We are all still storytellers. Remember when you were a kid and writing was fun? Writing in community brings back that joy -- through wisdom, experience, and good humor.
Sure, we all wrote as kids at school. Encouraging teachers helped us express ourselves and our experiences in writing, and they offered us positive evaluations not only of our work, but of our evolving personhood. When a teacher, parent, or adult role model said, “You write so well!” or “That story is terrific!” or even “I love the way you described that bear!” we felt confident and validated. You might have written for your school newspaper. Your yearbook. Your drama club. Your fundraiser. Your diary. You first wrote for the outside world when you applied to college. You knew your good writing served you well when you excitedly opened that letter and read its first word: “Congratulations!”
Everyone’s relationship to writing is different. For some of us, college term papers were the last opportunity for long-form writing before graduating to demanding careers that required little prose on the job (as in medicine, sales, or yoga). For others of us, work required a very specific type of technical writing (as in law or academia). We now write resumes and cover letters because we have to - or we pay someone else to do it. The end result is the same: we no longer express ourselves creatively in writing. Why did writing become so utilitarian? When did we start to believe that storytelling was for the experts? When did we become consumers of others’ stories rather than creators of our own?
We are all still storytellers. And we often don’t even recognize our experience is full of stories until we write them out. At The Story Shack’s Write-In sessions, we start with a prompt, a prod, or a passage to get our creative juices flowing again. Together, we create a space and the time to commit our attention to writing stories, one at a time, every two weeks or every month. As a community member, you’ll engage with other women as they tell their stories, and you’ll share your own. You’ll both offer and receive unwavering support and spot-on feedback. In the process, you’ll rediscover how writing unabashedly personal stories deepens your connection to our shared humanity. You will both laugh at yourself and wonder in awe that you've survived this long.
If you're already supporting The Story Shack, thank you! If you're never heard of us, check the Patreon link:
https://www.patreon.com/storyshack?fan_landing=true
A monthly membership costs less than you may have paid for that hardcover book club book, a nice lunch, or your yoga class. But the affirming experience of writing in community will likely stick with you longer than any of those purchases. Reach out and support writing women. I look forward to writing with you!
- Katherine https://lnkd.in/edbU9ZzH