Group Writing Project: My Love Affair With Writing

We're taking leaps and bounds with our writing at Confident Writing this month, which means it just has to be time for another group writing project.

Group writing projects can be a great way to stretch our blog writing muscles. 

Taking part can be an easy and effective way to:

• raise your profile
• meet other bloggers
• get links, trackbacks and comments
• generate ideas for new topics
• experiment and have some fun

Taking my inspiration from Valentine's Day and the timeless theme of love... the challenge is to write about:

My Love Affair With Writing

I'm hoping this won't need much further explanation...

You can write straight or serious, happy or sad, short or long (well not too long, we are talking a blog post here!) 

It might be a love affair that's lasted many years, a brief flame of passion or the heartbreak of unrequited love. 

Maybe you're at the start of a new relationship with your words, or looking back on lifetime of fulfilled writing. 

It's up to you.

You don't need to be a "writer" to join in

I know that many of you love to write, want to write, long to write regardless of whether or not you think of yourselves as "writers". This group writing project is for everyone, whatever label you give yourself or others give you.

Forget the labels.  Forget the definitions. 

Just think about the act of putting pen to paper.  Of dreaming up sweet phrases in your mind.  Of moving your hand, quietly, insistently, across the page. 

And write about that.

To take part all you need to do is:

• Write (or otherwise create) a blog post on the subject of My Love Affair With Writing
• Post your piece by midnight on 28th February (in your time zone)
• Tag it "my love affair with writing" to help me keep track of the entries
• Link back to this post (to help me keep track of the entries)
• Keep it within the boundaries of decency :-)

In return you'll get:

• A link to your piece when I publish the round up (in early March)
• The chance to connect up with other participating bloggers and writers
• The opportunity to write about writing (bliss)

I'm also offering a prize (a book, what else?) based on the entirely subjective criterion of which entry I love the most. 

It's Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down The Bones, a book to strengthen or inspire a lifelong love affair with writing. 

If you've already got the book it's a chance to give it to someone you love, who loves to write or whose writing you love.

 

---

The Group Writing Project is a contribution to the theme of writing leaps and bounds, this month's focus at Confident Writing.

Taking part might... represent a leap for you, rekindle your love of writing and inspire some writing leaps and bounds, or help you learn from what motivates and inspires the words of others.  I know it'll motivate me, and I can't wait to read what you come up with.

Joanna Young, The Confident Writing Coach
Because our words count

Photo Credit: fotologic

Comments

[amypalko]

What a wonderful project, Joanna. Count me in!

[Robert Hruzek]

At last! An opportunity to reciprocate for all those late-nite, last minute writing dashes you've been subjected to for WILF!

Count me in!

[Joanna Young]

Ah you guys are great, I can relax now I know I'll have at least two quality contributions, from fired up writers with totally different styles :-)

Joanna

[Michele]

I think I'll join in too, Joanna! Sounds interesting. I don't have this book either, so I'd love to gobble up every page! :-)

Smiles,
Michele

[Joanna Young]

Michele, I can hear the smiles in your post even now, and it's not even written yet!

That was a lovely thing you did for Jeanne Dininni today, what a generous blogger you are :-)

Joanna

[Michele]

What a beautiful thing for you to say about me, Joanna! You've just warmed my heart on Valentine's Day! Thanks for your kind words! I always try to help people whenever, and however, I can. :-) I've been known to bake old-fashioned banana bread for someone who is homebound or injured, too! Since I couldn't take food to Jeanne, I thought I'd speed the cyber highway and lend a post.

Smiles,
Michele

[Catherine L]

Hi Joanna - since you're organising it - I might have a go. But, I already have Writing Down The Bones. It's excellent. If you've not already read it - Movies in the Mind is worth reading too.

The title doesn't have to be "My Love Affair With Writing" does it?

[Joanna Young]

Hi Catherine, I don't know that book so I'll check it out.

No, you don't need to give it that title, but it needs to be inspired by that theme.

Joanna

[Karen Swim]

Hi Joanna,

This is a wonderful idea! I have never done a group writing project so this will be a good way to continue to challenge myself. Count me in!

Karen

[CatherineL]

Sorry Joanna - it's by Colleen Mariah Rae.

[Joanna Young]

That's great Karen, although when I read your post yesterday on your words starting to dance I thought you'd already written your submission!

Joanna

[Ariane Benefit]

What a wonderful idea!! Your creativity, joy and enthusiasm about writing is so inspiring! I'm going to do my best to rise to this challenge!

[Joanna Young]

Thank you Ariane. Your words inspire me too.

