This is the best idea! (And you are going to be inundated with submissions!) You, my love, have found the most loving and supportive way to lift up your subscribers. People who have never written before are now writers--because of you. (And some will now also be paid and published writers!) I shouldn't be at all surprised, actually--this is so up your full-hearted alley. Looking forward to seeing this in action.
And this--that you can see and say this: "people who have never written before are now writers--because of you" is why I absolutely love you. I feel that in my in-person workshops and have felt it for all these years, but there's never been a way to capture it that I could imagine taking on, you know--an anthology or journal felt like too much work and too big a toll on my own writing. This, though, I am looking forward to with all my heart!!
I imagine we will all grow from reading the best of these responses. Every single one I have read in comments has been unique, original…. and, especially, bears a palpable striving toward authenticity, within the constraints. Never have I seen such playfulness with ‘the container’ result in such moving and stirring revelations! I’ve loved seeing inside people’s lives. Your prompts are like an X-ray machine.
don't worry, happens all the time, autocorrect does not like my name! 🤣🤣 And thank you ❤️ I'll take this as an opportunity to look back at all the pieces written with WITD so far!
That’s exactly how I feel—I was like, Billie!! I have the BEST idea!!! When I told Billie last night they were like, Mom— make sure to write this down, and I was like, Oh I do not need to write this down, haha. This isn’t one of those ideas I’d forget. I’m doing it immediately.
Yay, me too! It's the coolest idea I've had since, well ... maybe WITD Camp, haha. This space sure is giving me a LOT of unexpected ideas. It feels so alive.
What a generous offer! It's easier for me to do the work of revision when I have an immediate and compelling reason (something I'm realizing as these words are coming out), and submitting to a journal I have no connection to is never compelling. (Thus, my 0 submissions so far this year.) This feels so much better. It feels like it's about deepening the community of practice you've created. It's about something more than the written work, and that's both rare and very cool.
Thank you for those words--yes, yes, yes yes yesyesyesyes that is EXACTLY what it can be, deepening the community of practice. May I please use that language, it is perfect? And we all--or, the vast vast majority of us--need a compelling reason if not an actual deadline. Geez, maybe I should have seasonal deadlines for this, for no other reason than to give people something to push against. Anyway, thank you so much, I am so excited! This is going to be so wonderful for us all! I don't even feel weird saying that, the idea came to me fully formed after I read the emailed submission. It was like, this is not even my idea. It was given to me from the world and her and all of you and, I suppose, my experience in live workshops where we wish we had this, this way of capturing the fruits of our labors, which are so beautiful, but can't, and simply have to hug and say goodbye. But here, we can do it! And it is just so so so good.
Of course you can use my words! I owe so many of them to you. 🙂 And deadlines are just another limitation, right? I know I'm a writer who does better with limitations! Sometimes great ideas/things come to us in a seeming flash, but they are almost always the result or culmination of so much groundwork. The good ones, anyway. Then it just feels like the right next step, and it's easy to know that it is. So great to watch this unfold for you/us.
What a thrill! I was just playing with the concept of a "Laundry Day" post, where I give away the rough-hewn bits and bobs along with my responses to your Visceral Self prompts as opposed to hoarding them until they're ready. I'd be shining them up regardless - can't wait to submit and to bask in the trembling glory of my fellow Darkwriters.
What an amazing opportunity. From hanging out with incredible writers to enjoy and learn from, to learning from you, and from your graciousness in providing writers with a safe platform to grow. Truth, it feels a little intimidating, and I'm thinking that's a good thing.
It's a really good thing! You know what they say about doing what is outside of our comfort zone. That little bit of heartbeat picking up? That's our bodies saying ... yes. I know it feels like fear, but it's something a little more alive and beautiful than actual fear, which I know you know from what you already said. Anyway, it's a win-win, because even though I can only share just so many of the pieces I will receive, everyone who takes the time to polish a piece, revise it toward this submission call, is going to come away a better writer and also will have a thing they polished to a shine, which will always be theirs no matter what. I mean, that's really cool! That's what I always tell myself as I toil away on my stuff toward its uncertain future. If I'm making something beautiful for a possible future in the world, that alone feels like a big, big win to me. ❤️
Oh, this is so lovely! I can’t wait to read what is shared through this. Have been lurking through the current intensive as I work on some other projects - aided by the story challenge exercises - but can’t wait to dive into those exercises soon!
