Cold Feet

“The Workshop was founded in September 2010 by Keija Parssinen, an Iowa Writers' Workshop alum, published novelist, and teacher of fiction writing. Inspired by Columbia's vibrant creative scene, Keija wanted to establish a home where area writers could share their work with peers, give and receive feedback on manuscripts, and learn about the craft of fiction and creative non-fiction writing.

Modeled after Brooklyn's Sackett Street Workshop and the Iowa Writers' Workshop, QHWW provides careful instruction from an experienced teacher, thoughtful peer review, and a community of people who value the art of writing and understand its hardships and pleasures.”

For the next 8 Mondays I’ll be joining 8 other writers in the Quarry Heights Writers’ Workshop. My blog posts will decline during this time as my attention turns to a manuscript in its infancy. The positive reception that I received to the All Things Important blog has helped me build the courage and enthusiasm necessary to submerge myself in this creative journey with other writers. Throughout the workshop I will post excerpts from my manuscript to All Things Important. 

This clearly is the biggest “dare” I’ve ever taken as a “writer.”  When my feet feel cold, I remember author and poet Marge Piercy’s words in a letter: 

“The real writer is one who really writes.”