So I'd like to say that I'm off to a running start, but...not so much. I have to write about something here, something local...an interesting little slice of my city...something I love about it...something I think others will love about it. A place or activity that I have to actually go do or see before I write 1500 words about it (by Friday). It sounds so simple, right?
And here we go, one little assignment puts it all into perspective...my everyday life has been reduced to a rotation of elementary school hallway, my kitchen, SuperTarget and (on a good day) Starbucks. Sure, I vaguely recall having done interesting things at one point...sometimes I even have the opportunity to go out and do them now...but I don't exactly feel qualified to unlock some secret side of my city...unless maybe you didn't know that Wolfgang Puck Express is the best place to eat with your kids at the Mall of America because not only do they serve mac 'n' cheese and pizza, but they have grown-up food, too, including fabulous butternut squash soup. This is not the type of "travel writing" I had in mind.
I should be honest about what's really bothering me. It's not just that I don't seem to have a single creative idea in my head. It's that the other members of my class all appear to be fabulously jetset -- no less than three of them are actually living abroad currently -- and the only other one who mentioned an interest in family travel also mentioned that she's already had a travel article published...about the time she took her 4 kids to Paris for a long weekend.
I'm jealous, yes. But more than being jealous, I'm intimidated. Being able to take your kids to Paris might not make you a good writer, but it definitely means you've got some interesting things to write about. Sure, I can write well, but if all I'm writing about is kids-eat-free nights and how to navigate downtown with a stroller, well...let's just say I'll be appealing to a somewhat smaller demographic. (And possibly boring myself to tears in the process.)
This is all just me working out my neuroses. I'm sure it will be fine. My riveting piece on the indoor playground near my house will totally stand up to tales of learning to crack fresh coconuts in Tahiti or visiting the monastery in Bhutan...yep, it's all in my head. All in my head.
So anyway, does anyone have any suggestions on things that make Minneapolis interesting?
5 comments:
The Brave New Workshop- History, theater, political connection.
Theaters. Definitely theaters. Good diversity for the size of our city.
My history with the BNW runs a little too deep to write about it with any credibility, but a theater angle is a good idea.
I would actually argue that you should write about something like the playground near your kids school. Interesting travel writing is not about the things that only the rich people can afford. Think of going to a crappy little pub and having the time of your life learning about their rugby team, or eating great food from a road-side vendor. And besides, those other students in your class are, at their core, travelers that want to learn how to write. You are a WRITER who wants to get paid to travel. Hello, superiority.
Sometimes you know exactly what to say. :)
I am starting online classes soon. I am excited!
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