July 1 newsletter
Hannegan Peak, Mt Baker Park, WA, summer 2018
Happy Canada Day!
Summer is finally here. Just in the past week it has heated up. I’m sitting in front of an oscillating fan. Ah…
The photo is from the first overnight hike I’ve done as an adult, in the Mount Baker area, this incredible peak, Hannegan. As a new hiker, I struggled. And when we neared the top, there was a lovely grassy area that I thought would be a perfect spot for a tent. But my friend said “No! We keep going—to the top.” I had to push past some mental and physical stuff to get to that place. But the summit was worth it.
We hit that spot—that perfect place to stop—again and again in writing. We think we’ve gone far enough now, the view is fine, we’ve given it all we’ve got. Enough. Maybe we shouldn’t ask so much of the world even—that thought might be caught in our heads on some level.
Then we push through: the last re-write (after the last re-write after the last).
Hiking is good for thinking—after that first hike, I’ve remembered to tuck a tiny notebook and pen in a rain-proof ziplock bag in a pocket of the pack.
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Thank you for renewing and subscribing
To those who renewed their annual subscription, and the new readers who also chose to go “paid,” thank you! This allows me to continue with The Unchool.
A kindly few have donated subscriptions—so please let me know if you’d like to “go paid” even if now is not a good time for you for any number of reasons (nothing that I need to know about! I’ve been a writer long enough to fill in the blanks…) Send me an email, and until I run out, they’re here… alison@alisonacheson.com
Huge thanks to those who have done this donating! Keeps me going, and further builds community spirit even with anonymity.
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Workshop update
I am so pleased to report that the picturebook workshop group has now shared three pieces of work, with a fourth scheduled. We are posting one per week, which allows for thoughtful feedback without a workload that is too onerous.
If you are a paid subscriber, you can go into the workshop space and take a look—not only what is being posted, but the comments. There is much to learn from feedback, and from how it is offered. Lots of thoughtful ideas, all respectful, with a sense of honouring both writer and writing.
If you want to join us, and write a picturebook, check out the PB writing posts as listed in the post about the workshop. Send your manuscript to me (not over 1000 words, please), and it’ll go into the queue. Read those posted, and add thoughts—this is an ongoing process.
Writers whose works are posted, if you are satisfied with the feedback, don’t feel a need for more, let me know, and I’ll add a note about that OR if you’d like me to take down the post, I can do that, too. (If planning to share a re-write, you might want to leave up the initial posted work for comparative reading/thoughts.)
If there’s a genre/form you’d like to work in—say flash fiction, poetry, memoir—let me know, and I’ll put out a call similar to the PB one.
Not long ago, we tried longer forms—opening chapters—and there was little feedback. I think the sheer length was just a bit much.
So let’s limit adult fiction to a max of 1500 words.
Email: alison@alisonacheson.com
* NOTE: if you are serious about taking part in the “workshop space,” DO register in it. To do this:
click on your icon/photo in upper righthand corner
click on “manage subscription”
under “Notifications” check the box for “The Unschool WORKSHOP Space”
After that, the easiest way to access the Space is to click The Unschool Workshop Space under the Unschool for Writers on the home page.
* Remember: any time you receive an email from The Unschool, just click on the title of the post—and you’ll be taken directly to the site.
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Prompt for July
I was listening to music the other night, and feeling overwhelmed—in the best way—with the return to the peopled world. I suspect I will never again take live music in a venue for granted… but perhaps I never should have.
When I was young I started a series of bus stories and bus poems—yes, public transit tales. It occurred to me then—all those years ago—that it’s almost impossible to ride a bus or train and not come away with a story, or at least a piece that can serve as grain-of-sand to something that can grow.
So in these-times (sorry, I do shudder at the phrase these-times!) the prompt this month is to get ye out and into the world! Take a bus, sit in a restaurant, go hear music. Go dance. Listen, observe! And do all the miserable things that writers do—you know we steal from and judge those around us. But we call it inspiration and story-and-character-creating, because it is, of course.
Post your stories (no longer than a couple pages, please, 500 words), and poetry welcome, too. As usual, I’ll set up a thread for this.
I thoroughly enjoyed the June posts!
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Re-cap of June posts
Starting with the monthly newsletter which celebrated our one year birthday. And of course the prompt thread which elicited some fun.
Getting into the month, I wrote about what to do with vague words—stay or go?
And how to work with a certain type of detachment—or how to “crank out” material. Making decisions. Cutting. But not too much. Writing “cold-bloodedly.”
Do you need an author’s website? Do you? So much has changed. I’m inclined to say no, but with caveats.
Some thoughts on moving from first draft to second (and beyond).
Most recent post: finding inspiration from wordless (word-free?) art forms.
And the call to picturebook writers to join in our workshop!
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Happy writing, Unschoolers—
Alison