The Forum and all Conference Approved Literature depend on writing by Al‑Anon members. Holding an occasional writing meeting or workshop is a great way to generate sharings that can be submitted for publication.
Here are some suggestions:
- Writing Meeting: As in a regular meeting, the leader presents a topic. Members are then given 10 to 15 minutes to write about their related experience. When the time is up, the meeting may be opened for members to share what they have written with the group. The leader may collect the sharings and send them to the World Service Office or encourage members to submit on their own.
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- Tip: The Instant Meeting topics and subsequent questions found in The Forum can help members focus their writing.
- Writing Workshop: Workshops, which are typically longer than meetings, offer the chance to explore topics in more depth, consider a variety of topics, and perhaps even offer some writing tips or instruction. Again, time is set aside for writing, and members may be invited to share their writing with the group.
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- Tip: Whether or not sharings are collected at the end of the workshop, consider sending participants home with a copy of the The Forum Writing Guideline (F-1) and encourage them to make sharing their writing an ongoing part of their recovery.
Visit the Send Your Sharing page for more information, writing guidelines, and to submit your sharing online.
The Forum, August 2023
Feel free to reprint this article on your service arm website or newsletter, along with this credit line: Reprinted with permission of The Forum, Al‑Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc., Virginia Beach, VA.