Writing Group Saturday

I'm so lucky! Two days each month, I get to walk right out my back door, into the casita, and write and converse for three or four hours with seven other writers.  These two days, one on a Monday night, the other a Saturday afternoon, are highlights of my month, days I plan around and think about all the other days.  I love the women who are part of this remarkable thing we do!

On meeting days, I get up early and turn on the lights and air, sometimes--but not always--decorating the table with flowers or snacks.  Then I get a book and go back to bed to read, and sometimes--like this morning--have a fun dream.

At four this morning, I placed my a beautiful arrangement of bright yellow sunflowers (a birthday gift from Lorraine that looks as pretty today as the day they were delivered) in the center of the table.  Beside the flowers, I placed a book Day gave me for my birthday:In the Company of Women. Then I stirred up a little lemony dessert and and put it in the fridge to chill.  (I don't always do food, only when I'm inspired to make something.)

I went back to bed, reading Gregory Orr's amazing memoir, The Blessing--recommended to me by Lorraine who was a member of my first writing group. (This is such a powerful book, I'll write more about it later. )

At 2:00, the casita will be filled with the voices of dear lively friends, the sound of rustling papers, and laughter.

An unexpected and delightful synchronicity: JUST as I was writing those words, this email came in from Charlotte J:

Five hours to joyful writing group!!!!

I'll open today's meeting with this short audio-essay by Gregory Orr:

https://thisibelieve.org/essay/21249/

If we have time, I'd also like to play this one--by Isabel Allende:

https://thisibelieve.org/essay/11/

Then we'll do timed writing: I'll give a prompt and everyone will write for seven minutes, then we'll read them.  The subject of today's timed writing and November's Big Prompt is "writing about a place."

After the timed writings, each person reads aloud what she's written for October--a chapter of a memoir, poetry, or fiction.  We divide the remaining two-and-a-half hours by the number of people present and Charlotte-from-Canada is our time-keeper extraordinaire. (Good thing--cause I'd let us keep going until night-time!)