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Paying for it
Jul. 25th, 2010 04:56 pmEvery September for the past four years or so, ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
jbknowles starts National Novel Writing Month a few weeks early and calls it JoNoWriMo+1.5. Last year instead of participating I swore off writing altogether, for an indefinite period of time. It was one of many smart decisions I made last year. Then, on Thanksgiving Day, without really noticing it, I entered a writing contest. It was only one sentence and there were fewer than a dozen entries, but I won, and I actually received not a Valuable Prize but a prize that was worth something, and that was a free enrollment to some locally operated, professionally led, reading seminars. Imagine something between a college class and a book group, but populated mostly by people over 30 who are there for community and pleasure, rather than a grade and a piece of paper.
Last month I finally enrolled for my seminar, and I have attended the two sessions that have taken place so far, and I'm loving it. I'm getting out of the house. I'm hanging around other adults. I'm talking about things that matter to me. I am being asked questions, and when I speak, people listen to what I am saying. Not only do I get to feel like a grown-up again, but I am coming to realize that I actually do know a thing or two about a thing or two, and it's incredibly gratifying.
And if all goes as planned, I will get to spend THREE evenings this week with writers and words and books and readers. Amazing and wonderful.
jbknowles starts National Novel Writing Month a few weeks early and calls it JoNoWriMo+1.5. Last year instead of participating I swore off writing altogether, for an indefinite period of time. It was one of many smart decisions I made last year. Then, on Thanksgiving Day, without really noticing it, I entered a writing contest. It was only one sentence and there were fewer than a dozen entries, but I won, and I actually received not a Valuable Prize but a prize that was worth something, and that was a free enrollment to some locally operated, professionally led, reading seminars. Imagine something between a college class and a book group, but populated mostly by people over 30 who are there for community and pleasure, rather than a grade and a piece of paper. Last month I finally enrolled for my seminar, and I have attended the two sessions that have taken place so far, and I'm loving it. I'm getting out of the house. I'm hanging around other adults. I'm talking about things that matter to me. I am being asked questions, and when I speak, people listen to what I am saying. Not only do I get to feel like a grown-up again, but I am coming to realize that I actually do know a thing or two about a thing or two, and it's incredibly gratifying.
And if all goes as planned, I will get to spend THREE evenings this week with writers and words and books and readers. Amazing and wonderful.
