Tuesday, September 23, 2008

A Silver Lining

I just heard from the director of the community education program here, and not a single soul has signed up for my journal workshop, so they are having to cancel the class. I'm not too terribly disappointed...while it would have been a good experience and probably fun to meet other journal writers, I am by nature a shy, quiet sort of person, and so I am just as happy not to have to do any sort of public speaking. Besides, now I can devote my mornings to knitting instead of organizing my notes!

Still, I have to wonder why there would be so little interest...is it just our community? I live in a fairly affluent suburb of Minneapolis...maybe everyone is too busy playing tennis and going out on their boats and impressing the neighbors to worry about taking a class that might make them realize how shallow and meaningless their lives are? Or perhaps they found out who was teaching it and decided that since I don't really fit in with this neighborhood anyway, there's no way I could possibly have anything of value to say? Or perhaps I'm just being paranoid...

At any rate, my mornings have now opened up, I no longer have to nervously rehearse my lecture to the dogs (who are getting rather tired of listening to it, truth be told), and I can knit to my heart's content.

Still, the money would have been nice...think of all that yarn I could have bought...

13 comments:

deepblue said...

hmm . . .that is surprising, and disappointing, that no one signed up. Are you going to be posting your lecture notes? :)
I would love to take your class.

Happy knitting to you!

Jazz said...

Deepblue--
I will probably rework some of the notes into another series of posts on journaling...it will give me something to write about besides the knitting, which I'm quite sure is boring everyone to tears, especially since I haven't managed to do photos yet!

Monica Cassani said...

oh Jazz,
I'm disappointed even if you're not!!

I was taking great vicarious pleasure in the thought of you doing your class...

anyway, I'm glad it's not to upsetting for you. I know I would have been crushed...

I will happily await your lecture notes.

Jazz said...

Gianna--
Thanks for the kind thoughts!
I'm really not that bothered...at least I won't have to get up in front of people and talk, right? And anything that has me away in the evenings is always a disruption to the childrens' bedtime routines.

I'm looking at it this way--I've probably done enough work on the notes that I've got the basic outline for a book here, if I feel like putting one together. So the time is not wasted, and it may be that it was the wrong time of year to offer such a class...the depths of winter might be better, when people are thinking about things they can do quietly indoors (especially here in Minnesota, where the winters can be so long and cold!).

Jazz said...

I'm still thinking about all the yarn I could have bought, though...

Tamara (TC) Staples said...

I don't get it. I have extolled the virtues of journaling to so many friends and family and I don't think a single one of them has ever given it a try. Maybe the people in your community aren't comfortable being that introspective, or something.

Anyway, sad for you but like the book idea. I would buy it!!! Then think of how much yarn you could buy!

Jazz said...

Tamara,
I don't get it either. They seem to be really interested in crafts around here, and in "investment" classes, and a lot of the yoga and pilates classes seem to do well, but in the ten years I've lived here, I've never seen community ed. offer a writing course. I thought perhaps there was a niche there for me, but I guess not! (I had visions of expanding it and doing a creative writing class, or maybe a poetry class if there was enough interest.)

I've extolled the virtues of journaling to family and friends, too, and none of them have ever even tried. My mom journals, but she's the only other person I know who does it regularly.

Tamara (TC) Staples said...

Well, darn! I wished you lived near me - I WOULD take the classes. Have you thought of online classes? I know that brings a whole level of complexity working with the internet but I bet you would find interested people on the internet. Again, I would be.

It is frustrating when I KNOW how beneficial journaling and writing are to not be able to convince friends and family to give it a try. I would not still be here without my writing over the years.

sbwrites said...

Dear Jazz,
Perhaps the reason it didn't "fly" was that it wasn't marketed properly. Sometimes, it's the description that turns people off; not the content.

And I can't imagine that anyone wouldn't take it because of your background, which I think is superlative.

When I was trying to sell my first book, I got 30 rejections before an editor bought it. And when I got my first job at NBC, I went on 100 interviews before I got hired.

My advice? Don't quit just because you didn't get people to sign up. Think about repackaging it, and submitting it again.

Maybe the topic should be: Blogging and not journaling. It could be the same subject, but presented in a different way.

Susan

Jazz said...

Tamara--
Just the thought of trying to figure out how to do an online class gives me the shivers! I'm not techie enough to want to invest the time it would take to figure it out, I'm afraid...although I guess I did surprise both my husband and myself when I figured out how to do this blog all by myself!

It is frustrating trying to get people to journal...I think it would be so good for my mother in law to start journaling...she has so many things she needs to figure out and come to terms with...but she's just not interested. Ah well, you can lead a horse to water and all that...

Jazz said...

Susan--
That's a very good idea, packaging it as a blogging class! I might give that a shot. I have noticed that there are a growing number of computer-related classes being offered, so there is definitely an interest in that area.

Don't suppose you're available as an agent? ;)

sbwrites said...

Jazz,
Actually, I always thought I would be a good agent; I just never liked "selling" anyone but myself!;)

Anonymous said...

Jazz,
How disappointing!
I was excited for you. I think Susan is right. Maybe if you repackaged it.
Do give up