The post for this
week is being written from an oversized red rocking chair on my front
porch. I wasn’t going to pass up the
opportunity to spend a bit of time outside when it’s nearly eighty degrees and
barely a cloud in sight. There may be a
glass of Moscato lurking nearby, as well.
Blue sky and buds on the trees.
This past Monday, I
stepped foot into a college classroom for the first time in over twenty
years. It was the first night of three
classes I’m taking each week. Creative
Writing on Monday, Mental Math on Tuesday, and Spanish on Thursday. At work on Wednesday, I was discussing math
class and how fascinating I found it. More on that in a moment. A co-worker inquired why I was taking
classes. Honestly, I’ve toyed with the
idea of an MFA – it seems like such a writerly thing to do. Out of the gate, these classes were an
opportunity to get my feet wet again, meet some new people & potentially
network, and…well...grow. During our
chat, she felt while learning was good, it didn’t make sense at this stage of
one’s life (am I really at ‘this stage of
my life’ already!?!) if it didn’t come with financial incentive. I’ll admit it got rather heated, but we agreed
to disagree and continued on.
A fight over gaining knowledge?
The creative writing
class has folks from all different backgrounds.
By design, it’s geared towards beginners, but that’s what I wanted. Going back to the beginning is a good way to
remind yourself of the things you’ve forgotten along the way. Everyone in the class was asked a goal they
hoped to achieve from attending. For me,
I want to sharpen my focus as a writer.
Get more in touch with my creative side and feel less inhibited on the
page.
Math. Oh, math.
We’ve always had a love hate relationship. I LOVE to HATE it. Since I was a child, it has been my least
favorite subject. However…and I cannot
believe I’m saying this…I actually enjoy this class. It removes the pencil, paper, and calculator
and you are required to do all the calculations IN YOUR HEAD. At first, I nearly passed out. I struggle enough WITH a pencil and paper let
alone trying to do anything like that in my head. Thirty minutes into the class, I was doing
it! I couldn’t believe it. Without getting two into the weeds, all
numbers have patterns, nothing is random, and it’s recognizing those facts that
allow you to do it all inside your own head.
Spanish I took in
high school and college. Being so long
ago and not using it on a regular basis, the skills got a bit dusty. I can read it with no difficulties, but to
try and carry on a conversation I can do little more than ask someone where the
bathroom is. This particular class
focuses on immersion. We didn’t start
with the basics, it’s sort of a sink or swim and pick it up as you go along. It’s working well for me, but I had a number
of years under my belt already. For some
of the folks just starting out, it appeared to be a bit of a struggle, but
they’ll be fluent in no time, I’m sure.
Why am I am sharing
all of this? Because it is so crucial to
your writing that you never stop learning.
Nothing is better for your creativity than pushing yourself
mentally. Clearing out those cobwebs and
letting those gears turn like that haven’t in so long. And not just writing classes! You'd be surprised how other courses can impact your work. I’ll keep you posted on my progress, what I’m
learning, and how I incorporate it into my writing throughout this semester.
What are your
thoughts on continuing education and its impact on your writing? Have you attended any classes of your own? Let me know in the comments
section below.
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