Welcome/Bien Venido/as/x to the free writing workshop
You’ve come to the right place.
I’ll be checking in from 3-5 p.m. CST for comments and checking my email: anacastilloworkshops@gmail.com. It is the email where you may send any writing that comes from these exercises and prompts or related but private questions. Otherwise, you may also post in the comments sections here.
Because these are virtually virtual times I’m offering a community of writers and would-be writers to follow along here on line. No cost, no obligations, no previous experience necessary.
This writing workshop is called FACE YOUR FEARS. Check previous posts to prep.
In order to face them name your fear. In the case of this workshop we need not share them with anyone. You are working with me and with a disembodied group but mostly, you’ll work here on your own.
Take a minute to think about the fear. How long has it been with you? Can you pinpoint when it came into your life?
Looking at the #1 fear, make notes of the following. Free write 10 minutes in answering each other following:
- In what ways–negative but also positive–has this fear been there?
- If I were to conquer this fear in what ways would may life change? How might I go about doing it?
Take that fear for the time being and place it on the side. It’s outside of you right now. Sit it on a chair. Tell it to shut up. You have work to do.
(When you’re done go to the my next post.)
3 Comments
Lisa Ze Winters March 30, 2020 - 20:31
Thank you so very much for this offering.
Ana Castillo March 30, 2020 - 22:12 – In reply to: Lisa Ze Winters
Hope it’s helpful.
Yolanda Orozco March 31, 2020 - 05:25
Part 1: Fear of a parent dying-freewrite
I’ve had it since I was about 10 years old. I dreamt about my dad. I think it was because I was far away in another state and had not contact with him. He didn’t know where I was either.
In what ways negative and positive have I always has this fear? Paranoia is a big negative. Worrying if something will go wrong, and then worrying to the point that I am numb to it. It happens to everyone. Oh well. But no! Not my parents! What will I do without my mom? She’s my best friend! What will I do without my dad? He’s the one I run to when I can’t get through something on my own. He’s the one who made sure that I learned how to put oil in my car and change a tire. He made sure I could even change the oil, oil filter, and spark plugs. Both of them made me who I am. Strong. They made me strong. Stronger than them at times too. My mom needed me to be strong for her and help her to get us all out of her abusive relationship. We were all abused, but she couldn’t do it alone. It was me. I stood up to him. I stood up to him when she couldn’t. She made sure I used my imagination, she taught me to love reading and books were my escape. She always had music on, and I grew up listening to many genres of music, from soul and funk to country and rock. –The country was from Papa. Her father. My dad taught me to be self-reliant, and that also came from his mom and dad. Abuelo wouldn’t throw anything away. It could always be fixed or repurposed. He had tshirts that were over 30 years old and as thin as an onion skin. Both of my parents were selfless, and they wanted to help everyone. . . and that is another thing they passed on to me. Both would help people before helping themselves.
If I were to conquer this fear, how would my life change? How can I do that? I would probably be less serious and live in the moment. There is definitely a point where I became so serious, that it became hard to see the subtle humor in things unless it slapped me in the face. Its either serious face or SLAP! Laughing so hard that I can’t breathe. I guess coming to terms that we all die. Its inevitable, and we all go through it on both sides of the coffin lid. Only one side continues to feel, and the other is at peace. I believe that our loved ones and ancestors look over us…I just still want a connection. A tangible connection to know that they are there.