Sandy Supposes....

What? There are writing groups other than WDC?

PROMPT: War Chest Wednesday! Are you in any writing groups outside of WDC (like in your school or community)? Have you/would you share blog entries in that group? How would you go about doing it, given the logistics of trying to share something that is on the internet in a physical group setting?

          No, at the moment. I'm not in any other writing group. That would be like cheating, or being unfaithful to WDC. Gasp... Oh, sure I've considered joining a group, but they do not exist in my area. No, really, they do not. I live in a rural village of approximately one-thousand inhabitants. Out of such a small population, not every one is a wannabe writer. High-speed internet is still a relatively new convenience here, and even then it's not easily, or inexpensively available to all residents. The phone lines in the area are ancient, and battered by extreme weather. Cable internet does not exist here. Satellite services are more costly, and again affected by the vagaries of our climate. I suppose travel is a hindrance too, no transit system.

         Last spring, a few retired locals applied for an arts grant. The funds they received had to be spent on different aspects of the arts. One Saturday was set aside for writers as a workshop. I attended, and shared with the group the existence of WDC, a site no one had known about. Most of those in attendance were retirees seeking a new hobby. Journals were suggested. Of course, some were doubters, and failed to see that they'd have anything worth writing, or documenting.

          A few of us attempted to establish our own monthly-meeting writers' collective. It petered out after two months. Life made it complicated. The only local school is an elementary one. It's been many years since I sought higher education, and the closest university/college is a forty-five minute drive away. Creative writing is occasionally part of its curriculum.

         If I were in a writers' group, I see no reason not to share my blog posts. They are examples of spontaneous writing, creativity, and nods to research. Local meeting rooms are WiFi enabled, and they contain computers, and big screens. My blogs could easily be transferred to "the big screen". If needs be, copies could be printed. The blog entries could even be read aloud...