’m
a journalist by trade and I never write poetry”, stated Will Beckett,
a participant at a recent spiritual writing workshop. “But I was
surprised at how much poetry came roaring forth.” He added, “I
re-read some of my writing at the end of the day and I wondered ‘Who
wrote that?’ It felt really good.” Another participant, Sandy
Morehouse, spoke of how she doubted her own ability to access her
creativity. “I’ve had trouble writing from the heart. I get caught
up in expectations and I keep second-guessing myself. But during the
workshop, I just let it rip. And the writing showed that new level of
confidence.”
The
connection between a person’s sense of spirituality and their
creativity has long been of interest to the creator of the workshop,
Mary Ann Henry. “I try to create, above all, an atmosphere of trust
within the group. I let everyone know right away that they’re safe
with me, with each other, with themselves. And to see the growth that a
person makes in such a short time is thrilling to me as a teacher and a
writer.”
Held
in an ocean-front location on beautiful Folly Beach, just minutes from
historic Charleston, South Carolina, ‘Writing is Good for the Soul’
promises to be one of the most unique learning experiences available to
writers this year.
See
details at http://www.writersretreat.com/spiritualwriting.htm.
To
register, please call Mary Ann Henry directly at 843-437-1934 or email
her at maryannhenry@writersretreat.com
or complete our online form at
http://www.writersretreat.com/workshopformSC.htm
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3.
THE CHOICE IS YOURS!
Are
you looking for a space where you can shut out the world and dig in
deeply internally? The Writers’ Retreat provides the perfect balance
of leaving you alone and at the same time making sure you have
everything you need while staying with us. The Writers’ Retreat
offers nine year-round retreat locations to choose from:
Québec,
Canada (Headquarters);
Oliver,
British
Columbia, Canada;
North
Lake Harbour, Prince
Edward Island, Canada;
Ouray,
Colorado;
Corralitos
near Santa Cruz, California;
Folly
Beach,
South Carolina;
Craftsbury,
Vermont;
Ojochal,
Costa
Rica;
Puerto
Vallarta on the Pacific Coast of México.
Please
visit our website at www.WritersRetreat.com
and click on one of the locations for more details and to reserve your
private studio.
If
you are contemplating a business opportunity in the literary world, contact
us today to learn more about starting and operating a
Writers’ Retreat in your area.
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4.
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS/CLINIC
MAKING
A GOOD SCRIPT GREAT
A three-day script clinic
Facilitator:
Linda Seger, author, and script consultant.
Date:
October 10, 11, 12, 2008
Place:
Cascade, Colorado (Pikes Peak Region)
WRITING
IS GOOD FOR THE SOUL
Facilitator:
Mary Ann Henry, writer; on-site mentor in Folly Beach, SC
Date:
October 17-19, 2008
Place:
Folly Beach, SC
Description:
http://www.writersretreat.com/spiritualwriting.htm
POETRY
WORKSHOP
Date:
August 23, 2008
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Until
next time… Shape your vision into reality!!!
Micheline
Côté, Executive Director
The
Writers’ Retreat
Telephone:
(819) 876-2065
info@writersretreat.com
http://www.writersretreat.com
Please
feel free to post or forward this message to a friend.
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