Inspiration is everywhere if you're willing to recognize it and let it move you.
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Only
ONE INTERP WRITING INTENSIVE
in 2011
and it's
THIS SUMMER in Taos, NM | |
only
14 days left before
Extra-early bird registration closes!
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Click here for more info and to register today!
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Extra-Early Bird Registration
is open
for the
Interpretive Writing Intensive
Register now and save $150!
August 8-13, 2011 San Geronimo Lodge Taos, NM
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Reading to Write
I'm hiding out at a friend's cabin near Red Feather Lakes, Colorado this week, enjoying the quiet--and the break from my usual, more hectic routine--to work on my own creative projects.
And while I'm spending most of these precious days writing, I'm also reading. I read for fun (Patricia Cornwell's Scarpetta this week, XKCD.com and other online funnies). I read to be absorbed by powerful and thoughtful stories (Susan Tweit's Walking Nature Home, Jeannette Walls' The Glass Castle). I read to learn cool stuff (GIMP 2 for Photographers, by Klaus Goelker; James Cameron's screenplay for Avatar).
And I read everything as a writer.
I pay attention to how the writer crafts the story. How is this story structured? How does one author fit a story into three panels with stick figure drawings? How does another author stitch together a series of essays to form an entire book? How does language use change when shifting from one format to another? What tricks of the language trade work in a piece? Why?
I'm writing a feature-length screenplay, a form that is relatively new to me, so I'm reading screenplays to see how different playwrights help the readers--director, set and lighting designers, actors--visualize the story and its characters. Economy of language is crucial--an economy that in many ways reminds me of the challenges we face in interpretive writing.
Whether you've seen the movie, Avatar--and whether or not you liked it--the script is worth reading if for no other reason than the excellence of Cameron's descriptions. Cameron's language works hard.
Here's an example from the first page:
The room is a tiny cubicle, prison cell meets 747 bathroom.
The eleven-word description conveys immediately what we need to know, without swamping us or belaboring the point.
Cameron uses language tropes--metaphors, similes,
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Morning sky near Red Feather Lakes, CO
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analogies--to build the world of Pandora (where the movie takes place) so clearly that you'd swear it really existed:
"...a landscape of massive cliffs and towering mesas carpeted in rainforest. Great scarves of cloud swirl..."
Reading as a writer triggers my own creativity as I discover new ideas and decipher new techniques. It reminds me to push myself and my writing with every draft. It inspires me to be a better writer every time I put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard.
Comments? Questions?
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View from cabin
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Tell us!
970/416-6353
888/886-9289
email Judy
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Special Announcement
for
Living History Interpreters
including writers and performers
Yours, Mine and Ours:
Weaving the Stories of Interpretation into a Living Tapestry
Bent's Old Fort Historical Association, in cooperation with Bent's Old Fort Historic Site, is sponsoring an extraordinary opportunity for intensive instruction in interpretation and living history. The basics: WHEN: April 28-29, 2011
WHERE: Bent's Old Fort Historical Site, La Junta, CO
WHAT: Learn the secrets of quality historical interpretation--go beyond simply wearing a costume to becoming a historical character--use for your personal interpretation and for creating larger programs
WHO'S TEACHING: Award-winning master interpreters Bill Weldon and John Luzader
WHO SHOULD COME: YOU, if you're interested in living history, no matter what your level of experience
MORE INFO: Flier with more details here, or contact Jerri Spellman at 303/690-9986 or email.
Disclosure: I don't benefit financially from posting this announcement, but I can vouch for Bill and John--they know their stuff and they're superb trainers as well as two of the top living history performers anywhere. And yes, even though I am not a living history performer, I hope to make it to this workshop! back to top |
ONLY 14 DAYS LEFT
BEFORE
EXTRA-EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION CLOSES!
REGISTER TODAY
for the ONLY
Interpretive Writing Intensive in 2011 Register by midnight,
March 30, 2011 and SAVE $150 more details below and on our website or by email 888/886-9289
(toll-free in the U.S.)
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I'm offering only ONE Interp Writing Intensive in 2011.
It's at San Geronimo Lodge, Taos, New Mexico, August 8-13 (Monday night through Saturday morning).
Grab your spot now!
Extra-early bird registration saves you $150 and is open through March 30 (assuming space is available).
Tight travel budget? Sign up for a shared room and save even more. Register yourself and two or more friends (even if you're not from the same site) and save an additional fifty bucks each.
Don't wait--register today!
Can't make it to this one? Here are some options:
- Bring Greenfire Creative to you: We offer 1- to 4-day writing workshops for interpreters for your site or organization.
- Sign up for one-on-one writing coaching with Judy.
- Delegate writing, editing, and related tasks: We're a full-service freelance company, from concept development and research to final proofreading.
- Wait until 2012 and hope for the best.
Call 888/886-9289 (toll-free in the U.S.) or email for details and pricing.
For more info about the Taos workshop, call (888/886-9289), email (judyb@greenfire-creative.com), or visit our website (http://www.greenfire-creative.com).
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Improve your writing this summer with the
Interpretive Writing Intensive
August 8-13, 2011 San Geronimo Lodge, Taos, NM
Freeman Tilden said interpretive writing should be
"concise, focused, inspirational, and engaging."
Lofty goals for any writer!
- What makes interpretive writing interpretive;
- How to create writing that connects with the reader;
- Techniques for strengthening language, including pacing, language use, and word choice;
- Strategies for organizing;
- How to write for any length or space;
- How to write for different media, different audiences, and different uses;
- How to write for maximum impact;
- How to write even if you think you can't;
- How to take your writing "off-site";
- Humble punctuation;
- Accessing--and improving--creativity (or, the Muse will visit if chocolate is involved);
- Dealing with writer's block (or, how to get the Muse to visit if you're out of chocolate);
- and MORE.
Improve your writing this summer at the Interpretive Writing Intensive, August 8-13, 2011 at San Geronimo Lodge, Taos, New Mexico.
Extra-Early Bird Registration Now Open
Register today and save!
Register today to take advantage of the Extra-Early Bird discount--$150.00 off the regular registration! Register three or more people at the same time and save another $50 per person! Extra-Early Bird Registration prices effective through midnight, March 30, 2011 or until workshop is full, whichever happens first. To ensure a quality experience with plenty of individual attention, workshop size is limited to 15 people. Registration is first-come, first-served.
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Improve your writing this summer
at the
Interpretive Writing Intensive,
August 8-13, 2011
San Geronimo Lodge, Taos, New Mexico.
REGISTER BY March 30 and SAVE!
Extra-Early Bird Prices good through midnight, March 30, 2011 or until workshop fills, whichever comes first.
Extra-Early Bird Shared room: $1775.00
Extra-Early Bird Single room: $1900.00
Extra-Early Bird Commuter: $1170.00
Optional--Extend your stay: $80.00 per night (includes breakfast) Sunday night before and up to four nights following the workshop, based on availability.
Shared and single rooms include 5 nights lodging at San Geronimo Lodge, 5 breakfasts, 4 lunches, and 4 suppers; workshop and materials, one half-hour individual consulting session, instructor review of one previously submitted writing sample, and snacks, coffee, and tea.
Commuter includes parking at San Geronimo Lodge, 4 lunches, and 4 suppers; workshop and materials, one half-hour individual consulting session, instructor review of one previously submitted writing sample, and snacks, coffee, and tea. Commuter registration fee does not include lodging or breakfast.
Built in 1925, the San Geronimo lodge was one of the first hotels in Taos, and the first "resort" hotel. This enchanting inn offers historic charm with all the comfort and convenience of modern day lodging.
For more info about San Geronimo Lodge,
click here.
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