If you have a desire to spend more time with friends, doing something unique and meaningful in the setting of a home, you should consider organizing creative writing socials. Gathering with a group of like-minded friends to explore your creativity and learn from each other can be an inspiring and empowering experience.
Whether the group consists of seasoned writers or beginners, this is a great way to connect with others and unlock your creative potential. Participants would be surrounded by supportive friends to explore their creativity without fear of judgement. Friends offer the perfect support system for bouncing project ideas and sharing creative writing pieces.
A creative writing social can range from a casual gathering over coffee to a formal event complete with themed drinks and decor. No matter the style, what matters most is the opportunity to engage in creative writing in a supportive and fun setting. As the host, you can set the tone and provide the prompts, activities, and tools needed to spur your friends' creativity and inspire their imaginations.
Here is a full calendar of events that you can consider doing in 2024, starting in March and taking the summer and December off. If this is something you and your friends can get excited about trying, feel free to download this graphic and use it as an invitation to start your own creative writing social.
There are a couple ways you can do this. One way is to ask participants to do their writing at home, and prepare to share their creation with the group when you gather for the social. Another way is to do the writing together during the social, reserving time for sharing and feedback near the end of the evening.
Let’s explore each activity in greater detail.
Monologues
A monologue is a medium or long speech by one actor in a play or movie. For the purpose of a creative writing social, the host can choose a theme, and participants can write a 3-5 minute monologue to perform to the group. Writers can create a monologue from the perspective of a fictional character or of themselves. Be sure to use a good hook in the beginning, use storytelling techniques throughout, and end on a strong note or with a twist.
Travel Destinations
Participants can prepare a slideshow of photos from their favourite trip, and write and deliver an introduction that will convince others that their destination must be added to a travel bucket list.
Storytelling
We all have stories to tell. An evening of true stories can be a beautiful mix of emotional stories that demand tears from the audience and comedic recalls of past events that causes everyone to laugh. Although the bulk of the storytelling can be improvised, writers should plan out their story on paper, indicating where they will take pauses, add embellishments, and build suspense. And in the end, what’s the moral of the story?
History Lessons
Have a fun, educational evening where the group can all learn something new. Participants should do research on a historical event, such as a natural disaster, war or invention, then create a presentation to share with the group. If you’re the host, be sure to ask in advance what type of equipment or set-up might be needed by your friends.
Podcasts
You may or may not actually create a podcast, but the process of brainstorming topics, creating an outline, writing episode titles and descriptions is a whole exciting and creative experience to try. No topic is off-limits, and you don’t have to be an expert in any field to be able to create a podcast. You could even invite guests, who will do most of the speaking, and you simply write down the questions you would ask as the host.
Autobiographies
Everyone’s life journey is unique and if you’ve ever thought your life would be interesting to write about, maybe it’s time to start an autobiography. With your group, start writing an introduction and list the events, milestones or experiences in your life that would form an interesting book. After you’ve given it a go, you might feel motivated or invested enough to continue writing your life story at home.
Letter or Card Writing
Spend an evening together, writing to others or to each other. If it’s close to the holidays, you can write greeting card messages together, and personalize them as you see fit for your own recipients. Another idea is to rent typewriters or hire someone to guide you through an evening of letter writing. Don’t forget the stamps, stationery and your address book!
Doing creative writing social like the above can create lasting memories. Friendships can be deepened and new relationships forged around a shared passion for creative writing. Whether you're looking to become a better writer, connect with friends, or simply have fun exploring your imaginative side, a creative writing social is a unique and rewarding experience. So, call up your friends, get out your pen and notebook, and start hosting your own creative writing socials soon!