I'm relieved to finally be emerging from the Covid cocoon. Until beginning to do so recently, I didn't fully appreciate how much I'd missed interacting with different groups of people face-to-face. What parts of your pre-Covid routine did you really miss during our long and enforced isolation?
My regular meetings with a group of aspiring writers abruptly halted in early March 2020. Because that group was loosely organized and had existed long before I joined them in 2015, when meetings were suspended that March, I had no idea if they continued to meet via ZOOM or otherwise virtually. I did know I missed learning from the people in the group.
That gap in my life for two plus years left me so hungry that I lunged as soon as I learned a new group was being sponsored by a local library. I'm happy to report after just four meetings this group meets my needs better than the last. In no small part, this is due to the leader, an intelligent woman with an MFA in creative non-fiction. The readings she selects, the prompts she uses, and the kind feedback she gives to everyone all contribute to a solid learning experience.
As our leader has said, reading work to others that you've created extemporaneously is an ideal way for a writer to "clear the throat." Until a few months ago, I didn't know how much I'd missed that.
I like the term 'creative non-fiction.' Never heard of that before and would like to learn more!
ReplyDeleteHey Ines; Thanks for the comment; I'll tell you about creative non-fiction the next time we speak.
DeleteHello, Pat. Starting to emerge from the Covid cocoon is both a good feeling, a sort of relief, while also being a somewhat scary feeling. Still so much is unknown. I've mostly missed going to live performances - theater, concerts - and have probably enjoyed those that I've been able to see recently a little bit more since. Having started the Life Long Learning classes at Brookdale just before the pandemic hit was great. And then ... Nothing. I definitely missed those as I've always liked being in a classroom setting. And although I appreciate the option for Zoom classes, when they started, I didn't register for any. It's just not the same. At least not to me. I celebrated when in person classes returned - even with mask wearing - which has now started to ease. I love how you wrote that you 'were so hungry that you lunged' when an opportunity presented itself. Believe me, my friend, I share that feeling 100% and I look forward to continued opportunities.
ReplyDeleteBe well,
Bob
Hey Bob; Thanks for three comments in one day, again. I too have missed concerts and the theater, although I know from past comments from you, that, like me, you've been easing yourself back into those treata as well. Hooray!
Delete