A plan to improve writing in my community part II

Writing in the community, developing a plan to enhance the environment for adult writing.

 

"It is the following trio that finally gets my attention; authentic writing, supportive audience and the freedom to use multigenre writing."

My first step is to search these ideas a bit further and find practical ways to implement them in my community. I search my memory, and notes, from several writing groups. Many which I participated in, and the few that I tried to run myself. I realize pretty fast that I will have to dig further to come up with answers and I approach some of my former writing comrades and ask for their input.

The answers that I receive reinforce what I already knew.

S. wrote;

"I really enjoyed writing class; it was a way to meet new people I wouldn't have met otherwise. I learned allot about writing without the stress of being in 'class'. And with regret I am not writing anymore, I think I need the group camaraderie to keep motivated. Perhaps folks 55 and older might like writing about their own life experiences and contrast them with what they see today. The 'write what you know' idea."

R. wrote;

" I often think fondly of our time in the writing group. I am not writing now, but often thinking about starting again. I feel like I would need a new group to get myself going though. It really helped me to have prompts. When I started to write my own "novel" I began to falter. I think it was just too close, and too overwhelming. And I had too much invested in it. I liked having neutral topics that I could make personal...or not. I liked having the critique of the group, though sometimes my feelings would be hurt a bit. I really learned how much I needed an imposed structure to get myself going, even though I loved the writing when I was doing it."

 

So supportive audience in the form of the writing group, that seems to be spelled out, loud and clear.