Forging Words

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Mountain vacation

 

We spent last week on a mountain vacation. On Friday, we met my aunt and uncle at the Foxfire Museum and Heritage Center in Mountain City, Georgia.  They drove to meet us from their summer cabin nearby.

The sign outside Foxfire gift shop in Mountain City, Georgia.

In the 1960s, an English teacher led his class of Appalachian students to write, edit and publish a magazine. The publication featured interviews with students’ relatives as well as tips on simple living. For example, students wrote about canning, rope-making, candle-making, woodworking and more. The magazine became a regularly published periodical.

The magazines were then turned into books. Book sales provided money for the Foxfire organization to purchase land and set up an Appalachian village where people can visit and catch a glimpse into the past. For more information, please visit www.foxfire.org.

On Fridays this summer, Foxfire is hosting artisans at work. Last Friday, we saw a blacksmith forge metal; a weaver weave with hand-dyed yarn and a broom maker bind brooms of many sizes.  The broom maker used to teach music in Jacksonville. Here's a picture of her and a sign she hangs outside her Foxfire shop. 

A retired music teacher assembles brooms at Foxfire.

Did you know you're not supposed to take an old broom to a new house?

Blacksmithing

I’ve been intrigued with blacksmithing for a long time. My knowledge of the trade came only from books. Last Friday, though, I saw a live demonstration, and I was surprised by the size of the blacksmith’s fire. I pictured it bigger. 

The blacksmith in his forge at Foxfire.

The actual fire, which is fueled by coal, is approximately 12 inches by 8 inches. It is, however, very hot-about 1800 degrees or so.  

Barry, the blacksmith, started with a metal rod about two feet long. He put it into the fire watching for the metal to light up with heat. Once it did, he moved it to an anvil and hammered it a few times. He repeated the fire and hammer procedure a few times and ended up with a decorative metal hook. 

The blacksmith hammers hot metal in his shop at Foxfire.

Forging Words

After watching the blacksmith, I made a connection between forging metal and forging words. Isn’t that what we do as writers? The creative fire in our mind heats the metal of our words and our inner writer hammers out stories, plays, memoirs, poems, etc.

The word forge has several definitions. The first two, according to www.dictionary.com, are:

1.       to form by heating and hammering; beat into shape

2.       to form or make, especially by concentrated effort

To me, writing encompasses both. We beat our words into shape through concentrated effort, don’t we? I find writing to be difficult no matter the genre or word count.

What about you?

Have you made any connections about writing this summer? Have you ever thought about forging words when you write? 

As summer moves forward, I will keep my eyes open to see more connections between writing and life. I encourage you to do the same. 

Please feel free to leave a thought below or on our Facebook page.

~Nancy

nancyleebethea@gmail.com