Greetings to all: On Saturday, June 21, at 9 a.m. Pacific, noon Eastern, the Explorations in Creative Writing Group met in the friends of bookshare classroom. I wish to extend heartfelt thanks to all who came, & an equally heartfelt invitation to those who could not come to do so next Saturday. As is typical of most first meetings, some logistical matters were dispensed with & the members' opinions were sought on a variety of issues. Next, we had a discussion about the meaning of "writing what you know", which led to a rather interesting side conversation regarding the ability of congenitally blind persons to write believably about visual details, & techniques that might be employed to that end. A piece was shared by 1 of the group members & it was discussed in light of the lesson on "writing what you know." A differing opinion, e.g., that perhaps writing about what one does not know might prove more educational & interesting, was proffered by a member, quoting author David McCullough. All in all, it was an interesting & productive session. If you missed the first meeting, it doesn't mean you're banned forever lol. It's understood not everyone will be able to make every meeting. You're more than welcome to join us again next Saturday, 9:00 a.m. Pacific, noon Eastern, in the friends of Bookshare classroom: http://conference321.com/masteradmin/room.asp?id=rs0f1c528bd81b One of the things that was decided was that curriculum would be shared once monthly & then remaining Saturdays would be devoted primarily to sharing of writing. We also decided not to meet officially on the 4th of July weekend, as many will be away, though I'll probably be up if anyone wants to hang out unofficially. I have previously offered to help test/troubleshoot those having microphone problems, that offer still stands, & text chat participation is always welcome. Chris Hofstader has also offered to put up a blog on his site in order for us to post pieces for critique outside of the writing class. He intends to have that up shortly. We appreciate his willingness to contribute toward our efforts in this way. The topics for the week are: 1) One stormy night 2) Something you threw away but wish you hadn't 3) A day in the life 4) A town 5) A child 6) Flowers 7) A holiday Or anything else that strikes your fancy! Please keep pieces to about 5 minutes in length or approximately 1000 words. You are welcome to send your work to me at abletec@xxxxxxxxx prior to the meeting to be put into the browser, but try to have these by Friday night, as stuff tends to get hectic on Saturday mornings. An archive of the meeting will be posted on the site for your listening pleasure as soon as: a) I determine the procedure for getting it to Jim; & b) He has the time to do that. Have fun with your writing this week & hope to see you Saturday! Any questions may be addressed to me either on the lists or privately at: abletec@xxxxxxxxx -- Change the world--1 deed at a time Jackie McBride Check out my homepage at: www.abletec.serverheaven.net & please join my fight against breast cancer <http://teamacs.acsevents.org/site/TR?px=1790196&pg=personal&fr_id=3489> -- Change the world--1 deed at a time Jackie McBride Check out my homepage at: www.abletec.serverheaven.net & please join my fight against breast cancer <http://teamacs.acsevents.org/site/TR?px=1790196&pg=personal&fr_id=3489> To unsubscribe from this list send a blank Email to bksvol-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx put the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the subject line. To get a list of available commands, put the word 'help' by itself in the subject line.