Another workshop series is wrapping up

 I think tonight ends my third or fourth time leading this series of workshops. I had participants from my overview class asking for more writing time, so the workshops really gave that to them.

 Tonight is Developing Your Writing Style. I've added a few more great videos that we will watch. I have my Legos! This has been a fantastic group!! I'm sorry the session is over. I hope some of them sign up for the mini retreats. 

Linda - a participant in every class and sometimes she takes classes multiple times- has signed up for my beginner glass and the retreats. I would love her feedback on these new classes. 

 I had the opportunity to attend a free session that Michael Tabb hosted (WGA writer/actor/producer and author of a GREAT book). Sadly, he experienced a Zoom bomber. I tried to help a little on my end without us taking too much time. He's an interesting fellow. I took a class with him while getting my MFA, and another writer in my class hung out with him after our graduation. We had a great time at Disney Town, along with Jennie Jarvis, another writer/actor/producer. She's won a TON of awards this year with shorts and pilots. I may look at writing more of those. 

I also got some amazing screenshots from my writing buddy. He was also a graduate of the program, and we formed a small writing group of alumnae. Unfortunately, his move to Vietnam has reduced our amazing talks and our writing work. - We also have a LLC called Agile Media Productions. We plan to use it to produce visual media and publish print media. But, we aren't ready for that yet. 

I have the six week beginner class to create by Sept 15 - I have to commit to completing one session each week. It takes time to develop a class. I don't have semester-long classes, but they are time-consuming to create. I learned once from an instructional designer that for every 1 hour of class time, 8 hours are needed to create and prepare. That's pretty much true.  

 I don't know  how many hours AIMS has me down for, but they are gracious in giving me pay for those hours. I really like this community college. I'd love to do more there, but I doubt the pay would be close to my corporate salary. Maybe it will be my retirement job like my mom did. 

I've rambled enough. Thanks for being here!

My best,

Tess 

Here it is - Writing Retreat: Beneath the Surface

 

It's going to be awesome!

SO much to do!

 Hello my friends,

I continue to be hard at work with classes, workshops, and retreats for creative writing. I have the following already created for AIMS Community College in Greeley, Colorado.

• All about Creative Writing ( Six 2-hour classes)
• Creative Writing Workshop Series: Character, Plot, Reviews & Feedback, Developing Your Writing Style (3 hours each)
• Creative Writing for Beginners (Six 1.5-hour classes)
• Beneath the Surface: Character and Plot  (Two 5-hour mini retreats) 

I love being part of the AIMS community. It's a great community college that strives to serve Greeley and surrounding towns. 

In addition to all of this, I'm creating an in-person retreat located at a historic B&B in Fort Morgan, Colorado!!! I'm always trying to cram as much powerful information into what I offer so that my participants know they are getting more than they paid for. Along side of that, I try to make sure they also have time to apply what they've learned. It's a balancing act, for sure. 

I'm still writing on my own novel (one of them), and I am loving the depth and scope of this story. I hate that it gets sidelined with creating the classes and retreats, but there's not enough time in the day. 

I'm also trying to keep up with bellydancing, service on the board of a new nonprofit, and getting my music chops better and better. I'm picking up my violin and working on piano again. I have a new beautiful electric guitar. I think my vocals are getting better. As everyone around me has said, when I love the song, I belt a good one. Confidence is key.

I have so many amazing books I use as reference materials, and I strive to learn more about writing constantly. I'll have to add them to the pages on my site. Apparently, I'll also have to repost all of the graphics I had on the site. Somewhere along the way they were dropped???? 

As always, please be patient. Consistent blogging is headed to the top of my list as I open registration for my new retreat. 

My best,

Tess 

 

And so it begins..... yay

 I'm happy to announce (with loads of excitement) that I have been accepted as a continuing education teacher at AIMS Community College for a creative writing class. It will be so great to 1) be teaching in a non-grading capacity and 2) be on a college campus again. I might have to go to the book store next time I'm there. It's an "always" thing with me and colleges. I have to attend or teach, not just visit. 

The program coordinator showed my proposed outline to the English department chair who thought it looked to be a good class.  High praise, yes. But, again, this isn't my first rodeo. It's just a new horse. 😉

It just feels so good, my friends. 

I've also continued to read Prewriting Your Screenplay by Michael Tabb, which has been a wealth of solid and usable information. Michael, one of my former professors, has an engaging voice and offers tremendous amounts of information with examples galore. Even if you don't write screenplays, get the book. His many chapters on character alone are a gold mine. I could teach an entire course just on characters. ...who knows, I may. 

What would you like to see in a continuing education class on creative writing?

Still.... tenacity

 My friends, I'm so happy to tell you that tenacity is paying off. My parents (and their friends) have joked for decades that I never create a plan B because I'm so committed to plan A. Well, I don't know. Maybe?

I want to keep teaching creative writing, but in a non-grading/non-credit capacity. I've been contacting all the places I could think of here in Greeley, Colorado. When that didn't seem like it would pan out, I started contacting nearby cities for possible opportunities. 

Now I am talking to three organizations about my proposed course. Tenacity, my friends. 

They say when a door closes, a window opens. I say just look for another door. 

Tenacity Above All

 I am finally getting back to the blog to provide some updates. While talent and extraordinary skills help in your success, the most useful skill is tenacity. Tenacity (to me) is continuing to seek new ideas and avenues. It is getting up every time you feel knocked down. Michael Jordan, Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, and Babe Ruth kept getting up - I mean, their failure rate was devastating, but they could not have had their success without tenacity. Colonel Sanders kept sharing his business vision. Many very famous authors had to submit their works many times before getting accepted for publication. Silvester Stalone is a great example of continuing to press on with his dream when he was "knocked" down time after time trying to get his movie script for Rocky produced. 

Well, I've continued on my path to teaching workshops on creative writing. After all, I did teach it for 7+ years! I was in an ongoing conversation with the local community college continuing education director, but despite their initial enthusiasm, that conversation didn't really progress. 

Moving on!!! I reached out to the local library and the recreation center. The library directed me right around to the recreation center's coordinator, so we'll see.

After that, I reached out to the recreation centers in three neighboring towns. I heard back from one within a few hours, and they had serious questions that indicated a viable possibility. I'm glad I had tenacity. I didn't just stop after a few "red and yellow lights" as Matthew McConaughey would say. Baby, I was going to create a road trip and make my own green lights. 

I love that about me. Really, I do. I love that above all, I have tenacity. I may get knocked down. I may get my feelings hurt. I may have to figure out a very different path.  But, I have the tenacity to keep trying, and I think that is the skill we should all work on. Educators now call it grit. 

Get your grit on, baby. Thomas Edison's philosophy was that each failure in creating the light bulb moved him one step closer to success. Ted Lasso tells us to be a goldfish (give yourself 10 seconds and forget it). I'm doing all of the above.... with tenacity.

Progress is one step at a time

I used to teach creative writing as a middle school elective. Not only that, but I also helped develop a three-year cyclical curriculum that would keep students engaged if they took the elective every year during middle school. I loved creating the lessons and content for my students, and naturally, I had accumulated quite a lot of materials. 

When I left my teaching position in Texas, I "shared" all the files from my school Google account to my personal Google account. Unfortunately, I believe that those materials were lost when my school account was deactivated. I'm pretty upset, but I can't stay in that place for long. 

So, I'm determined to create bigger and better, or at least to start on that creation. Right now, I have an outline of the major units I taught. 

In the meantime, I have also reached out to the English department chair where I want to teach a continuing education course in creative writing. This will give me the teaching and guidance outlet I love without the necessity of grading!!! And I hope to reach a larger audience this way.