Not really a great morning for developing a coherent narrative.
So hello! Last time we spoke, I had a bug, but the bug is gone. Last week was the week where I did all the work I should have done during the week of the bug, but didn't. Plus, I did two school visits. One of the visits included doing a writing workshop with eighth graders. Eighth graders in spring time are not your most enthusiastic group. They're ready to move on, and besides, middle-aged visiting writers look like their parents. They no longer like their parents. Really, I should put in my contract: No eighth graders after February.
I finally got them excited by getting them to think like film directors rather than writers. Everybody, even eighth graders in spring, wants to direct. They wrote some good, funny scenes. We talked about how writers need to look, really look, at what's around them. Then I blessed them and sent them on their way.
Never again.
Anyhoo, this week has been a little more normal, except for the kitchen guys showing up today and the fact that tomorrow the Man and I are heading over to Eli Whitney, NC, to make a video. It's the 84th Annual Uncle Eli's Quilting party. Here's the story:
It's a very cool event, and we're documenting it for the Folklife organization where I'm a volunteer. Yay, I'm a documentary filmmaker! That would have never happened in March.
It looks like spring is springing. And April is here. Thank goodness! March was a long, long month. It was my least favorite month of 2015. I'm looking for favorite months from here on out, each month better than the last.
Okay, kitchen guys gone. Back to work!
7 comments:
Well, happy April to you! May many marvellous things happen to you in the next 29 days:)
YOU are so great with students! My little students were completely enamored with you, author of their beloved Chicken Boy!
You are highly engaging, very entertaining! Remember I taught eighth graders for five of my 9.5 teaching years? Yes, I know how they are and you are exactly right when you say that the spring of their 8th grade year, they are less than encouraging!
May you have LOTS of favorite months from now on! Sending love your way, good Frances.
I happen to think eighth graders can be pretty difficult no matter when, in the year, you happen upon them. In Victoria eighth graders are 14 years old, and 14 years old comes with some very inhospitable, unsociable behaviour. You know, eye-rolling, grunting, ignoring people (adults), moodiness, emotional outbursts and the like.
As a mother of three children, the last of whom has six weeks of 14 left, I try to ignore the 14yo behaviour and regularly inform the child that 14 only lasts a year, and then we expect normal nice humans to inhabit our house again.
Having said that, if you were to visit my children's school they would all talk you up so much for your amazing writing, and our friendship, that all the children would be completely delightful. Indeed Miss Sunshine would plan to visit if you were going to be there!
Blessings on your April!
May your month of April be truly blessed [ignore anything TS Eliot said about it]
Will you put your film on a platform that we readers can view? Would be interested in seeing that. Maybe YouTube?
Glad you are back and have the energy to make a film - that will be grand. Lovely that you and your Man are working on it together. I do hope there is some way we might see the film...
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