Over a year ago, I spent six hours at a writers
workshop in Kingsville, Ontario. We were inspired by a gifted writer,
challenged to write and encouraged to share. It was most rewarding. Paul Vasey,
a well known Windsor author, showed us that we are never without a story as
long as we root it in our own experiences, reminding us of how the brain takes
note of every sight we’re offered and they are retrievable.
He showed all that
by challenging us to get inside a person we knew well in our past by revealing
his thoughts. Then he suggested that we write a conversation which showed
tension between our chosen character and another. We had to dig deep into
memory and imagination; it was very satisfying and the results were most
interesting.I could not help thinking of stories my own mother told me about her early life.
Paul also read to us from books that spoke to the craft of writing. He particularly recommended Anne Lamott's book Bird by Bird and Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea. He showed us that the characters will lead us where they want to go once we know them well. Using dialogue, our characters developed and the story moved on. I came away invigorated to write more in the weeks ahead and to go back to using the pen rather than the keyboard to get motivated. I 'd been thinking of a new story centered on a young girl and, after all this motivation, I was ready to get it on the page. Here are my early paragraphs below:-
As she trudged along the road, Jemina moved
the heavy carpet bag to her other hand. It was such a hot day that she wished
she had a drink of cold water but there was no spring near the hot dusty road.
Straightening her bonnet, she reckoned she still had a good mile ahead. She
wondered if she had made the right decision. It was so far from any town.
Mr. John Park’s
letter was so formal –not really inviting; but she was desperate to find work.
He wrote about the business, he ran from his home and stated, “I am willing to give you an opportunity here. If you are suited to the work, I will employ you.”
He needed
another maid who would adapt to helping in his market store and in his house.
It appealed to her because her old granny had kept a small sweet shop and she’d
enjoyed working there. Jemina remembered the fun of serving the children a half
penny worth of jelly beans. She smiled to herself remembering the distant
past and hoping for similar experiences.
As she mused about these all times, she began to
notice a cooler breeze and soon saw a wide expanse of water beyond an open field. The dusty road now
curved in front of a large house which must be very close to the lake. It was a splendid white two-storied house and over one
door at the side she could just make out J. R. Park Merchant in large black
letters.
“Oh my oh my, I’d better be on my best behaviour to
work in there. Well, Jemina,” she told herself, “Put your best foot forward and
look eager to learn.”
Now over to you. Would you want to read more?
(*The picture is a modern view of the house shown at the John R Park website)
