Hestia Homeschool for Young Wild Women

Our Writer's Group had to be moved to a weekend night last month because it is interfering with vaulting...these girls have such complicated schedules, it is difficult to move things around!  Still, I enjoy the richness and variety of their lives, even if some of the things I only experience vicariously.

Writing Group is something that I throw myself into whole heartedly. I have been working on a story I wrote about growing up in Appalachia and presenting it for the past few meetings.

I was so impressed by the writing of the girls who attended--and this time a young man, 15 years old, joined us. He did not formally present anything but quoted a poem he wrote. Mostly he enjoyed being the only male with a lot of pretty girls, I suspect. :-)

Here is Rachael's take on the night:

We had writing group Friday night (the Ridimans have vaulting on Thursday nights now, so we gave Friday a whirl), except that our regulars were sick, so it was just us, the Ridimans, Tabby's friend Courtney, and a boy we'd never had there before named Nicky, I believe. It was relatively quiet, and, as I said, small. :-) Actually, it wasn't that much quieter. Shelby provides most of the sound.

First Tabby read a few things of hers, one of them this really delightful short thing that was the opening of a story and a man saying something like, "I guess we should put the cat in the freezer or the dog will get it." I really liked it and I wanted to know what happened next.

And then I went. Last time we'd been talking about things we wrote when we were little, so this time I brought my creative writing journal thingie from second grade and a story I wrote in third grade. Both are really quite amusing (I often illustrated my stories in second grade, and the stories often went something like, "My cat went for a walk. Here's what she looked like"). Plus I brought my old sketchbook and my current one because I thought it was interesting to see how much I'd progressed in the year it's been since I decided I wanted to draw better, and I brought two of my pieces of "real" writing.

What I read first was the piece I excerpted last week, which Kas calls "the hot story," and which I call, "that thing I wrote I like," or "changingsam,"which is the document's title. Everyone really liked it and Weesie knew immediately what I'd ripped it off of (this sort of thing happens when it's all I talk about, and walk around the house singing the songs). And then I read from my "museum" piece, which also seemed well-receieved and got constructive criticism too. :-)

And then Kas read some stuff--at some point (I don't remember if she read before or after me) she read some things Mandy had written when she was little. I liked the one about the wedding. :-) After I went, she read from the book she's writing in pieces, which is based on her childhood, and is very entertaining. I thought the scene with her grandmother was very sweet.

(Alas, no one but anyone who was there has any idea what I'm talking about with referencing these writings, but just know it was all enjoyable. *g*)

I really prefer having the writing group on Thursdays (I'm not sure why; I just do), and this was the source of much discussion this time around. Whether to have it on Thursdays or Fridays. At one point Kas said something like if we had it on Fridays, then she could start taking tai chi again on Thursdays, and I said I was interested in taking tai chi, and Kas was like, "Or you could take aikido," and Mandy was like, "If you take aikido I'll take it with you!" I said I couldn't afford to.
(I've been thinking, as I'm slowly gaining all of my weight back, that I ought to start exercising regularly, and it's been six years since I stopped training in karate. It'd be nice to start learning a martial art again. I'm still not sure...it's hard work, and Kas's horror stories linger in the back of my head...but I'm thinking about it...)

And afterwards we watched Signs, which I haven't quite been able to get out of my head since. Today for my Magnolia homework Elyse and I were discussing patterns and the like, and she referenced Shyamlan's movies as the source of patterns as opposed to themes. Plus random lines pop up in my head (usually, "I am full of rage!" and that part where Mel Gibson is like, "I cussed," and Joaquin Phoenix is like, "I heard you." and that birthday party scene--both when Joaquin is like, "Move, kids!" and when the alien comes out 'cos it's creepy, and when Mel is like, "Swing away, Merrill. Merrill, swing away," and how much ass Joaquin kicked in that scene...heck, every single scene with Joaquin Phoenix was excellent; he did a really good job. The tinfoil hat part and the part wherehe's watching TV inthe closet all, "People are getting obsessed!" and when he makes like he's gonna hit that loser, then doesn't. So did Mel Gibson, he did a wonderful job, but I like Joaquin better on account of he's in more movies I like).

This entry has 2 comments:

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• #2 Comment from deshelestraci 
  3/9/06 9:38 AM | Permalink

  I'm glad it continues to go on.  I am hoping for something along those lines when the girls are bigger.
  Traci
• #1 Comment from my78novata 
  3/9/06 5:59 AM | Permalink

  sounds neat having a guy join in