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Classes & Workshops

 

Spotlight: Journey Through Life's Losses 

In this issue:
Article: The Power of Writing Letters to Get You Through the Holidays
Spotlight Course: Journey Through Life's Losses
Upcoming Classes & Workshops
Writers, 

When you're dealing with loss or grief, certain times of the year can be very difficult, especially the upcoming holiday season. But you can better cope with your pain by writing about it--helping yourself and maybe others. Writing plays a vital role in healing.   

 

To learn more, join author and speaker Alice J. Wisler in her new class,  Journey Through Life's Losses. This course if for those who have suffered the loss of a broken relationship, childhood trauma, the death of a loved one, loss of finances or career or health. Coupled with writing prompts, wisdom from well-known authors' works, encouragement and instruction, students will have ample time to silently reflect and write from their life experiences for healing, health, and hope. They will also learn how their journey can help others as they perfect their work to be published in magazines or newsletters.  

 

The class starts Monday, November 12, 2012. Enrollment includes weekly lessons sent by e-mail and feedback from the instructor. The class is limited to ten students, and early registration is recommended.  

 

In the article below, Alice shares a writing technique for getting through the holidays without a loved one. She's used this method herself, and describes how it can help you during hard times. 

 

Also, don't miss the following November classes, which are coming up soon: Intro to Screenwriting (Nov 6), Intro to Playwriting (Nov 6), How to Write a TV Pilot (Nov 6), Writing for Children (Nov 14), Get Paid to Write (Nov 16), and Published in 90 Days (Nov 16). Our current list of classes can be found below.     

 

Write On! 

 

Marcia & Angela 

 

Classroom Managers: Marcia & Angela
Marcia & Angela
Classroom Managers
WOW! Classes & Workshops

[email protected] 

Writing in notebook

 

  

The Power of Writing Letters to Get You Through the Holidays         

By Alice J. Wisler   

     

 
There's a chill in the air, the leaves display a magnitude of colors and you wonder why you can't join the autumn merriment. The changing from one season to another is always hard in grief. Autumn brings unique emotions because it turns our attention to the upcoming holidays. Anticipating holidays without loved ones fill us with dread and increased sorrow. How will I cope? How can I get through the holidays without my loved one?

Bereavement counselor, author, and bereaved mother, Mary Jane Cronin, says that giving yourself permission to feel however you want to feel during holiday time is appropriate in grief. "If you are angry, find a safe way to vent your feelings. If you feel sad and want to cry, then do it," she writes.

As you experience emotions during the holidays, why not give yourself permission to write through them? Although it seems that in our society today we neglect the art of letter writing, I've found writing letters to my son therapeutic. By writing, I feel connected to him during Thanksgiving, Christmas, and at New Year's. In my letters, I tell him what other family members are doing, how much we miss him, a few things I have learned about grief, and end each letter with love, a big hug, and a kiss.

Sometimes my letters ask for forgiveness. Some paragraphs stress how much I appreciated him for going through cancer treatments and being brave at the young ages of three and four. I like to add a few lines about a memory of him during a holiday, like the time he kept taking the Santa figurine off the neighbor's Christmas tree and putting it in his pocket. He had a joke book he carried around, so often I'll recall one of those jokes and put that in my letter. As I write, I usually cry, but they are healing tears. Sometimes I laugh and cry at the same time.

By writing to your loved one, you incorporate him or her into your holidays. Instead of feeling like the person is removed, you feel the person is included in your festivities. She is not forgotten.

Holidays might be difficult to handle for other reasons, too. Friends and relatives don't always understand why your spirit is sad. Writing letters to those you are frustrated with also serves a purpose. Unleashing your pent-up emotions and words onto paper frees your mind and heart from the burden of aggravation. I would suggest not sending these angry letters, but instead, folding them and tucking them out of sight, or even burning them.

You cannot control the fact that your loved one is gone. You can't keep nasty people from raining on your parade when they say or do things that bother you. But your reactions to the situations you are in, and what you do with your reactions is up to you. Learn to use letter writing to help you cope, especially during the holidays. You might even be able to find a renewed beauty in the season again. 
 
Alice Wisler
Journey Through Life's Losses
     

Instructor: Alice J. Wisler

Workshop Length
: 4 Weeks
Price: $125
Start Date: November 12, 2012 
Limit
10 Students

Course Description: Journey Through Life's Losses symbolizes a road trip we will embark on together and individually. Coupled with writing prompts, wisdom from well-known authors' works, encouragement and instruction, students will have ample time to silently reflect and write from their life experiences for healing, health, and hope. They will also learn how their journey can help others as they perfect their work to be published in magazines or newsletters. Students who have suffered the loss of a broken relationship, childhood trauma, the death of a loved one, loss of finances or career or health, will benefit from writing about their situations.

 

Visit the Classroom Page for a complete listing of what you'll be learning week by week and instructor testimonials.   

 

Register  

 

 

   

About the Instructor: Author and speaker Alice J. Wisler has facilitated writing courses both online and at seminars since 2001. When her son Daniel died at the age of four in 1997, writing became instrumental to Alice's health and healing. She travels the country speaking on coping with grief and loss and how writing plays a vital role in healing. She's the author of five southern novels--Rain Song, How Sweet It Is, Hatteras Girl, A Wedding Invitation, and Still Life in Shadows. Her newest book, Getting Out of Bed in the Mourning: Reflections of Comfort in Heartache focuses on life's many losses.

 

 


Upcoming Classes & Workshops
WOW! Classes
Below are some classes and workshops that are starting soon. Click on the links to be taken to a full listing that includes a week-by-week curriculum, testimonials, instructor bio, and more. Keep in mind that most class sizes are limited, so the earlier you register the better.

All the classes operate online--whether through email, website, chat room, or group listserv, depending on the instructor's preferences--so you do not need to be present at any particular time (unless a phone chat is scheduled and arranged with your instructor). You can work at your own pace in the comfort of your own home. If you have any questions, please reply to this email or email us at: [email protected] Enjoy!


Starts Every Friday (Self-Study Course) by Deana Riddle:
Independent Publishing: How to Start Your Own Self-Publishing Business | $99 or $150 with 1 Hour Phone Consultation

Starts the First Tuesday of Every Month: (Next class: November 6)
Introduction to the Craft of Screenwriting
| 6 Weeks | $150 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Christina Hamlett 

Introduction to Playwriting | 6 Weeks | $175 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Christina Hamlett

How to Write a TV Pilot | 4 Weeks | $150 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Christina Hamlett

Starts the Third Friday of Every Month: (Next class: November 16)
Get Paid to Write! Become a Freelance Writer | 8 Weeks | $150 | Limit: 15 Students | Instructor: Nicky LaMarco 


Published in 90 Days
| 12 Weeks | $299 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Deana Riddle 

October 29

Food Writing for Blogs, Restaurant Reviews, Recipes, Fiction, Memoir, and More NEW! | 5 Weeks | $175 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Melanie Faith

November 12
Journey Through Life's Losses NEW! | 4 Weeks | $125 | Limit: 10 Students | Instructor: Alice J. Wisler


November 14
Writing for Children: How to Get Started, Get Ready for the New Year, and Take Hold of Your Career NEW! | 4 Weeks | $75 (Sale! Normally $100) | Limit: 20 Students | Instructor: Margo Dill  
 


Click here to see all of our upcoming workshops 

 

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