September 1 Newsletter

Terrifying moments. A "voice" prompt.

Sep 01, 2022

Most terrifying moment of the summer:

Ptarmigan Ridge, Mt. Baker National Park, August 2022

This photo is of me returning from a hike up to the Ridge. What you don’t see is earlier in the day (that was the terrifying piece) when I was too afraid to cross the snowfield (ice field?) and insisted that we climb around, up and over—which was a tedious rocky way to go. But by the end of the day, I’d crossed a half dozen more of such areas, and although this was by far the steepest (and with some extraordinarily sharp-looking boulders a couple hundred feet down, so if you do slip, you’re on a toboggan run right into them) I was ready to cross, with a whole lot of focus on placing my feet, one after the other (and repeat and again… and don’t look down) I was so grateful for a pole.

It’s a lot like writing. (And the athletes laugh…)

What is something you have done this summer—something seemingly unrelated to the act of pen-to-paper, fingers-to-keys—but it’s taught you about this labour we do?

Post in the comments.

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September Prompt

As mentioned in the POV post, I’m working on a piece about “voice.” (Do check out the August prompt responses, with each posting pieces with 3 POVs and different tenses—I was so heartened to see these! Great work, pushing, and having fun with. It’s never too late to write and post to a monthly prompt.)

Exploring “voice” is a natural follow-up to POV, so we’ll do the prompt now, and see what you come up with. Before I post a piece about, you’ll discover your questions.

My father had this rather odd idea that we should try things before we take any lessons. For instance, we’d drive up to the mountain, strap on skis, and spend a few hours over some days getting the feel of the things. He’d read in a book (so pre-internet) about how to stop, how to “go,” and—most importantly—how to fall down. Only then would we take some lessons. Same theory with music: muck about on the piano or whatever, see if you enjoy, see if you like the sound and the feel… then sign up.

So for me it’s an old paradigm.

Let’s see where your responses to the prompt go, share your questions and observations, and I’ll work through my post with these in mind.

What to do:

With the main character of your current work (or any character, or some Being-of-wonder who pops into your mind and so wants to be on the page), begin to write a journal entry.

This is the CHARACTER’S journal. So you’ll be writing as that person, most likely in first person, unless for some reason this character/person writes about their self in some other way! (And if so, how might you/your character’s voice let the reader know why this is…?)

To consider:

Usually journal entries begin with a date. If you can’t think where to begin, begin here: what is this date (significant?) for this character? What day of the week is it, and in what year? Is it a holiday? A birthday… an anniversary of something? A sad or happy day? Is this a person who logs in some bit about the weather, or the mundane of the day. (Right now I am busy researching a novel set in 1526, and am seeking the “ordinary” of the day, the stuff no one writes or records. So each wee bit I find of such is Gold. Trust me: there is no mundane.)

As for description (of self, others, setting), question how and why you might include. Really the point here is to dive in: inhabit the character, write as the character. Assume whoever is reading has been reading this journal before now and knows all sorts about the character. This exercise is about stumbling over and into your character’s way of thinking and feeling and absorbing the world—their voice.

Time yourself. (Timing is useful when it causes you to set aside the censor, and just do.) No more than 15 minutes. Post on the Prompt Thread that I’ll set up.

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Re-cap of August posts

The August first newsletter was chock-full of everything from a recipe to a market—cold tomatoes to Chicken Soup. And the POV/tenses prompt thread drew some solid work. NOTE that these were set up to be posted before I left for hiking, and therefore the two links did not work properly! I apologize and won’t do any such linking under similar circumstances. So for today’s “prompt thread” I will NOT link, as I’m again off in some mountain. Just look for the thread—it’s set to be posted just minutes after this one.

I posted a piece on writing for the Chicken Soup for the Soul books. Check it out. I encourage you to use their topics as prompts, even if you have no desire to send off the completed pieces. I often start as a prompt and then the piece gets far too long, or becomes something else—the prompts are broad. You could revisit the same for a month, and have every day a different piece.

I added to the Close Read series (check out in the 2021 index) with a post on Anne Tyler’s latest, French Braid. With a focus on Tyler’s resonant descriptions.

And I added a title to the series of books on writing, too. (Again, check out the index for these.) This time, Josip Novakovich’s Fiction Writer’s Workshop—a must have.

On August 12th, Salman Rushdie was attacked on-stage, about to deliver a lecture, and I had to post some words. I was… I’m still not sure what the word is. I’m always a bit reluctant to post words of devastation about someone I don’t personally know, and I’ve felt this way since my spouse and father have passed (devastating on a personal level). But there’s something collective and terrifying about this—about the dangers of creating art, about our world, and where we’re at. And I feel so badly that Sir Rushdie and his family are going through this. In our rushing-on-to-the-next-thing world, the “news” has gone very quiet; all I know is that he is still in hospital, and his injuries are described as “life-changing.” If you missed the link I added to the post, which is a link to a post on Charlie Demers’s newsletter, do take another look.

And subscribe for Demers’s work—he’s an observant, thoughtful, and powerful writer, and I regularly read his newsletter. He’s also a truly funny stand-up comedian, if you ever have a chance to see him; his humour grows from his awareness and humanity. He’s not on social media (maybe connected to this quality of “humanity”?? Social media is a tough and problematic space!) so I like to bring his Substack newsletter to others’ radar. And yes, his piece on Rushdie must be read.

I posted a lengthy piece on Point of View—amazed I haven’t gone into this element before now. (There is always more to say about writing.) It is one of the most complicated pieces of this work we do—the choice we make from which to tell our stories. I went hiking at that time so perhaps we missed some discussion around this; do post any questions, and I will respond.

With the 3 Day Novel contest looming, I collected all the pieces about it that I wrote last year, and assembled into this one post. (These are useful if you are setting aside any weekend or time for dedicated writing.)

A piece to gather up a few markets, as I’m going to be doing this at least once a month…

And something to see us thorough this last bit o’ summer, on the writing doldrums that can happen…

I’m delighted to have so many new folks signing up and reading and enjoying. Please let me know, either in the comments or via email, what you might like to find in The Unschool posts. (alison@alisonacheson.com) I do appreciate knowing where you’re at and what are your writing needs.

Workshop Update

The picturebook group has slowed in the last couple weeks—understandably, given the late summer. I’m looking forward to revving up in the coming months. We’ve workshopped about 8 pieces over the past couple of months, a good number.

Once I return from my last hike of the season (September 12), I am anticipating opening up a poetry-writing group in a new workshop. It will be for paid subscribers only (not only because of the work involved, but to keep it private—both for confidentiality and for the matter of being able to—potentially—send out work to the world, to keep the status of such work at “unpublished”).

Keep an eye out for the notification of this, and email to let me know if you are interested.

Also let me know if you want to see other areas in a workshop.

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Newbie Navigating & Indexes

If you’re new here, or just want to get up-to-date, do check out the indexes: 2021 and 2022.

Also, a reminder that the quickest way to access the actual newsletter site on Substack is to click on the title of any post I email to you! That will take you directly to the site. From there, you can click on Unschool for Writers title at the top of the page, and that takes you to a list of posts… and on the righthand side, scrolling down, you’ll find the indexes.

PLEASE let me know if you have ANY issues with navigating. The archives are filled now with posts—enough for a newcomer to spend hours with learning. Do not hesitate to post your own writing on the archived monthly “prompt” threads, and I can have a look and offer feedback (as can others!)

email: alison@alisonacheson.com

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From the Archives

From last summer, juxtaposition and writing nonfiction. (Though juxtaposition always has a role in making the work interesting, going deeper, and finding new.)