Calling all writers!
Dear friends,
I have a terrifically simple idea that is making me stupidly excited. I'm now four years gone from my thesis writing; a frenzied semester of coffee shops, writer meet-ups, and frantic scribbling. I'm happy to be where I am in my life now, but I really miss having a community of writers around me to inspire, challenge, edit, talk books, and drink coffee/wine with. I miss the coffee house culture, the long evenings spent with laptops touching back to back and postal service playing in the background for inspiration (I'm thinking of you, Sarah N. and Travis V!).
I'm lucky to have several friends with whom I have writerly exchanges over email, sometimes with longer gaps in between stories sent. They don't live in the Twin Cities however, and I regret not being able to interact with them face to face. Their support is sometimes the only force propelling me forward and causing me to challenge myself.
My idea is to form a Twin Cities micro-community of writer-friends who do exactly that: support and challenge each other. It's really powerful to physically sit next to a like-minded friend who is doing exactly what you are doing; yanking words, sentences, and images from their brains into typed or written word. Feeling that energy and focus can often make one more productive than if they were writing alone.
A beatboxing artist told me yesterday that the key to mastering any art (or at least improving at it) is repetition. He was returning from the restroom and I noticed that he was beatboxing under his breath as he walked back to the classroom. He lives his art right up to the very mundane moments of life. It's become part of his stride, his breath, his daily patterns. Right, I've heard that, and I know it, but it still stuck with me. Of course. Of course it's hard to just sit down and write randomly in the middle of the week and expect good results and easy flow. It's something that requires practice, repetition, consistency.
I propose the start of Writerday. It's a day of the week, like any other. It's a day started or ended with a few hours of solid focus, creativity, and of course, writing. Hopefully around a coffee table, grassy knoll, or bar with other like-minded friends. I'm thinking that the best day for Writerday would be Saturday. Perhaps starting in the late morning and lasting for several hours, or however long it takes to get some writing out. I want to make it consistent and around the same time every week so that I gain some muscle memory whenever I sit down with a computer or notepad on that day. Writerday does not have to be an all-day affair. Saturday will still also be heard and respected, and indulged in. I just want to start that day off every week with a specific mindset and focus and community that supports and challenges me to simply write more. It would also be a great way to get out on a Saturday and see more of the cities, take walks, eat delicious food, and see each other.
Any interest or feedback? Is Saturday a good day for this?
Love and Lunch,
Ilse
I have a terrifically simple idea that is making me stupidly excited. I'm now four years gone from my thesis writing; a frenzied semester of coffee shops, writer meet-ups, and frantic scribbling. I'm happy to be where I am in my life now, but I really miss having a community of writers around me to inspire, challenge, edit, talk books, and drink coffee/wine with. I miss the coffee house culture, the long evenings spent with laptops touching back to back and postal service playing in the background for inspiration (I'm thinking of you, Sarah N. and Travis V!).
I'm lucky to have several friends with whom I have writerly exchanges over email, sometimes with longer gaps in between stories sent. They don't live in the Twin Cities however, and I regret not being able to interact with them face to face. Their support is sometimes the only force propelling me forward and causing me to challenge myself.
My idea is to form a Twin Cities micro-community of writer-friends who do exactly that: support and challenge each other. It's really powerful to physically sit next to a like-minded friend who is doing exactly what you are doing; yanking words, sentences, and images from their brains into typed or written word. Feeling that energy and focus can often make one more productive than if they were writing alone.
A beatboxing artist told me yesterday that the key to mastering any art (or at least improving at it) is repetition. He was returning from the restroom and I noticed that he was beatboxing under his breath as he walked back to the classroom. He lives his art right up to the very mundane moments of life. It's become part of his stride, his breath, his daily patterns. Right, I've heard that, and I know it, but it still stuck with me. Of course. Of course it's hard to just sit down and write randomly in the middle of the week and expect good results and easy flow. It's something that requires practice, repetition, consistency.
I propose the start of Writerday. It's a day of the week, like any other. It's a day started or ended with a few hours of solid focus, creativity, and of course, writing. Hopefully around a coffee table, grassy knoll, or bar with other like-minded friends. I'm thinking that the best day for Writerday would be Saturday. Perhaps starting in the late morning and lasting for several hours, or however long it takes to get some writing out. I want to make it consistent and around the same time every week so that I gain some muscle memory whenever I sit down with a computer or notepad on that day. Writerday does not have to be an all-day affair. Saturday will still also be heard and respected, and indulged in. I just want to start that day off every week with a specific mindset and focus and community that supports and challenges me to simply write more. It would also be a great way to get out on a Saturday and see more of the cities, take walks, eat delicious food, and see each other.
Any interest or feedback? Is Saturday a good day for this?
Love and Lunch,
Ilse
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