cheaper writing workshops
Tomas' posts reminded me of The Inkhaven Residency just after its maiden season began. My thoughts on it, explained in comparison to monthly blogging challenges, have largely stayed the same. If all you want to do is publish blog posts daily for one month, you can do that on your own with minimal commitment, maximal community, and zero capital. If you want to join a challenge, try Blaugust in August, National Blog Posting Month in November, or any of these structured options from Fran's Twelve years of Nanowrimo:
- Writing Month
- 750 words
- Order of the Written Word
- Rough Draft Month
- StoryADay
- Shut Up & Write
- Novelember from World Anvil
- Novel 90 by AutoCrit
However, I do like how Inkhaven's blogroll organizes this season's writers and their output on one convenient page. It may also serve as an effective accountability mechanism, particularly for those motivated by visualized streaks and the resulting sense of emergent competition. I think that other challenges, whether about writing blog posts or delivering other units of work, could benefit from such a visualization.
For how much Inkhaven is advertised as a writing residency, I believe it's less about writing and more about connecting through that common interest. I would figure that writers should do whatever possible to maximize time spent outside of writing their daily 500+ word posts. That includes socializing, enjoying memorable experiences, and even collaborating with fellow writers, advisors, and organizers. That said, I think the personal engagement you would find at Inkhaven can be readily found in local or online spaces for far cheaper. For that matter, can you envision how a variation of that workshop could work for prospective or established writers like you?