Yeah, I just saw all of the other posts and I thought I'd mix it up with the title.
ETHAN WATTERS WAS SO INSPIRING. I was so impressed with how well he handled all of the questions and how thorough he was at explaining himself.
One thing he made me think about was how we handle sources. In general, it seems, reporters don't really like sharing. That seems to be a lonely choice. Knowing how hard it is to collect the right sources for the story at hand (I guess that depends on the subject), I feel like it should be a no-brainer.
Anyway, those who were there (I think it was everybody- INCLUDING LUPE I HAVE THE PICTURES TO PROVE IT) know that he invited anyone who was interested to come hang out and have lunch at his fancy San Francisco Writer's Grotto. I think we should plan a day to go as a class. and YES THAT MEANS WE NEED TO START A DIALOGUE.
So maybe we should wait til a class day to talk about this? Or you could just write on this post?
I think the most valuable thing I learned from his talk was that a community is really important. Having a separate space to collaborate on content and people you trust to give you feedback is really important, and I hope that I can have that somehow when I get out of school and start my professional life.
By the way,
You guys are the best.
(And I'm sorry for using caps so much)
Where am I?
The view from here
Doorway
Where is it? Is it in your neighborhood?
Gino
Corner of Haight and Octavia
I absolutely agree! I loved that he was all about the co-op system, rather than sticking to the independent one. I don't particularly like the idea of potentially being stuck on my own forever, only relying on my editor for feedback. I think the grotto is an excellent idea :)
ReplyDeleteYou guys thinking of starting a commune?
ReplyDeleteI'm psyched that you agree!! And I hope so! I'm so excited to see how the Grotto works. One thing he talked about was how a good criticism inspires you to take the next step in your work, and I think that's something that we do as a class anyway.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lisa, for making my presence known! lol
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of a writers group. I don't necessarily have a group, but I do have a few friends who I seek for constructive criticism. Aside from surrounding yourself with people who have similar interests (in writing or a particular subject) and are knowledgable, it's great because they are not afraid to share their honest opinions!
I think your idea of taking up his offer to visit the grotto as a class is cool, but we are almost near the end of the semester! I'm so down to go on my own or with whoever else is down!
Yeah, it's problematic, given the end of the semester -- and the fact that I teach right after our class. We'll try to brainstorm tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteI think we should all start our own writer's group.
ReplyDeleteCome on.. do we really need to be in session to get together and put our writing hats on? Hell no. But if not everyone is up for it, we can definitely go as a smaller group. I'd like to email him soon to see when would be good for him, so if you talk about it in class today, let me know!
ReplyDelete