Winning the Prize ~ by Beth Gallagher

In April, the GROG had its Launch Party on Facebook. Beth Gallagher won the Nonfiction Archaeology prize, a "How-to-write-nonfiction-picture-books" course facilitated by Kristen McGill Fulton. I ask Beth to submit a post about her experience. This is what she said about the class and the prize.

From the desk of Beth Gallagher:

 

You know how your grandma always told you when life gives you lemons - make lemonade? Well, even if yours didn’t, mine said it enough for all of us. Turns out, sometimes its not so easy to squeeze the juice out of those babies! Writing has always been my way of making lemonade, whether it was journals, stories, magazine articles, or books.

 

The past few years have been a lemon-filled period of life for me. It went straight from the pure electric joy of adopting my precious daughters to the complete heart stopping terror of nearly losing one of them to a serious illness. All the while, I wrote. Sometimes uplifting and happy pieces, sometimes not so happy, occasionally dark and depressing stuff, but finally it was like I was trying to swim through Jello.

 

The dreaded writers’ block descended. I joined several social media groups for writers and creative people, and through them I’ve met some friends that turned out to be my glowing guides through the darkness – whether they know it or not. I was directed by one in particular (Jackie Wellington who invited me to read and comment daily on the GROG which I am glad I did.). And through the miracle of my friends' support and the GROG contest,  I was able to win the prize of the Nonfiction Archaeology class which I attended in April. (Don’t tell anyone, but apparently I’m addicted and am attending the June class as well.)

 

Let me just say that the whole thing was a slice of Heaven on my computer! Kristen is such a gifted writer and teacher! She is so organized and clear thinking that it seems to ooze out of the keyboard and into my own hands.  The class is very comprehensive in its scope and covers nonfiction writing so completely from the elementary level to advanced that it no longer scares me! I’ve been able to create a binder of all Kristen’s lessons and information that keep me focused when the lemons start to build up. I’m truly so grateful to my online “peeps” - Twitter to Facebook, from my critique groups to new friendships and Grog for saving me from myself, refocusing me on what I love to do, and for guiding me back to what I know can be a new career.

 

If you are at all interested in writing nonfiction (though a lot of Kristen’s information and advice can also be applied to fiction writing), I strongly recommend that you run not walk straight to her Nonfiction Archaeology class! You can find more information here: http://www.kristenfulton.org/nonfiction-class.html. I’m also happy to answer any of your questions about the class as a past & present student. Feel free to email me at semayawi.toadcottage@gmail.com.