Writers helping writers

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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I attended a writer’s workshop this weekend, the first time I’ve ever attended any conference geared toward creative writing. It’s been a thrill to be around so many who take the written word so seriously. I’ve been thinking about what I’ve taken away from the weekend.

First, it reminded me of the power of the written word. The choice of one word, or a few words put together, matters. In fact, writing is all about those little choices. It’s not to be taken lightly. In one workshop, the class leader wrote two sentences on a dry-erase board. Close, but not the same, the lines were attributed to two different people. They held quite different meanings, we decided.

It turned out that the sentences were two different translations of a line written by a Spanish poet. One translation was done by a scholar, the other another poet. But both held very different meanings.

The conference inspired me to take on a real project. I have no idea what that project will be, but I need a project, maybe several, some big and some small, to be working on.

The weekend helped me remember to stretch some old, atrophied writing muscles. It made me want to get in there and start the Rocky-like training that has to be done if I’m ever to have a shot at a title match.

And back to the power of the written word – the weekend told me, once again, how the written word can move people. Time and again, writers noted the magic of taking human experience, translating it into an elixir of words on paper or screen, and setting it out to for another to come by, slake their thirst, and maybe even be transformed.