Summertime Writing With Zoom

 For those in the northern hemisphere, it is summer, and one hotter than usual. We don't want to overdo in the heat, even though most of us live with A/C. It's a time we try to kick back and have a little more down time than usual. 

I used some of my down time to attend a zoom meeting writers' workshop in California last evening. I am a big proponent of zoom meetings. To be able to pop in to the California meeting from my Kansas home is a real treat. The workshop was moderated by Marlene Cullen of The Writer's Forum. She gave us prompts and then we had time to freewrite whatever came to mind. All were worthwhile, but the one I liked best and seemed to promote some fine writing from the paticipants was:  I came from...  Several people read what they'd written, then others made comments. 

Those three little words--I came from...--brought writing with many different angles. Some were very short while others went much longer. Some spoke of the earth and nature, and others talked of the people the writer had come from. They were interesting, sometimes sad, fascinating and more. Every writer used a different approach. I finished the meeting with thoughts tumbling through my mind, ranging from what others had written to the comments made when I read my piece to feeling inspired to write more another day. 

I am also able to attend Kansas Authors district meetings via zoom. Kansas is 400+ miles from the eastern border to the western one. That's a lot of driving if I tried to attend the six district meetings, but through technology, I can do so easily. We even had our state convention via zoom for the past two years. This year, we'll have a choice. Go in person, or stay home and attend via zoom. 

The three part workshop I attended is over, but there will be others. Consider attending writing related zoom meetings on these summer days. Find them through a search engine or through your local/state writing organization. Many newsletters for writers will advertise a zoom meeting you can attend. There are actual classes you can take via zoom, as well. It takes a bit of effort on your part to find them, but you'll reap the benefits if you do.

Meanwhile, if you're staying in to avoid the excessive heat, give the prompt I mentioned a try. Start with I came from... and keep writing until you can write no more. You could end up with a first draft for a submittable piece of writing.