As I prepared to leave for Italy, so many people asked me: what will happen to the Village Writing School? But if you’ve seen our catalog, with workshops scheduled all the way through February, you know the Village Writing School is going strong.
For six months before I left, the Board and I worked diligently to make sure the school had a runway and a great momentum. When I told Alice French, Board member and Co-Founder, that I was planning workshops for six months, she said, “You do that and I’ll create a catalog.” If you haven’t seen it yet, you can see it HERE. It’s awesome. (Give it a few seconds to load.)
I always said, “I am not the Village Writing School. Our teachers, our attendees bring their talents and energy and passion and experience. I just unlock the door.”
So I’m not worried about what will happen to the school while I’m in Italy. I’m more worried about what will happen to me while I’m gone. Our people are my tribe. That’s why I FaceTime into every workshop, Chats with the Editor, and many Writers’ Nights Out. Keep in mind that for Writers’ Night Out, I have to get up at 1 a.m. because Italy is seven hours later than Arkansas. But I do it because I believe in the importance of a writing community. That has been one of the cornerstones of the VWS since the beginning. I can’t imagine not seeing Alan and Carol, Debbie and Greg, Alice and Gene and . . .
Here I am joining in for a toast at Writers’ Night Out, where I’m really just a little too big:
In this discussion, there’s a munchkin on the top shelf:
There’s a ton of administration work done via email—writing press releases, answering questions, etc.—and I still do a lot of that. I’m working on the spring/summer workshop line-up now. I’m also trying to think of ways that I can contribute to our programming and to the support and inspiration that we have to offer writers and those who are about to begin writing.
I always said I was 60% writer and 40% teacher. (And I encourage you to put percentages to YOUR passions because that is very helpful in seeing if you are honoring the most important ones.) So, I’m working with a consultant to create a call-in program where we discuss a writing topic. Since I am right now in the throes of creating a writing routine after throwing all the pieces of my life into the air like confetti, it’s appropriate that our first topic of discussion will be “How to Craft a Writing Routine.”
I’m not pretending to have all the answers. So this discussion will be about the various ways authors have managed their time and space. Everyone from Stephen King to . . . well . . . me.
I will announce the time and date next week, look for it. I hope you will think about joining us as I am excited about some of the material I have to discuss, including a “system” designed by our own Alice French (amazing how her name keeps coming up). This call is something that anyone, anywhere can call in to, so those of you who are too far away to attend a workshop can totally join me for this.
The Village Writing School is rocking because of planning. Creating a writing routine is all about planning. And what about your writing? Do you plan for it? Long-term. Of course we all plan to do it. But do we plan on how to do it? Planning is what gives your writing a fighting chance to thrive. Planning is what makes a book launch a real LAUNCH.
I hope you’ll join us at many of the VWS workshops and events either in person or online. I can’t tell you how much the Village Writing School means to me, and I urge you to discover our high-quality instruction and laid-back friendliness for yourself.
Write On!
Alison