Yes! And it’s so specific to this new digital literary teaching space. I can’t do this in my in-person workshops, we just hear it out loud and always wish we had some kind of 3-ring binder to capture the beauty. Now, we do!
Right? That’s part of why it’s so important exciting to me. Some of you are going to start tinkering with your incredible snippets for me and then all of the sudden you’ll be like — wait a minute, I think I have a whole damn thing for [insert your dream journal here]. And when that happens, I’ll be like, I told you! I told you that was brilliant when I saw it in the comments! And I’ll be so happy whether you send it here or somewhere else — happy that some of this extraordinary work will get developed and sent into the world.
This is the best idea! (And you are going to be inundated with submissions!) You, my love, have found the most loving and supportive way to lift up your subscribers. People who have never written before are now writers--because of you. (And some will now also be paid and published writers!) I shouldn't be at all surprised, actually--this is so up your full-hearted alley. Looking forward to seeing this in action.
And this--that you can see and say this: "people who have never written before are now writers--because of you" is why I absolutely love you. I feel that in my in-person workshops and have felt it for all these years, but there's never been a way to capture it that I could imagine taking on, you know--an anthology or journal felt like too much work and too big a toll on my own writing. This, though, I am looking forward to with all my heart!!
We’re so lucky!
xoxo
I imagine we will all grow from reading the best of these responses. Every single one I have read in comments has been unique, original…. and, especially, bears a palpable striving toward authenticity, within the constraints. Never have I seen such playfulness with ‘the container’ result in such moving and stirring revelations! I’ve loved seeing inside people’s lives. Your prompts are like an X-ray machine.
This makes me so dang happy, Michelle! Thank you!
YAYYYY!!! Thank you so much for this opportunity, Jeannine!!
It’s going to be so so fun!
I love this idea!! Thank you so much for this! I can't wait to read everyone's work and I hope I'll have something good enough to submit one day too!
Flag is you definitely do have work for this! ❤️
That was supposed to say Flavia—I’m in the car and can’t type on my phone 🤣
don't worry, happens all the time, autocorrect does not like my name! 🤣🤣 And thank you ❤️ I'll take this as an opportunity to look back at all the pieces written with WITD so far!
That’s so great because you have real riches in those fragments of this and that and I can’t wait!
❤️❤️
I love this. It is generous and smart. Thank you!
That’s exactly how I feel—I was like, Billie!! I have the BEST idea!!! When I told Billie last night they were like, Mom— make sure to write this down, and I was like, Oh I do not need to write this down, haha. This isn’t one of those ideas I’d forget. I’m doing it immediately.
I'm excited about this!!
Yay, me too! It's the coolest idea I've had since, well ... maybe WITD Camp, haha. This space sure is giving me a LOT of unexpected ideas. It feels so alive.
What a generous offer! It's easier for me to do the work of revision when I have an immediate and compelling reason (something I'm realizing as these words are coming out), and submitting to a journal I have no connection to is never compelling. (Thus, my 0 submissions so far this year.) This feels so much better. It feels like it's about deepening the community of practice you've created. It's about something more than the written work, and that's both rare and very cool.
Thank you for those words--yes, yes, yes yes yesyesyesyes that is EXACTLY what it can be, deepening the community of practice. May I please use that language, it is perfect? And we all--or, the vast vast majority of us--need a compelling reason if not an actual deadline. Geez, maybe I should have seasonal deadlines for this, for no other reason than to give people something to push against. Anyway, thank you so much, I am so excited! This is going to be so wonderful for us all! I don't even feel weird saying that, the idea came to me fully formed after I read the emailed submission. It was like, this is not even my idea. It was given to me from the world and her and all of you and, I suppose, my experience in live workshops where we wish we had this, this way of capturing the fruits of our labors, which are so beautiful, but can't, and simply have to hug and say goodbye. But here, we can do it! And it is just so so so good.
