Sunday, December 6, 2020

2021 Planning meeting

 


"Before I agree to 2021, 

I gotta see the terms & conditions..."


We're so excited to be focused on the holidays and the new year. Come join us for an adventure--the "new normal" way.


Our agenda for the December 7th meeting is:


1. How everyone's doing - favorite Christmas tradition and movie
2. This is YOUR chapter. Membership matters.
3. 2nd Anthology reboot: "Something Light & Something Dark." 
4. Motivation to write: how to get that spark back. First and foremost-writing should bring you joy.

See our chapter's Facebook page for the room link.



Minutes of December 2020 virtual meeting:


In attendance: Rachael, Becki, McKel, Keri, Kathleen, Asper, Mike, Christina, Val.


Updated Anthology theme: “Something Light & Something Dark” 

  • We have writers in our chapter that write very happy and light material, and some writers write scary or dark material. All are welcome at this time. We’re thinking of dividing the anthology into light and dark sections, so our readers can choose which side they’re in the mood to read. Not only are our writing styles varied, but our lives have had light and dark moments this year, too! To reflect the times, and our writer’s varied voices, the theme is a little broader to encourage our chapter members to write freely!


Catching up and Checking in on how we’re doing: 

  • One of our chapter members is sending a missionary to Mexico.

  • Another is battling COVID-19 and hasn’t been feeling well. 

  • Someone is working part-time at the local post office and has been overwhelmed with the amount of holiday letters and packages to deal with. 

  • A member recently recovered from major surgery and returned to work full time.

  • A member and their spouse are lonely without their kids and grandkids around them this holiday season. 

  • And another member ordered a shirt that says, “I’m fine. I’m fine. Everything’s fine.” (fitting for 2020, isn’t it?)


Discussion: Many of us are struggling with writing during this challenging time. One member got up the inspiration and energy to write a non-fiction story, which we all applauded. We’ve received poetry and short story entries for the anthology, which is wonderful, too. A few of us have been editing previous works...and even publishing! Applause!!!! 

  • McKel mentioned how she has been coping with this season: harvesting creativity by watching movies, reading, and participating in activities. This way, when she feels ready to write, she has a lot of inspiration to go on. 

  • Mike mentioned the importance of adjusting his attitude and making writing a priority in life and said exercise has been a big help. 

  • Kathy mentioned setting a 30-minute timer to give yourself the patience to allow the inspiration to flow. 


Members shared favorite Christmas movies and stories: the claymation Rudolph and Santa Clause is Coming to Town, The Grinch, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Hallmark Movies, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Elf, The Christmas Dress, and The Red Gloves Collection https://www.amazon.com/Red-Gloves-Collection-Karen-Kingsbury/dp/0446579629 .


We shared our favorite Christmas memory or tradition: The answers varied and were all touching. A soldier barely slid into home on time for a cross-country Christmas surprise. A family intentionally creates an imperfect Christmas photo to send out each year. A Secret Santa car chase was shared, as was an annual tradition to take pictures of the kids on the stairs every Christmas--now including spouses and grandkids!


The meeting lasted for about 2 hours. We’ll try to keep it down to an hour and a half next time. It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces on the screen. Writing can be a lonely and solitary endeavor… and I have so much gratitude in my heart for these associations I get to have with you fellow creatives, in this safe space where we are all allowed to be unique and accepted as we are. We may not be writing stories on our laptops, but we are definitely leaving our mark on 2020 regardless of our challenges. For those of you who were unable to attend, please feel free to reach out on our chapter Facebook page and share:

  1. How you’re doing.

  2. Favorite Christmas Tradition or Memory

  3. Favorite Christmas Movie or Story

We have a lot of exciting plans for next year, and look forward to meeting up with you again on January 4th @ 6:30 p.m. Until then, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas,

and happy writing!



No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.