Let’s say you’re looking forward to a visit from your dear old Aunt Ida, but when she comes you’re disappointed by how tiresome and dull she is. Actually you’re disappointed in yourself: Aunt Ida has always been dull—what did you expect? Likewise, as writers, if we expect to succeed by coming down the page the same way every time, no matter the subject, falling back on habitual patterns, we’re inviting Aunt Ida (bless her heart) for another visit. Even worse, we’re becoming her.
As a teacher, I introduce writers to a multiplicity of practices for making discoveries on the page. But if I could only teach one, it would be “working against your drift.” Working against your drift is a dynamic practice that trains you to never be complacent, never settle for even a smart idea or clever move, never “get high off your own supply.” When we work against our drift we adjust ourselves into greater precision and possibility, inviting the world’s subtlety and surprise onto the page.
This session is perfect for all genres, and will include models, discussion, Q&A, and exercises.
Diana Goetsch is a poet and essayist, author of eight poetry collections, much freelance journalism, and the acclaimed memoir This Body I Wore. Reviewers have called her writing “enthralling,” “exquisite,” “hilarious,” “harrowing,” and “achingly beautiful.” Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Best American Poetry, The Pushcart Prize, The Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, and the Los Angeles Times. Diana is a renowned teacher of writing, who has been on faculty at various colleges and conferences, and is sought after as a mentor. Her online course Actually Writing was attended by poets and writers from five continents and is now available on Vimeo.
