Proud of Our Community

Last night we gathered for a relaxed, unstructured writing session. I arrived late—not on purpose—but was promptly told off and informed I was in trouble with the group. Not really, of course. It was all in good humour.

I caught up on what everyone had been up to and discovered that a comedy screenplay was beginning to take shape. We were all assigned characters and personalities. It was hilarious, if I do say so myself.

Each of us wrote from the perspective of the character we'd been given. I was, naturally, the group leader: published once, dry, controlling, and privately terrified that I'd already reached my peak. I lived in fear of Gerald, who was free somewhere in the cosmos, completely unburdened by earthly worries. I drank espresso as a form of self-punishment and ran a poetry group that included someone with the nervous energy of a person diffusing a bomb.

Rain also found its way into the story, as it had prevented us from gathering in the secret garden.

This is what I came up with:

My sense of humour is as dry as the morning after a day spent drowning in espresso. I find relief in sitting and watching the rain, even while I'm quietly terrified of losing control.

Gerald gives me the fear. He's freer than I ever will be. Floating around in the cosmos, not a care in the world.

There I go again. There I go again. Scared of losing control.

Workshop time. There they are, sitting together, sheltered from the rain tonight in Gales. But there's that one. That one sitting there, calm and collected. Always straight-faced and serious. Deep down I know it's a front. I know that one day it will crumble and they'll become a more relaxed, open member of the group.

In fact, I will make sure of it.

More espresso. I deserve it, after all.

Poetry, poetry, poetry... I'm freaking out. I'm terrified I've reached my peak.

Moments like this remind me why I love these sessions. What starts as a simple writing prompt quickly becomes collective storytelling, gentle mischief, and an excuse to spend an evening laughing together. I'm incredibly proud of this community and the creativity, trust, and joy that continues to grow within it.