Introduction thread: Writing for Change

A place to make a start

Hi everyone. I know yesterday was Blue Monday and even if you think that’s just a made up marketing concept, there’s no denying that this time of year is a little bit dark, cold and uninspiring. Advice on this seems to fall into two camps; either fight against it with cheery hikes in fleece-lined trousers and sub-zero wild swims, or give in to it by lighting fires and candles and either reading or doing something creative in your favourite slippers. I’m in the latter camp, and to that end I’m very much looking forward to our first meeting of Writing for Change on Thursday 25th January at 6.30pm! And I have a lovely vision that each of us in that first zoom will light a candle next to our notepads, to signify our intent to illuminate, spark, shine, ignite, and who knows, maybe even burn stuff down… 🕯️

For the rest of 2024, we will meet in the same way on the last Thursday of every month.

But we will keep our writing group alive between these monthly zooms. For each virtual meeting there will be a new post in this section of my substack, Writing for Change. For example ‘Writing for Change #1, January 2024’, and so on. These monthly posts will be a short summary of our meeting but they will also be a place where the group can connect, talk, and share writing and ideas with each other. To get us started, this post is an Introduction thread. Please use the comments section to

• Introduce yourselves

• Chat to me and to each other

• Ask any questions you may have

• and say a little bit about why you want to come to Writing for Change.

You might already be an established writer, or you might never have written before - either is OK and everything in between! The idea is to create a community where we can support and advise each other in a non-judgemental way. Another great effect of such a community is accountability - the solitary activity of writing suddenly opens out, and with a small group taking interest in your progress, you often feel more motivated to show up and write.

So - please get started and introduce yourselves! And also feel free to ask me any questions you like about the group. I’ll be sending out a zoom link to you next week, but for now, here is a summary of ‘need to knows’.

• The group is for paid subscribers only (£5 a month / £50 a year)

• We meet on last Thursday of each month from 6.30 - 8.30pm

• Zoom links will be sent the week before the meeting.

• The group time will be spent writing, talking, sharing.

• No previous experience necessary, all are welcome.

• Please bring paper, pen, and passion!

• Light a candle (if you wish) whilst you participate.

• Each month a new discussion thread will open up for participants to share work, support each other, bounce ideas and create accountability.

• The group will agree to be non-judgemental and supportive.

Subscribe now so that you can participate in the introductory chat below and be on the list to get the zoom link next week.

Look forward to hearing from you in the comments section! Love Milli x

Oh and can we take a moment to appreciate the new Writing for Change logo at the top of this post! I LOVE it! It was made by the fabulous and talented Louise Woodward-Styles.