Cat Tales: Miscellany and Mischief

July 18 (30DBC)

July 18 30DBC Prompt: I'm going to a writing workshop at my local library this Tuesday. Tell us about some of your writing experiences outside of WDC. Have you ever attended a workshop or taken a writing class? Have you ever participated in a writing group, or read to an audience? What was it like? Anything you can tell people who haven't done it before (or haven't done it in a long time)?

Well, as an English major in college, I took as many creative writing courses as I could. I ended up taking Creative Writing I and II, and then retaking Creative Writing again my senior year (I loved it that much!) The classes would always be different because the people in the classes changed each semester, and since the class was workshop-based, that meant a whole new set of eyes for reading my assignments. The class also forced me to be prolific--I didn't have time to sit and dawdle over pieces. I just had to write them.

Those workshops were a lot of fun. I got exposed to a lot of different writing styles and strengths, as well as getting acquainted with my own strengths and weaknesses. I made a lot of friends and had a great time helping my class edit the campus' literary magazine.

In my Fantasy Literature course, I also had the really fun privilege of creating a fantasy world with two of my friends for a class project. Their attention to detail brought so much to our world's unique systems, races, and cultures, and I was honored that they chose to use the world map I drew for them, and incorporated my unconventional cultural ideas for one of the races we created. They even came up with a mythology for our world (!).

As for something I would tell someone who's never done it before, DO IT. It's a great opportunity to get exposure as well as read some other great authors who are probably a lot more like you than you realize--a little nervous, excited, and protective of their brain children. Take to heart what rings true in their criticisms and praises, and don't be afraid to toss advice that doesn't sit well with you. Enjoy it, because it's not often that authors get to fellowship with one another. I certainly miss it.



AlyCatAuthor