Tuesday, February 18, 2014

"I REMEMBER" - TRY IT!

Paganini's symphony plays on Radio Universidad de Guanajuato.  Earlier I heard a poem by Jose Emilio Pacheco, Mexican poet who died recently.  And before that it was a Chopin composition.  This morning - sunny as usual - I sit at the computer right away and start to write and read.  The university radio station is a blessing.  

Mary Morris's workshop yesterday proved very useful and inspiring. So many sad stories! But the instructions and exercises will help me continue my work and probably move in different directions.  She talked about writing scenes - the building blocks of stories.  And we wrote for short periods of time.  First we made a list of "I remember"s - as many as we could; and then we picked one of those to expand into a scene.  It never ceases to amaze me how productive those free writing I remembers can be.  No matter how many times you've done them, you always come up with something you hadn't thought about ever before, or a new way to think of an incident in your life, or just stuff that it's buried in your subconscious.  I came up with a few fascinating possibilities to expand on.  Any writers out there reading this?  Try doing that every day.  For a few minutes.  

After the workshop I sat by the hotel pool and chatted with a woman from the class.  Later we went to dinner to Hecho en Mexico - a favorite of gringos around here.  (I don't usually like using the term "gringos" but it's so common in this town, I can't help myself.)

Lisa comes from the West Coast but has been living in Oaxaca the last few months. She's considering moving there.  I've met so many who come for a visit and move.  To a person they all love San Miguel and sing its praises.  Others move to Guanajuato, Guadalajara, Ajiji, Oaxaca.  I had no idea so many Northamericans relocate here.  And quite a few Canadians.  Food for thought.

At this point, I wouldn't do that.  David and I have thought about it over the years but we are not convinced.  Where will we move to?  Will we move?  More food for thought.

As I close this blog, Aaron Copland's music fills the room.  "American" music - serendipity or omen?

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