I'd love to read you if you find the time to contribute to this, but no worries if you don't. You'll tell me some time I'm sure :-)

Joanna

[moharb]

hi, loved this post. This encourages beginners like me to continue blogging. Would love to get your views on my writing style!

[Joanna Young]

Hi Moharb, you should definitely continue blogging - lots of fun and always so much to learn!

If you end up submitting an entry to the project we'll be able to get a good feel for your writing style :-)

Joanna

[moharb]

ok Joanna, I have decided to join the project. It would be a good exercise for me. Thanks for your blogs and tips.

[Joanna Young]

That's great, I look forward to reading what you write.

Joanna

[Alina Popescu]

Hi Joanna,

This was the first group writing project I ever took part in. Simply because it was irresistible!

Thank you :)

[Joanna Young]

Hi Alina

I'm so glad you did - your piece was fantastic!

Joanna

[Marcia (MeeAugraphie)]

I could not resist this challenge. Thank you, Joanna. It was such fun to write! And I edited - some - something I rarely do. Though the more I edited this one, the more the line count remained the same. Minds are incredible things.

(Sorry, I never learned to use tags, but I did link back and used the group writing challenge "title" in my title.)

[Joanna Young]

Hi Marcia, thanks so much for taking part. I'm glad you couldn't resist the desire!

I guess as you were editing you were making sure that the most important things found their way in, making every word count :-)

The tags don't matter, I just wanted people to find a way of letting me know they're taking part. A comment is the nicest way of course!

Joanna

[Em Dy]

I wrote about writing back in January. If I'd known about this group writing project, I would have shelved that article for the meantime. I'd like to share it just the same even if it doesn't qualify.

http://intentiontotreat.blogspot.com/2008/01/on-writing-speaking-etc.html

[Joanna Young]

Hi Em Dy, thanks for sharing the piece. I haven't worked out what to do with pieces that I have already been written (I have an aversion to rules!) so I'll see if we can't work in a link...

Thanks for sharing your piece anyway.

I'm glad you've got your writing groove back too!

Joanna

[amypalko]

OK, I finally bit the bullet this morning, and wrote my entry. Hope it's alright!
http://liveslessordinary.wordpress.com/2008/02/24/my-love-affair-with-writing-began-in-childhood/

[Joanna Young]

Amy, of course it'll be all right. I'm going to have to wean you off this habit of apologising for things!

Joanna

[G]

Joanna, thank you for this great opportunity. Now that I have finished this post, I cannot wait for the next group writing project!

My entry: http://globalized.wordpress.com/2008/02/26/a-reciprocal-affair/

[Joanna Young]

Hi G, I enjoyed reading your post :-)

I'm glad you were able to take part. It's going to take me a little while to gather up the contributions and publish them so I'll need to think about when the next one might be!

Joanna

[Sandra Gail Lambert]

A contribution to "My Love Affair with Writing" is now posted on my website www.sandralambert.com. I look forward to reading the results. Sandra

[Joanna Young]

Sandra, thanks so much for taking part.

The results will be worth waiting for, I promise

Joanna

[My Waltz with Words (Michele L. Tune)]

Hi Joanna,

Didn't know if I'd get this in or not, but here it is! :-)

My Waltz with Words

http://writingthecyberhighway.blogspot.com/2008/02/my-waltz-with-words.html

How fun!

Smiles,
Michele

[Joanna Young]

Hi Michele

I'm glad you found the time to get it written - to make us smile, and get our feet tapping and words twirling... :-)

Joanna

[Shamelle]

Hi Joanna,
Indeed it was an interesting topic to wrote on. You can find my contribution to your group writing project here.
http://enhancelifethinktank.blogspot.com/2008/02/intimate-details-of-my-love-affair-with.html

Regards
Shamelle

[Joanna Young]

Hi Shamelle, thanks for taking part, and I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Heartened too that you are having so much fun with your blogging and writing - it's a great medium isn't it :-)

Best wishes

Joanna

[Deb @ Three Weddings]

It's only 7:30 a.m. here! Here's my entry. Hope you are having a great time recharging your batteries.

http://weddingsx3.blogspot.com/2008/02/my-love-affair-with-writing.html

[Joanna Young]

I am/did Deb, thank you.

I have also had the loveliest time reading all the entries to this group writing project!

Thanks for sharing the story of your own love affair :-)

Joanna

[Lillie Ammann]

Joanna,
My entry is posted. This was a fun project. Thanks!

[Joanna Young]

Lillie, I really enjoyed your contribution! I'm glad you found it fun.

Thanks for your encouragement to me to run the project. It's been extremely rewarding (and fun)

Joanna