Things started off a little weird at W.I.N.D. It was almost like we weren’t speaking to each other at all, not even having the same conversation. Our first time together we “got to know each other” by talking without listening, just as real people often do and characters in stories should: coming to the table with their own baggage, problems and predispositions. And maybe weird is worth getting used to: it was these kinds of experimental activities that we got used to participating in at W.I.N.D. and they are definitely helping our writing.
Our time at W.I.N.D. has been mostly about community and feedback, though. From the start we fit right together (we actually listen to each other on a normal basis) as a group of young writers seeking advice on projects from the idea stage (pitch sessions are lively and exciting!). We’ve read each other’s memoirs, poems, short stories, novel excerpts, and screenplays. It’s incredible how fast we’ve become friends (despite not as being as “nice” as one guest facilitator, Mr. Bob, would have liked!) and how spot on our feedback has been one.
But besides this community, we’ve taking part in some great writing activities, from mapping out an imaginary, collective world to rethinking graphic representations of plot to examining the process of draft to published piece in Draft Journal.
We’re only half way through and W.I.N.D. is without a doubt a success: a new home for young writers.