My Workshop with Pamela Mordecai (Author)

I don't normally share what I do in school, but I felt like this was something I did want to share, given what we cover in this blog. I'll make it short and sweet, but I really enjoyed this!

So, I (Meghan), take a Creative Writing class, as I've mentioned numerous times in other reviews. Most of the time this class consists of workshopping. I have three submissions I send in to be critically reviewed by other writers in the class. Every semester, an author is usually asked to visit and discuss their work, and their processes on writing. 

This term's author was Pamela Mordecai.

She's a Canadian-Jamaican author, who writes poetry, prose, and children's stories. One of her most well-known works is Red Jacket which I have been convinced to read since sitting down with her in the workshop. 

She read us a few of her stories, excerpts of poetry from her collection: De Book of Mary, as well as excerpts from Red Jacket before we got down to discussion. Having read some earlier works, such as Pink Icing, I can honestly say that her writing intrigues me. It focuses on events, sometimes nothing more than everyday life, but they have a larger emphasis in the grand scheme of things. Although I wouldn't have thought to pick up a book before sitting down with her, now I think I might. It's so interesting to actually sit down with an author and pick their brain. I think it illuminates a lot of aspects about how to write, and writing itself that you wouldn't normally get from a class. It's the art of the trade in real life. 

One of the things that I think stood out to me was that she said "I wanted to write about..." which, for me, was surprising. 

I am under the impression that writing just happens, but never once did I think that like an essay you choose what aspects you want to discuss. In Pamela's case, that was identity (and for myself also). Yet, I'm astounded this idea never occurred to me. Yes, essay writing and creative writing are different, but you do (or should) choose what points and messages are important to you. It's given me a new way of going and editing the works I've submitted. At least, for the planning of a given work, it might help to focus, if you know what aspects you want to pull from. 

Which brings me to the discussion period we had. I asked her a question, that I thought was important to me. This was: if you want to write about identity, but can't get yourself into the headspace of a character that you might not be able to draw from personal experience on to create; how do you do it? What's your process? 

As for me, this is very difficult. I've been told my characters are flat, their stories dull, yet I have the ingredients to create something beautiful. Yet, to get down a routine is so hard. 

My answer was very interesting. I couldn't copy it down word-for-word, so I'll paraphrase, in short: 

"I hear them talk to me, in my head...And if I don't know what a character is, or should do, then I have my work to do"

I can attest to this. I can hear the characters myself, except sometimes I ignore them. But I was also happy to hear that just because a character was out of my reach, or out of my experience, that I could still write about it. There's a debate about whether one can do this, and I'm still not sure what side I fall on with that. Yet, I felt like her telling this to me out loud actually gave me an epiphany. A new way of looking at writing characters, and writing stories. More accurately, as she puts it "You put people together and see what happens" when she was asked about if she knows how her writing will end, or if she knows how a piece will go when she starts it. 

I think was about affirmations for me. It was an affirmation of a number of things I'd been insecure about as a writer (attempted writer), and I was glad to hear someone actually address the personal questions I had about writing and put them out in a clear way that now, for my finals, I can use to apply to my writing. It's wonderful actually, and I don't think I can express how happy I was after that.

Anyway, I know this wasn't a review (but trust me, we have lots planned), but it was something I really thought you guys might appreciate! I would recommend reading some of Pamela Mordecai's works!

~Meghan