I attended a Memoir Writing Workshop of thirteen Oregonian’s and myself – taught by Matt Love at the Fort George Brewery in Astoria, OR on May 9, 2015.

This former car dealership showroom turned brewery conference room was great for sitting amongst some kegs of aging beer and learning more about writing.

From the various handouts and prompts a few standout for me:

I chose from a list of Writing Quotes “I hate writing, I love having written.” –Dorothy Parker

From this choice I wrote:

I completely agree – I hated writing and all “English” classes all the way through school. Too many rules!  I saved Writing 101 for my last class of my Twenty-Year Two-Year degree.

When life cracked me open after my dog died I started writing about her to preserve my memories. I love that.

Another exercise was to choose a utensil from a pile of spoons, forks and knives. I chose a damaged fork with an ornate handle.

From this I wrote:

My writing about life with Sarrah covers one part perfectionist, one part bent, another damaged and lastly ending realigned differently – All working together for a carved cause.

Some other prompts of interest to me were:

A turning point

Start with a line of dialogue/conversation

A lie

Bliss