I graduated!
As thrilled as I am to say that I’m now the proud owner of a Certificate in Novel Writing from the Stanford online writing program, more than any other graduation in my life I’ve much sadness, too.
My fellow cohort members are remarkable artists, friends, supporters. These few dozen women (and Roy!) cheered my move across country, gave impeccable critical feedback, understood like no one else the tribulations of being “writer.”
Our teacher/mentors created a rigorous yet warm environment, full of craft and aha’s! and intellectual stimulation and holy cow’s. I’m still drop-dead amazed. How do you do that online (with a few in person meetups?) The whole of academia needs to take a lesson from this program.
So, that leaves me a bit bereft. Done. A year of saying goodbyes, I guess: home, work, friends, now OWC.
But…all is not lost!!
We’ve formed at least two writing groups (the Happy Quartet below–online video chatting weekly; and the Bay Area Meetup—in person monthly.) And, Stanford has provided us a chat room to continue on for another while.
And that will be the legacy of OWC, that life goes on, that writing community once found is worth nuturing, that we are all writers, ass-in-the-chair artists with something to say worth saying. What a friggin’ transformation (as my main novel character, Polly, would say!)
Gail Ansel 