The romantic stereotype of a writer engaged in solitary toil, stopping occasionally to accept Pulitzers and down vodka in the pursuit of becoming legendary, is far removed from the day-to-day drudgery – the actual work – of writing. (It's true: Cleveland native Susan Orlean won’t allow herself dessert unless she completes 1,000 words per day.)
“There's no room for meandering, academic vanity pieces in a real writer's life,” says novelist Scott Lax, director of the Chagrin Valley Writers’ Workshop, which offers classes, workshops and manuscript consultations. “I'm not – and I say this with due respect for the academy, which has produced many outstanding writers – sheltered in a university, with a guaranteed salary, benefits and tenure. I have to write for my life, under deadlines and pressure.”
With this experience in mind, Lax formed the Writers’ Workshop to address the realities of writing, such as thinking like a writer and the ins and outs of getting published. He also wanted to capitalize on a phenomenon he noticed after teaching classes for other organizations. Although the workshops would end, Lax’s students still got together for support and encouragement. “I just heard about one of my workshops that has all eight students getting together, on their own, every week for the past year. They create message boards and workshop one another’s pages. Given that, I wanted to create a place to which they could return.”
Though Lax had taught in many venues around Cleveland, he realized that his rented office in downtown Chagrin Falls was the perfect place to host a small group of students. The space, situated in the second floor of an 1891 building that formerly housed a Masonic Temple, has brick walls, original wood floors and hand-hewn wooden beams. It’s heated by an elaborate old-fashioned radiator. “It has the kind of informal character I think creative writers enjoy,” says Lax. “It accommodates eight students, and everyone gets comfortable, if unique, seating.”
In this cozy enclave, Lax aims to teach his students how to look at the world and see many sides of things in pursuit of becoming a more skilled writer. In addition, writing requires students to develop backbone. “It means to be ridiculously arrogant enough to think anyone would pay to read your words, while developing thick enough skin to be routinely humbled and pummeled.”
He emphasizes, though, that there’s no pummeling allowed at the Chagrin Valley Writers’ Workshop. “I've seen aspiring writers become devastated by fellow students' cruelties, which I won't allow in my workshops. And I've seen teachers eviscerate students. There's no need for that. This isn't American Writing Idol – it’s a workshop or class where people should feel emotionally and intellectually safe.”
Prior sessions of the Writers’ Workshop have sold out, and Lax is enthusiastic about the response, noting that everyone from beginners to published authors have enrolled. “I also teach people who are in between beginners and being published – for example, they blog, or write newsletters for their neighborhood associations or law reviews, and they want to move on to the next step: fiction and literary nonfiction.” Lax has enjoyed the diversity of life experience in his classes, too. “My students range from early twenties to early eighties, and I’d say the average age is 40. They range from high school dropouts to published Ph.Ds.
“I get people with amazing stories that they want - and often need - to tell …The love of language and writing is their common ground, and the common theme is respect. Degrees don’t matter here. Words do.”
The Lit, Cleveland's Literary Center, recently awarded Lax's story, Sales Call, second place in its 2010 MUSE Literary Competition. To learn more about the instructor, read his blog or register for classes, visit www.scottlax.com. The next sessions at Chagrin Valley Writers’ Workshop begin February 27.
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