Of course you can use my words! I owe so many of them to you. 🙂 And deadlines are just another limitation, right? I know I'm a writer who does better with limitations! Sometimes great ideas/things come to us in a seeming flash, but they are almost always the result or culmination of so much groundwork. The good ones, anyway. Then it just feels like the right next step, and it's easy to know that it is. So great to watch this unfold for you/us.
What a thrill! I was just playing with the concept of a "Laundry Day" post, where I give away the rough-hewn bits and bobs along with my responses to your Visceral Self prompts as opposed to hoarding them until they're ready. I'd be shining them up regardless - can't wait to submit and to bask in the trembling glory of my fellow Darkwriters.
Laundry Day!! That is so brilliant. Please send me some of your socks haha!
What an amazing opportunity. From hanging out with incredible writers to enjoy and learn from, to learning from you, and from your graciousness in providing writers with a safe platform to grow. Truth, it feels a little intimidating, and I'm thinking that's a good thing.
It's a really good thing! You know what they say about doing what is outside of our comfort zone. That little bit of heartbeat picking up? That's our bodies saying ... yes. I know it feels like fear, but it's something a little more alive and beautiful than actual fear, which I know you know from what you already said. Anyway, it's a win-win, because even though I can only share just so many of the pieces I will receive, everyone who takes the time to polish a piece, revise it toward this submission call, is going to come away a better writer and also will have a thing they polished to a shine, which will always be theirs no matter what. I mean, that's really cool! That's what I always tell myself as I toil away on my stuff toward its uncertain future. If I'm making something beautiful for a possible future in the world, that alone feels like a big, big win to me. ❤️
That’s so beautiful and encouraging and inspiring.
Good!! I am glad to hear that. xo
What a wonderful offering. Thx for the opportunity. 🙏
You are more than welcome. I am so looking forward to it!
Oh, this is so lovely! I can’t wait to read what is shared through this. Have been lurking through the current intensive as I work on some other projects - aided by the story challenge exercises - but can’t wait to dive into those exercises soon!
Yay! And remember, you can use old exercises. Any exercise since the beginning is eligible material ❤️❤️❤️
Cool! I’m busy all day and tomorrow is thick so I’ll submit when I can soon. Thanks for doing this!
Yes! It will be so fun. There is no hurry. I’ll be doing these all year until—who knows? I’m excited!
Hooray! I love this so much- such a lovely idea to make it a continuation of the WITD magic 🩷
Yes! And it’s so specific to this new digital literary teaching space. I can’t do this in my in-person workshops, we just hear it out loud and always wish we had some kind of 3-ring binder to capture the beauty. Now, we do!
A wonderful and encouraging opportunity and exactly what I might need to spend more time post first draft!
Thank you.
Right? That’s part of why it’s so important exciting to me. Some of you are going to start tinkering with your incredible snippets for me and then all of the sudden you’ll be like — wait a minute, I think I have a whole damn thing for [insert your dream journal here]. And when that happens, I’ll be like, I told you! I told you that was brilliant when I saw it in the comments! And I’ll be so happy whether you send it here or somewhere else — happy that some of this extraordinary work will get developed and sent into the world.
I love you Jeannine.
I love you too! ❤️
Love gou for that❤️
I just love this idea -- and I am inspired to tinker with something I wrote in this space and and and...yes please and thank you!
Yay!!!!
Wow. Brilliant. And on it! Thank you.
Yay!!!!
Xoxo. WITD is like my favorite recurring dream where intriguing new doors and rooms unfold and open for me to explore and claim. Thank you.💜
That’s so beautiful. I have to say I really— I mean REALLY— love this idea and can’t wait to see where it goes!
It is! It's like a Scooby Doo montage but what walks out of every door is, I don't know, my first crush, or a cactus I stepped on one time.
Haha amazing — ❤️❤️❤️
Hahaha- yes!!! I love this! My first was more cactus than crush, now that you mention it! Look- another door!
❤️