August 2022 Calendar of Events
Let's Write Together!
For years I have have been telling anyone who will listen, “Stop writing alone!” Here, in the Stop Writing Alone Substack community, I’ve got a new mantra and mission, “Let’s write together!” Each month I will release the calendar of live Zoom events to let you know when that’s happening. Here’s the rundown of scheduled events for the month of August.
Events Open to Everyone
Zoom calls:
Tuesday, August 16th 5:30pm Eastern Time: Write-In [LIVE ZOOM]
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82798563844?pwd=RUQ4Q3VOcE5ZS25vMHI1b2Z4NTRKZz09
Meeting ID: 827 9856 3844
Passcode: 342210
Friday, August 26th 2pm Eastern Time: Writing Prompt Party [LIVE ZOOM]
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89932031024?pwd=OG1HcmVOQkh0UlVBR0FWdG9oVGU5QT09
Meeting ID: 899 3203 1024
Passcode: 042301
Other Regular posts:
Every Thursday: New Stop Writing Alone podcast episode
Every Friday: New Writing Prompt video from the 52 Stories in 52 Weeks Challenge on the NV Rivera YouTube channel
Extra Events for Paid Subscribers
Zoom Calls:
Tuesday, August 2nd 8am and 12pm Eastern Time: Write-Ins [LIVE ZOOM]
Friday, August 19th 5pm Eastern Time: Writing Prompt Party [LIVE ZOOM]
Wednesday, August 24th 5pm Eastern Time: Story Club Finding Nemo and “Ask Dramatic Questions” Lesson chat from 27 Essential Principles of Story
(paid Zoom links will be sent out to subscribers in a separate post)
Other Regular Paid Posts:
Every Monday: Goal Setting (& Celebrating) Check-in Posts
Wednesday, August 10th: Story Club Writing Exercise
As the first wave of paying subscribers, you will get all of this (and more!) for $5/month, or $50 for the year.
Bonus Events?
August is another wacky family month. In fact, I am not even home as I create and write this post. This is why I have more events later in the month than earlier. However, as always, it is my hope to show up even more than what is scheduled above. When it becomes clear that a time slot is fully available for me to show up, I will pop into the Stop Writing Alone Substack to invite my paying subscribers to write with me (and each other!) again.
Explanation of the Types of Events Coming Your Way
If you are new to writing community and, specifically the Stop Writing Alone community, you may not know how awesome this offer is, so let me give you a brief run down of what’s coming your way:
What’s a Goal Setting Check in?
Every writer has a dream, within the writing community our job is to transform those dreams into a reality. Step one of doing that is setting goals and writing them down for accountability. Each week we will have a goal setting post where we write down our goals in the comments to keep ourselves — and each other — accountable. As the weeks progress we will also use this space to celebrate our wins (no matter how big or small) and seek the support we need to keep moving forward.
What’s a Write in?
A live Zoom Write-in is an event designed for writers seeking community paired with productivity. It’s an hour long Zoom call with light chat and timed writing sprints. Typically, in a one hour session we have three five-minute chat sessions and three fifteen-minute writing sessions. This is modeled after the Pomodoro method and it is amazing what kind of work can be accomplished in this time.
What is a Writing Prompt Party?
Easily my personal favorite writing event to host, a writing prompt party is an event where we all get to play for at least an hour, hear each other’s writing and build writing relationships that last. In a writing prompt party you come with your favorite writing tool and I bring a writing prompt. We begin the meeting with some introductions and chat and then I share the prompt. I set a timer giving all the writers a chance to write a story based on the prompt. When the timer goes off, then we read our first draft fiction stories aloud to one another. To see some recorded Writing Prompt parties from previous years in the Stop Writing Alone community, check out the Writing Prompt Parties Playlist on the NV Rivera YouTube channel.
What is Story Club?
Story Club is the newest addition to the Stop Writing Alone offerings. It’s like a super-charged book club with a goal of expanding our knowledge on the craft of storytelling. As a former teacher, I tend to “nerd-out” when I see opportunities for expanding my education in any subject. When I first found the book 27 Essential Principles of Story by Daniel Joshua Rubin, I saw the potential in diving deep to learn about storytelling. In this book Rubin shares 27 lessons in storytelling using a master story to exemplify each. Through Story Club we will dive deep on each of these lessons by reading each lesson, experiencing the master story, and having a live Zoom call to reflect each month.
And More!
This is the stuff I dreamt up all on my own. As we meet together, write together, and see how this space can further serve our needs, you can bet there will be more to come. (I didn’t even mention my addiction to making supplemental pdfs for community members when we meet together!) So are you ready to invest in your writing? Skip one fancy coffee this month and spend $5 to see how you can grow when you finally stop writing alone! Let’s Write Together!
Become paid subscriber today!
Two More Ways to Truly Stop Writing Alone
If you already have a growing group of writing buddies, make sure you embrace the Stop Writing Alone philosophy by sharing this offer with them
Or, even better, shout our motto, “Let’s Write Together!” to your writer friends when you give them a gift of a subscription to Stop Writing Alone!
Can’t wait for the fun to begin with our open to everyone Writing Prompt Party this Friday!
See you then!
(Bookshop.org links in this post are affiliate links. Any purchases made using these links will help support independent bookshops and the Stop Writing Alone community)