Writing Marathon Magic

Recently the Wyoming Writing Project visited Sheridan, Wyoming.  We conducted professional development with K-12 teachers on a Friday morning and then we opened up the afternoon to the community and invited community members to participate in a Writing Marathon.  A marathon is one of those things in life that is difficult to explain and must simply be experienced. It can initially feel uncomfortable and definitely unstructured.  Once a writer has participated, though, they generally cannot wait to engage in another.  It is a time to practice the craft of writing inspired by local surroundings and landmarks.  It is a time to share writing and connect with a community of writers.  It is one of my favorite activities that the WWP engages in during the summer months.  The following is one piece of writing that was born from the recent marathon in Sheridan.

I wonder what the girl at the desk is thinking.  We just invade and begin quietly writing.  She is wanting to ask more but just politely smiles when I explain we're just here to write.  

We take our places and pens begin to move.  Words pour forth breaking the white.  

I take my perch at the top of the stairs and wonder what will escape from my pen.  I rest in the fact that it won't matter.  My group will smile, nod, and say thank you when I share.  There is safety in that.  It's the beauty of the marathon.  

We've already built a writing community.  We've talked about first tattoos, being a parent, teaching, learning, pain, joy.  Life has been shared.  We've bonded and enjoyed some writing therapy.  

I'm always amazed at the ability of the written word to pull us together.  When I have something to share I write it down.  It's lasting.  It's personal.  It's moving and motivating and reassuring.  It's permanent.

As the words spill I discover things hidden in my thoughts.  They are revealed and shared with new friends and explored then stored away to be revisited later.  Every word is a possibility of a new creative project.  Each stroke of my pen is a promise.

The magic of the marathon begins locked in my pen.  Writing friends provide the key and the words burst forth, jumbled as they may be, creating a connection with people and the world around me.

The Wyoming Writing Project will hold community marathons in Thayne, Wyoming, July 15th, and in Laramie, Wyoming, July 22nd.  We will meet at 1:00 p.m. at Thayne Elementary School in Thayne or at the Literacy Research Center and Clinic on the UW campus in Laramie.  They are free and open to writers of all abilities and ages.  Writing of any genre is encouraged.  I can't explain it.  You just have to experience it.  Please join us!