Group Updates:

• A small group met at the Waconia Library for the first time since early 2020! We figured quite a few people were enjoying the weather and the long Labor Day weekend, so we’re excited to hopefully see more members at the October meeting!

• Jen gave a status update about the anthology and WWG’s status as a nonprofit. Our nonprofit status is still in good standing, and Jen is working with a few members to hammer down some details on the “business” side of WWG! (P.S. we are super official and have a BUSINESS side! 😂). Long story short: we are in good shape and have concrete plans for moving forward! Jen will send out an email to the stakeholders on our core anthology team with additional information and next steps.

• We had a discussion about what makes a writer a “writer.” How all of us who have found the WWG had different goals, and have come back each month for different reasons. But ultimately that a person’s identity as a writer doesn’t have to be tied to publication, or accolades. If you write to publish… if you write for a specific audience… if you write for yourself… if you write because it helps pass the time… if you write from the limitless bounds of your imagination… if you write so that your children’s children’s children’s children might know a little about you even though you’ve never met… if you write because sometimes you just need to get your thoughts out of your head and onto paper… you ARE a writer.
  

• We also read our prompt pieces about Change, and picked a fun prompt for next time!

Announcements:

• There are a few exciting upcoming fall community events in the works! Hosted by the Carver County Library and also by the Arts Consortium of Carver County, these events are posted on our WWG Events page with links to more information.
  
  

• November is fast approaching, and you know what that means…. NATIONAL NOVEL WRITING MONTH! WWG will host a few virtual write-ins on the calendar for November, as well as a kick-off being hosted by ACCC. The write-ins are virtual for now, but we may be able to swing a few in-person meet-ups if we can find a location! Please check the Events page frequently for updates (and there will likely be updates!).
  
  

• We are continuing our virtual Critique Sessions! The next session is Wednesday September 22nd at 7pm on Google Meet! Please use the contact form to request an invite.
  • How we plan to use this time:
    1. We’ll kick off with a free-write, 10 or 20 minutes 
    2. We are going to use the rest of our meeting to focus on one of our goals mentioned above, critique and feedback!
       • Participants should bring a piece to this meeting they are currently working on and would like feedback on.
       • We have created a shared Google Drive folder to store our pieces for review and critique. If you would like to participate, contact Jen for access to this folder. We try to have pieces uploaded at least a few days in advance of the next session, to allow for comments and feedback prior to the meeting.
       • We will take turns reading our pieces and open the floor for critique.
       • We will agree on a time limit per member for reading and feedback.
       • We will also follow our unanimously agreed-upon “Critique Code” to make sure people feel comfortable and are on the same page with the critique process.
  • All are invited to this Wednesday night meeting; please know that we would like to stick to the two activities above during this time. We will be continuing our regular larger-group meetings the first Saturday of the month! 

Next Saturday Meeting:

Saturday, October 2nd, 10:30am. Waconia Library (Magazine Corner).

Prompt for October 2nd: Take a fairy tale character out of their story, and put them in a different setting/situation. (Additional details/context can be found on the Writing Prompts page.)