The Writing Life--my newest class

I want to tell y'all about a class that I'm taking and that I'm so-o-o excited about. It's called The Writing Life, and it is taught by a Victor Judge, a Vanderbilt professor of literature and religion. Well, that is right up my alley of interests.

Having tried to get in this class for years, I was put on a waiting list this year, and I got in! The class consists of twelve people, and it last for twelve meetings--every other Tuesday morning between now and April. Twice a month, except for December. We are creating a writing portfolio for ourselves. Our writing will be our text for this class, according to the professor.

Dr. Judge tells us that we are conduits for writing, and that's the way I've usually felt--that something was using me to write through. I feel the same way when I really get into painting--when I get in the zone--that something is painting through me. That I believe is the way the creative life works for most of us.

The professor also told us that everything that we write is always a rough draft. And that is so true for me. I have trouble letting a piece of writing go to my readers because I keep working on it, keep adding or changing a word here or there to get the right effect. It's the same with a painting--always asking when it is really finished.

So our first assignment was predicated on one of Emily Dickinson's shorter poem:

A word is dead
When it is said,
Some say.
I say it just
Begins to live
That day.

Our assignment was to choose a word and to write about it. To tell when we first came across the word. To tell how the word feels, looks, sounds, tastes, smells. To tell what color the word is, etc.

So that's it. I've had fun with this assignment these last few days. It's not due until next Saturday, but I had to get it done early because I'm leaving soon for West Virginia for a few days--to view the autumn foliage, to hike to waterfalls, and to raft the New River.

I e-mailed my piece into my teacher this morning, and boy, was I nervous! What I think will happen is that he will make copies of our "homework" that we will share with others in our next class who will act as peer evaluators.

So I decided to share with you gals and guys in my next blog post my first assignment for this class. Any feedback that you want to give me would be greatly appreciated. I will post it for y'all on Monday.