SEATTLE WRITING MARATHON

Warmup

During a marathon, writers roam the area in small groups, pausing to write in 10 to 20 minute sessions, then sharing their efforts.  “It's all about seeing the world as a writer and giving oneself the chance to do this,” Southern Louisiana Writing Director Richard Louth says.

Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones was the impetus for a Fellow to do a demonstration on marathons in New Orleans. Here is Goldberg's advice about writing during the marathon:

Everyone in the group agrees to commit himself or herself for the full time. Then we make up a schedule. For example, a ten-minute writing session, another ten-minute session, a fifteen-minute session, two twenty -minute sessions, and then we finish with a half-hour round of writing. So for the first session, we all write for ten minutes and then go around the room and read what we've written with no comments by anyone. . . . A pause naturally happens after each reader, but we do not say “That was great” or even “I know what you mean.” There is no good or bad, no praise or criticism. We read what we have written and go on to the next person. . . . What usually happens is you stop thinking: you write; you become less and less self-conscious. Everyone is in the same boat, and because no comments are made, you feel freer and freer to write anything you want. (150)

From Richard Louth's article in The Quarterly , Winter 2002

Before we begin a marathon, I ask each participant to turn to another and say, “I am a writer.” If asked to identify themselves that day, I tell them to reply, “I'm a writer.” Why? Because most summer fellows identify themselves as teachers, not writers, and for a marathon to succeed, participants must think of themselves in a new way. The marathon introduces its participants to an unfamiliar world, and the first step is to forget the familiar identities that often get us through the rest of the year. I have discovered that thinking of yourself as a writer not only affects you but also others, and that it can open many doors.

I Am a Writer

How many of us, as teachers, can live the writer's life? For me, the writing marathon was my first taste of what it would really feel like to be a writer. It was the very first moment I ever thought, ‘Damn, I am a writer.'”
—Beth Calloway, SLWP 1996

Each year Seattle hosts the Puget Sound Writing Project's Writing Marathon, a one-day adventure into writing, life, and discovery. This year, we take on the art and intrigue of the SAM (Seattle Art Museum) in the heart of downtown Seattle!

For information about the Writing Marathon, download our flyer!