Bill Roorbach’s Video Memoir: I Used to Play in Bands
When I was in the MFA program for creative writing at OSU, I had the good fortune of taking a class by Bill Roorbach. I was there studying poetry, but part of the requirements for the program stated that you needed to take courses outside of your chosen discipline.
I took a Creative Nonfiction workshop with Bill, and it definitely reshaped how I viewed personal essays… and also how I viewed my own time management, believe it or not. I remember the class fondly, and it’s funny how I can still hear the lilt tone of Bill’s voice, every time I see his mug.
One of the first exercises we did in his class was to bring in some object, some embarrassing thing from our past to share with everyone. I recall someone bringing in a large stuffed animal, which they still kept in the bedroom. For myself, I brought along the notebook I used in high school, which was full with horrible, terrible poems. The notebook was contained in a green plastic binding, and I had a large, neon-orange Queensrÿche bumper sticker across the front of the thing. It was classy.
This was a big deal for me to share. Here I was in a room with other writers, other people who have come to school specifically to learn how to write better. And being passed from person to person, across the room, was this body of evidence that showed how I was very obviously not a good writer at all. It made the heart flutter a bit.
Here’s the thing though: as folks were passing around one another’s objects, as people began to talk to one another… we discovered something. Each person found someone else in the room who said “I have one of those!” or “I did that too!” There was recognition and validation to some degree, and it made each of us feel better.
This exercise did two things. First, it broke the ice and made everyone a lot more comfortable with sharing. We would eventually be writing very personal recollections and thoughts, and this was a great first step to get folks into that mindset. Second, it taught us that no matter how strange or odd our own experiences were, others have felt or thought the same way.
Another big thing I learned in Bill’s class centered around scheduling time to write. I’ve mentioned it on here before, but Bill emphasized how important it was to work daily, no matter the length. Even if you were too busy to write, you could spare at least 5 or 10 minutes to read over something you had written the day before. It didn’t matter how much you did, so long as you did it daily.
While a student, I was always looking for that magical big block of time, where I wouldn’t have anything else to do… and I could simply concentrate on writing. It didn’t occur to me that what I was looking for didn’t exist – there were always deadlines, other things pending. If I waited around for that perfect time, I could waste years and years just waiting (and not writing).
I remember Bill showing us his planner. And how he had marked off a period of each day where he would write. He made it clear to everyone (students, work colleagues, his family) that this time was specifically for writing. And he put it first and foremost. As a result, he wrote a lot, and more importantly… wrote consistently.
Putting the “important” things first, before everything else was a huge shift to me. I began to start my days writing, before the demands of coursework or grading my students’ papers got in the way of things. I started making coffee and waking up early, and had some of the most productive times I’ve ever had as a writer, using that approach.
I’ve fallen out of writing poetry since my graduate school days. I still dabble from time to time, but it’s interesting how things have morphed into this blog. I now start most of my days posting something on here. Some days (like today), I end up writing a great deal. Other days, all I have time for is a quick link to some video. But I’ve been pretty good about doing it every day, and have kept up the habit since 2002.
What prompted all of this was an update Bill made on Facebook. I friended him a while back, and over the past few months his updates are primarily people he has become friends with. He doesn’t really update his status all that often. But this morning, I saw mention that he had updated his video memoir.
After clicking around, I was delighted to find Bill an Dave’s Cocktail Hour, a collaborative site between Bill and Dave Gessner. The site itself looks great, and there are a ton of different areas to explore, including podcasts, comics, and a collection of both authors’ Best American Essays.
The video below is not the first in the series, but my favorite of the four so far. I highly encourage you to check out Bill’s video memoir page, I Used to Play in Bands. The first video gives you a sense of who Bill is – where he lives, what his family is like. But this video (below) does a better job of capturing his voice, the way in which he tells stories.
I’m excited to have stumbled across this site of Bill’s, and doubly excited to be able to share Bill with folks who don’t know him. It’s great to hear his voice again, and I’ve been laughing a lot at his videos. I hope you’ll laugh, and end up liking Bill as much as I do.
Related:
Blah
Impulse Buys
Wakey Wakey: My Brief Appearance in Chicago’s RedEye
This Post Has 0 Comments