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Reminder Assistant Editor EAST LONGMEADOW Chrysler Szarlan's "Save Your Life" writing classes began in July with the intent of allowing frustrated people to write cathartically -- to take that great idea they've been holding inside and let it blossom. Now her writers are ready to share their budding works with the world. Szarlan and some of her dedicated students will be hosting a reading of their works on Jan. 12. "The reading is free and open to the public," Szarlan said. "My students will read from their works in progress. Their genres are quite diverse: a children's book, a crime novel, a chick-lit story and a fantasy trilogy being written by a 15-year-old Cathedral High School student." She added the group will also be having a tea-tasting and sweets available at the reading. Szarlan will be reading an excerpt from her upcoming third novel while her students will be reading pieces of their first. Karen Amerman, a Monson resident, said she has been writing on her own for a few years but mainly as a hobby. She works full-time as a preschool teacher. "I wanted a group that would be supportive," she said, "someone who could tell me if what I wrote was good or not." She found Szarlan's blog online (www.happinesscansaveyourlife.blogspot.com), touting the workshop, and decided to join. "I've always been a short story writer," Amerman explained. "What I have now started as a short story but became something else." The novel she is working on is a mystery story involving a male and female investigating duo. She said she has the book "mapped out" and the hard part has been writing the back story. "I have to keep everything balanced," she said. Amerman has never been a part of a reading before and she said she is a little nervous about it. Her ultimate goal as a writer is to have something published, "even if it's something tiny, like a poem." Another writer, Carleen Eve Fischer Hoffman of East Longmeadow, runs her own business and had a few clients tell her she should write a how-to book. "I never thought of it," she said. "I never thought I was a good writer until I met Chrysler." Hoffman said she thought she would write non-fiction, something like a how-to book, but found the task challenging. She called Szarlan and really enjoyed talking with her so she decided to join a workshop. "When I started I wasn't sure how long I would last in the class," Hoffman said. "After two, I said 'I'm in.'" The book she's working on is about a man named Dave in his early 40's who began working in law but made a career change and became a construction worker. When one of his close friends on the job dies of a heart attack, Dave falls into a mid-life crisis and, much to the dismay of his wife, buys a motorcycle. "It's about how Dave handles the thought of death," Hoffman explained. She said she's about 50 pages into the humorous novel, titled "Freedom Rider." "I have it all in my head," she said. "I'm having a hard time getting it on paper." The class has helped her tremendously, she said, by giving her structure. "The class helps you to figure out how you're going to lay your book out," Hoffman stated, "and how different people write their books." She said she is a beginning to end kind of writer. While this is also Hoffman's first time reading, she said she is not nervous about it because of all the presentations she puts on for her job. "I haven't told anyone in my family I'm writing a book, though," she admitted. "I think it's really great for these writers to get some exposure," Szarlan said. "When they read aloud they can really see the good parts and the parts that need work in their stories. It's a good experience." She added, "Reading aloud is an art form." Each reader will have five to seven minutes to read a selection from her work. While both Amerman and Hoffman have enjoyed the writing process, the reading is something they are looking forward to. "It's nice to have someone supporting you in your creative endeavor," Amerman said. "I write a column and a blog," Hoffman said, "but this is on a different level. The group is such a great influence and I'm not ready to give that up." Szarlan, along with Hoffman, Amerman and two other students, will be hosting their reading on Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. at the First Congregational Church on Somers Road in East Longmeadow, where the classes are also taught. "The church has been fantastic with letting us work there," Szarlan said. "They've been very supportive." If interested in joining one of Szarlan's workshops, contact her by calling 346-8793. | ||||||
