up in the air

My neighbor tried to put some bags of balloons in her garbage the other day, after a party. It was windy and there they went, up in the air and away before she could grab them. My Dad found a bag on a walk and brought the balloons home to the kids. They played “keep it up in the air” and made the balloons pop by having Nanny sit on them. BANG! Then I would jump and shout, STOP IT! I hate BANG!

On another walk, we found more balloons. We picked them up, but not until I had taken some photos.

Each of the kids carried a balloon on the way home and Bapa took over Miles’ scooter when he tired of it. So there he was, 65 and holding a balloon while riding a scooter.

I want there to be something soft about the world and there is when you see it. So much of the time, when I’m driving, I see all the very hard things. I think about them, too. But when we walk, it’s the soft that I see. We laugh more, we talk more and we’re breathing more freely when we get home. Home is neither here nor there for us and yet we’re at home in both Minnesota and Texas. Our world is bigger but it’s also too big because Minnesota is way up there and Texas is way down here.

So my parents and our Auntie Kay drove away today after being here almost two weeks, and it was hard. Up and away they went before I could grab them.

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What is revealed with free-writing is your own style of writing. It reveals YOU through your stories. It does not push for a theme, but gives you one all on its own as you type (or scribble) out details and memories of things that stick with you even if you try to shake them off.

The course I’m teaching that starts on Tuesday night is about free-writing. I’ll tell you what I love about free-writing and why, how I sit down to do it and why.

To answer some FAQ about the course: If you cannot make it all four nights (of one hour each) on Tuesday through Friday, that’s okay! Once you register, you are able to watch the course at any time if you can’t see it live at the time. (Each night at 8pm central time.)

If you feel like a novice or if you are a seasoned writer, this course is for you. If you are new to writing or just do it as a hobby and don’t feel like a “writer”, that’s okay! You’ll learn and you will not be holding up the class. If you are a writer and you simply want to explore a certain style of writing through this class, that will certainly work for you.

Any other questions, please feel free to email me at heatheroftheeo at gmail dot com

It’s $39 for four nights at one hour each and more information and to register, visit Quistic! You have until Tuesday to register, but don’t procrastinate. We all know how that goes…. or is that just me? Just checking…