Last Friday when I said I had an idea, I didn’t mean to be such a tease. I was just excited and couldn’t keep my mouth shut. But, I can’t keep this a secret anyway, because I desperately need your help. You can skip right down to The Idea if you’re not interested in the background stuff.
The Evolution of the Idea
The idea started on Thursday night when I decided that I really wanted to start a podcast. I’ve been an avid podcast listener for years, and I’ve always wanted one of my own, but I’d never felt quite so inspired to actually do it. So, then I was thinking about what I could podcast about and with who.
I decided that I wanted to podcast about writing, and I really wanted to podcast with some of my fellow writing-dedicated bloggers. The problem was that I didn’t know how to podcast and I didn’t know if anyone would be interested in participating.
I spent some time on Friday trying to figure out how to podcast (I think I have it about half figured out now), but then it occurred to me that I really wanted to do something much broader than that, so that more people could participate.
I thought then of a group blog that could feature regular posts and possibly also video and (hopefully at some point) a podcast.
The Idea
I want to start a writing community for twenty-somethings that would revolve around a group blog. The point would be to encourage each other to write. We would do this mostly by talking about writing. I don’t imagine this blog being a How To Write kind of deal, but more about sharing ideas and holding each other accountable. It might include guest blogs or round table-like discussions via threaded comments. I hope it will also include other kinds of media. The question of what we would do is something I need your help with.
I want to do this not because I don’t think there’s anything like it already on the internet, but because I’m interested in more of a small group atmosphere and, well, I really like you all and trust your insight. I find I stay most motivated to write when I keep it at the front of my brain and get my ideas–about story, style, etc.–out there.
My original intent was that this would focus mostly on fiction, novel-length writing. But, I think it could be much broader than that. I know that I’m interested in all kinds of writing, so I think anything could be up for discussion.
So, I’m cool with leading things, especially at the start, but I don’t want to do this by myself. I’d like to encourage participation at all levels, but I’d really love if some of you would co-lead this with me. And, this is why I’m throwing the idea out there even though I’m not sure exactly where it will go. If no one is intersted, then I’ll probably put it on the back burner.
What I Need From You
1. If you are really interested and might consider co-leading this with me, please let me know. Also know that you’ll have my undying love. But, don’t worry, you’re not committing your life. You can always back out, and I don’t anticipate this taking over your life. But, I’d like your insight on the planning moving forward.
2. If you are intersted in possibly contributing at some point, but don’t want to be involved in the planning, please let me know.
3. If you are not interested, but you’ve already read this far, make it worth your while, and let me know if you have any ideas about things we might do on the blog or any feedback on the idea at all.
4. If you need me to clarify anything, please let me know.
5. If you’re interested in the idea and think your readers might be as well, spread the word on your blog.
I really want this to be collaborative, so please let me know what you think and if you are even midly interested in the idea. You can leave a comment here or email me at writetoreach [at] gmail [dot] com.
A final note: The only qualification for participating in this project is that you must be willing to talk about writing. This isn’t about how much formal training you have (I have very little myself) or how good you are or even how much time you spend writing. You only ever have to share as much as you want. What I’m saying is that there are many good reasons not to participate, but thinking you don’t have anything to say about writing is not one of them.
