Sharing Plates for Writers
Fresh ingredients for productive writing!
Dear fellow writer,
I’m irrationally excited to announce a new set of resources that I’ll be adding to my WriteSPACE membership area over the next few months: Sharing Plates. The first video in the series, Caprese Salad, is now available in the WriteSPACE Library, and in celebration of its launch I’m posting a free version here. Enjoy!
So what’s a Sharing Plate? Well, you’re probably already familiar with the “Pomodoro Technique,” a time management method that originated in the late 1980s. Writer Francesco Cirillo used a tomato-shaped kitchen timer (“pomodoro” in Italian) to set short writing sprints for the members of his writing group, who would write together in silence for 25 minutes, take a 5-minute stretching break, and then repeat the process a few more times.
Cirillo’s simple “shut up and write” method (or, as I prefer to call it, “show up and write”) proved useful for many writers, so the technique spread far and wide, along with its unusual name. I like the method so much that I’ve stocked the WriteSPACE Library with no fewer than 37 different pomodoro timer videos, ranging from 5 to 40 minutes long. Each one offers a different timer (not just tomatoes!) that you can use to time your own writing sprints: a purple penguin, a blue macaron, a silver champagne bucket, and many more. These playful pomodori won’t magically transform you into a more stylish or productive writer, but at least they can help bring some pleasure to your writing process.
For years, WriteSPACE members have been asking me to make some longer timer videos — and now, at last, I’ve done it! Weaving together existing videos from my YouTube channel with newly-filmed material, I’ve created a series of self-contained, on-demand writing studio sessions.
Each themed 1- to 2-hour Sharing Plate video consists of a brief introduction, a creative or reflective writing warm-up, a sequence of timed writing sprints with short stretching breaks in between, and a Wordcraft Workout — that is, a writing or editing exercise designed to develop your craft as a writer.
Ideally, I hope that you’ll consume these Sharing Plates in the company of other writers, either virtually or “in real life” — but of course you’re also welcome to savor them on your own. Just set aside an hour or two of focused writing time, choose a Sharing Plate from the WriteSPACE Library (more are coming soon!) and start writing.
Enjoy!
Do you have writing-related news, events, or resources to share? Send me a brief description (50 words max), a hyperlink, and a high-quality image.
Kia pai tō koutou rā (have a great day) – and keep on writing!
Helen
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