Technology to the rescue! Little did we know, when we planned the Write Now! course in January, that we would be under lockdown in April, as is most of the world. In late March we had to make a quick decision: cancel the course, postpone it indefinitely or do it online. Thankfully, the participants were open-minded and daring enough to try the online option, and we at Mawazo had already run online workshops before; two of them across Africa. We know it works very well.
The first session last week happened without a glitch. I was excited to gather together – virtually – ten women and men from all walks of life, ages, and professions, all with one intent: to learn how to grasp at a fluid idea floating in their minds and pin it down with words. The books they are embarking on are as varied as the participants; from novels to memoirs to self-help books. I am so looking forward to how these varied book concepts, like seeds, will germinate and grow, fertilized by what I will share about the writing craft, and watered and sunned by the passion and perspectives each writer will bring to the group in support of one another. Even as we sit in our separate living rooms, we truly are in one space, thanks to the ever reliable Zoom. Watch this space for the forthcoming fruit: a bundle of books!
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