Magic happens when people write together and then read what they’ve written. I know it sounds corny but it’s true. Take the raw materials from your life, weave a story, and experience the alchemy.

In last night’s MeetUp group at Rutgers Church, seven of us gathered and each had about ten minutes to read what we’d written. Then we briefly talked about the craft of writing. We went around the circle and read. We laughed and we cried. Just hearing our work out loud changes what we’ve written.

Sometimes a group can gather, as I’ve done too at a Wednesday writing group at the Interchurch Center. We each start with a blank paper and pen. And creative prompts are shared — inspired from Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird, Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In, or Dan Wakefield’s The Story of Your Life. This last book is the one I used at the International Women’s Writing Guild this summer.

The creative prompts we wrote from then were:

• I felt safe when…
• My mentor or hero was…
• My first job was…
• I was really angry with…

Because this is the season of Thanksgiving, it’s always awesome to write about:

• When I felt grateful, I…

I have blogged with a few of the essays that I wrote from the Wednesday writing group.

I also want to continue to make this kind of writing circle happen for more people. So check out what’s up and coming at Writer’s Boot Camp MeetUp. But most importantly, keep writing.

Related articles

• Writing Prompts and Writing Circles (heidiatheartspace.wordpress.com)
• The third rule (robintriggs.wordpress.com)
• Extemporaneous Writing (seeingitmyway.com)
• http://www.iwwg.org/ (International Women’s Writing Guild)