Diving In: First Pages [Bonnie J. Rough]

All Levels | Ann Patchett describes turning a brilliant idea into written words as akin to plucking a gossamer butterfly from the air and pinning it gruesomely to the page. Her point? Early drafts rarely gleam like the idea that first sparked the writer’s imagination. Nevertheless, for a writer’s vision to progress through draft form and eventually meet an audience, it must pass through a painfully awkward getting-started stage. Most writers, including beginners, intuit this unpleasant fact and resist putting down the first words or pages of a new project. In this class, using specific strategies, exercises, and examples, we will explore, practice, and learn to appreciate the uneasy but necessary beginnings of creating new work.