What Just Happened: Discovering What Is

6-week writing adventure with Nina Wise
Mondays, 10–11:30am
June 6, 13, 20, 27, July 4, 11

Each week we will write about what is up for us at the moment. By dedicating time to give expression to what is going on in our lives and hearts, we uncover deeper layers of meaning that lie hidden from ordinary awareness. Creating a coherent narrative gives rise to ease, amusement and appreciation; our systems relax even while the world keeps spinning. As our psyche steps forth to reveal insights that are not immediately apparent to us, we begin to make sense of our lives in new ways. We turn nothing away: if we are grieving, that grief informs our narrative. If we are confused, we allow confusion to be expressed. If we are lonely, that, too, is the material of our narrative.

During this workshop, we will focus on the craft of writing so that our work becomes more skillful, more precise, more expressive. As we hone our skills, and are able to tell our story with more precision, more depth of feeling arises. And yet there is nothing formulaic: each writer finds their own voice and learns to let it speak through them. 

Each week, I will give a teaching about an aspect of the craft of writing. There will be two timed writing sessions followed by the opportunity to read your work aloud in a safe and supportive environment in breakout rooms.

Participants will be invited to join cohort groups of 3–4 writers and meet once a week for an hour to practice what we did in class: write and read aloud.

Week 1: Discovering What Is
Often when we write we abandon what is and instead write about how we feel or what we think about what is. When we learn to write about the actual reality of what is rather than our theories and opinions, something deeper and more intimate can be revealed.

Week 2: The Last 24 Hours
A great deal happens in a day and night but we don’t always notice because we are so inundated with news from around the world that the robustness of own lives disappears from view. In this session, we will mine a narrative from the past 24 hours.

Week 3: Home
Our home—our place shelter— contains thousands of stories. As we write about our homes, so much can be revealed not only to others but also to ourselves.

Week 4: The Life of Common Stuff
During this session, i will give you various writing prompts about stuff we interact with on a daily basis. It is a surprisingly fun practice and enriches our daily lives in unpredictable ways.

Week 5: Secrets
Often, our most powerful stories are those we don’t want to tell. And yet, once told, we feel freer and discover that the very issues that we feel are most private are ones that are shared by many. In this session, in a way that is safe and supportive, we will take a look at a secret or two and see what we discover.

Week 6: Character Study
Our lives are populated by others: friends, partners, family members, pets, colleagues, shopkeepers, hairdressers, doctors, etc. Each of these relationships are unique and provide us with a sense of being inside a flow of life, a web of relationships. In today’s session, we will explore one or two of these characters and give them a chance to come alive on the page.

6 weeks for $195
$175 for current students, discount available through May 30th

Refund Policy

We do our best to keep our fees very affordable and hope you understand that there are many administrative hours and costs that are involved in running our programs. We also understand that things come up for people and want to accommodate your change of plans as best we can. So here is our refund policy:

The registration fee for Motion’s online events is non-refundable. If you withdraw within one week prior to the first session, the fee you paid can be applied to a future Motion Theater workshop within one year (less 20% processing fee).

* All workshop sessions are recorded and available for 4 weeks after the final workshop session. The links will be sent to you each week (only for those registered for a multi-week series).

* Motion will consider refund requests due to an extraordinary circumstance or emergency on a case by case basis if you withdraw within one week prior to the first session. To request a refund of this nature, please contact us and explain your situation.