People like to tell tales. Some stories are told for their
entertainment value. Others are memories and reflections on a life lived, for
the benefit of children and grandchildren. Sometimes the process of putting
down a story in words can be deeply meaningful to the writer.
Read on to see how you can develop your skill and confidence
through a remarkable writing class at the Carolina Fiber and Fiction Center
Many people have
heard of the Carolina Fiber and Fiction Center, in the Octagon House, for the wonderful weaving they do
and the spinning and weaving classes they offer. Less photogenic are the writing classes given by Dr. Grace Farrell.
Faith LaBossiere attended Grace's class in the fall of 2010
and says that “it gave me confidence and made me comfortable expressing my
thoughts, in writing, about a difficult subject.” Faith was so positive about
the 5-week course that she signed up for a second one. “Practice putting my
thoughts down on paper, with Grace’s guidance, was very rewarding and gave me
an important personal story that I could share with some close friends.”
Dr. Farrell will hold a new class on five Saturdays in
October from 9:30 to 11:30 AM. Life Story will emphasize the
development of compelling narrative from the writer's memories and imagination.
Each student will choose a topic of interest and develop the written work on
his or her own time. The class meetings will be used to support and guide each
writer in their work and challenges in a group discussion environment.
Techniques of story development will be explained as they can apply to the work
of the students.
Grace’s goals for the Life Stories classes are to write
freely and in your own voice, to hear and hold your audience, to break
chronology and to move from the real to the imagined. The classes will not
impose one style; they permit everyone to have a unique voice, a unique
perspective and to write creatively. The course will teach the use of prompts,
that are meant to release our talent and stifle our inner critic.
These class have proven to work well with a variety of
writing skill levels, from beginning to advanced. In class you may choose to
read your writing or not, you may choose to respond to others’ writing or not.
The first session will be October 1 and space is limited so
contact Grace Farrell soon at gfarrell@butler.edu
for more information or registration. The cost for the series of five classes
is $150.
Grace Farrell - Writer and weaver, author of five books, has a Ph.D. from Brown University in English and
American Literature, and has taught writing and literature in universities for 35 years.