What if your writing were a horse? And what if you didn’t have to chase it down and manhandle it?
Kafka said if you could only be still–”just learn to be quiet, still, and solitary. And the world will freely offer itself to you unmasked. It has no choice; it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.”
Enjoy Koelle Simpson’s TED talk and be kind to your inner horse.
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Text © Gwyn Nichols 2012. All rights reserved. WritersResort.com
Image: YouTube screenshot
Jack Hitt’s hour-long report for This American Life on Hamlet performed by prisoners, originally broadcast in 2002, has inspired me all week with its deep insights about Hamlet and encouragement for my own students, a few of whom have come from prison.
Nobody points out the ex-cons in my classes–I wouldn’t know that detail if they didn’t confide in me themselves. A couple have broken my heart by returning to prison or to the streets, but most are determined to take their second chance and become a blessing to their families. Like this reporter, I don’t necessarily want to know what they’ve done in the past. For me, their life begins here and now.
And I’d love to have all of my students think of my class-as one prisoner/performer said of his experience with teacher/director, Agnes Wilcox–”For a few hours a week, we get to feel human again.”
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Text © Gwyn Nichols 2011
A great reporter is a storyteller, and Scott Simon can do that, and even teach it. Here’s Scott’s storytelling advice:
"How to Tell a Story"
