This week is a trip down memory lane. I’m at a writers’ conference housed on the grounds where I attended church camp as a kid. Other than the buildings and grounds being much smaller than they did 45 years ago, everything looks pretty much the same. That’s a good thing because:
- Deeply buried directional memories are keeping me from getting lost.
- This place feels like home which leads to a good night’s sleep.
- Internet access is severely limited, so conference attenders are interacting face to face. How strange is that?
This morning I facilitated a workshop called To Thine Own Self Be True. After a brief introduction of the three basic learning styles – visual, auditory, and kinesthetic – attenders used a learning styles inventory to determine their dominant styles. In small groups, they shared what they’d learned and how to apply it to their writing time and spaces. (Teacher friends, is this making your hearts go pitter-pat?) Then, they did the same thing with Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences. And guess what?
The workshop was a huge hit.
Several writers had “aha” moments about why they react the way they do. They talked about it all through lunch. And they extended what they’d learned about themselves to fictional writing. How could information about learning styles and multiple intelligences to add dimension and depth to the characters they create? How could word choice appeal to visual, auditory, and kinesthetic readers?
I had a ball applying my teacher training and experience to writing.
So, here we are half a day into the conference, and I’ve already walked down both my church camp and teacher days memory lane. Now, I’m getting a little nervous about what’s next on this path down the past:
- Summer with cousins at their farms?
- College romance?
- Wilds of South Dakota days?
- Swapping pregnancy stories?
- Children’s hospital hauntings?
Hmm. Maybe it’s time to quit while I’m ahead, get in the car, and head home. Or maybe I should suck it up and boldly face the past. Which one will win out? It all depends on how much I miss the internet.
