WRITING CIRCLES

WHAT:   Come sit in my “Zoom Room” and write with me. You and I and others will become the Writing Circle. I will provide the writing prompts (usually poems) that launch us into timed writing sessions (typically 20 minutes each). All you need is pen and paper (or laptop) and a willingness to write, share with others, and respond to what you hear. It’s about showing up on the page, and showing up for each other in support. 

WHO:   Me and you and other willing-to-do-it writers. Contact me at cdelsol@me.com to register.

WHEN:   Please contact me for the next dates!

WHY:   The cheerleader in me wants to encourage and support other writers. Everyone has a voice that deserves to be heard! The solitary writer in me wants to create a community of writers because writing can be lonely work. I believe in breaking that isolation. 

Also…Writing was my go-to method for addressing my grief and loss when my son died by suicide in 2010. I found writing cathartic and healing. I wrote alone, but I also wrote with others and shared my writing with them. Writing was, and still is, my most potent medicine.

WHERE:   In my “Zoom Room.” You will receive the Zoom link once you are registered. 

HOW:   Using the Amherst Writers & Artists (AWA) Method. I am an AWA-certified workshop facilitator. 

HOW MUCH:  

  • $120, paid in advance, for a month with 4 weekly sessions
  • $90, paid in advance, for a month with 3 weekly sessions
  • $60, paid in advance, for a month with 2 weekly sessions. 

Payment can be made via Venmo, or by mailing me a check by the date of our first weekly meeting of the month. I do not accept credit cards. 

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HERE’S WHAT HAPPENS AT THE “WRITE” WAY TABLE: 

  • We sit together – on Zoom – and we write! Grief and loss is something you are always welcome to write about, but you may find that you want to write about something else entirely, and that’s OK. Be open to where the prompts take you!
  • Participants arrive 5 minutes before our start time so we can begin right on time. This allows all of us an opportunity to settle in. The idea is to arrive. Fully.
  • We begin promptly at the start time, with a moment of stillness and quiet to get grounded and present. 
  • We will always agree to confidentiality. What is shared in the Writing Circle stays in the Writing Circle. This is part of what creates the safe space for what can often be very personal disclosure in the writing.
  • I will provide 1-2 prompts each time we gather. The prompts are typically poems.
  • I will read the prompts out loud. We will write for timed sessions lasting about 20 minutes. Your writing may launch from the prompt provided, but if something else is begging to be written, by all means, go for it. 
  • After writing, we will each read what we’ve written out loud to the group. This is optional, but you will get much more from the experience if you participate fully. However, no pressure.
  • We will then offer positive feedback to the writer following the AWA guidelines (which will be explained). Providing feedback is optional, but again, there is much to be gained from both receiving and giving feedback. The feedback offered to the writers in our Circle is always positive. You will get a sense of what your strengths are and what others appreciate about your writing. This is about encouraging your writer’s soul to come out and play. This is not about conforming to someone else’s idea of what “good writing” is. This is not a writing critique group. 
  • Rinse & repeat, depending on our pace and time remaining.
  • The AWA Method is surprisingly effective for calling forth The Muse and silencing that pesky Inner Critic. This is a place where your unique voice is welcome. The environment will be supportive, encouraging and safe. That is my promise to you.

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WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

  • Do you already write? Do you have a project underway? Have you been toying with the idea of writing something new or different? Are you dipping your toe into the writing pond for the first time? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, The “Write” Way is for you.
  • Fiction? Non-Fiction? Prose? Poetry? Script dialogue? Sure! Whatever wants to be written. And no experience necessary. Honest.

My mission? I am devoted to bringing people’s unique and distinct voices forth through their writing. In particular, I encourage participants to delve into the areas of loss and grief, but this is not a requirement, and it is not always the focus of our Writing Circles. Listen to the voice inside of you that wants to come forth onto the page. And then let ‘er rip!

ABOUT ME