What a privilege it is to meet with fellow writers.
I am in a very privileged position because I can do this at my workshops, and it is exciting and interesting to be in the same room with so much talent.
I held another Writing Your Life Workshop last Saturday here at Whangaparaoa and met 19 wonderful writers, all keen to get going on their journal writing and life stories.
Over the course of the day, we talked about the benefits of keeping a daily journal, and how this practice can build discipline for other writing. We discussed how this raw material can be used as content for life story. We looked at what makes a 'good' story a 'great' one - all of those elements like character, plot, style, pace, setting the scene and more - and tapped into using our five senses to add colour and vibrancy to our writing.
We also completed some writing exercises - and several of the writers read their work to the class.
How can I describe that writing? Powerful. Poignant. Funny. Imaginative. Delightful. Evocative. Thought provoking. Challenging. Once again, what a privilege it was for all of us to share in the creative work of such talented individuals.
Words can take us to many places. We see, feel, smell, hear and taste what it's like so stand atop a mountain, or to be inside on a rainy day with our breath steaming up the window. We meet interesting characters, and peek into their lives as quiet bystanders. Words take us to the depths of a writer's heart.
And they're just words - but in the hands of wonderful writers like those I met on Saturday, anything is possible.