Blogs

By Teri Rizvi

Jennifer Belden finished her first NaNoWriMo, penning “50,128 words towards a beautiful, gloriously, shi**ty first draft” of her novel.

“I honestly don't know if I would have done it if Erma hadn't been when it was this year. It pulled me out of my funk, fed my soul and inspired me,” said Belden, a writer in Frisco, Texas. “If it never sees the light of day, that’s ok, because I finally broke my writer’s block.”

After attending the virtual Oct. 29-31 Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop, nationally syndicated columnist Suzette Martinez Standring launched a weekly Zoom writing space that attracted six writers the first week and now boasts nearly triple the participation. Ann Liska created a group “of Ermites on Nano” for attendees attempting the art of writing a book in a month. Jill Brehm Enders started a private Facebook group, “You Can Write!”

When EBWW faculty member Leighann Lord asked writers what they’re working on in the days after the workshop, their answers ran the gamut — memoirs, a stand-up set, blogs, essays, a mystery novel, a TV pilot, a children’s book, a musical and even “random writing prompts.”

Nearly to a person, writers said they felt re-energized after three days of laughter and learning.

In a post-workshop survey, attendees gave high marks for the workshop’s first foray into the virtual world, offering a dozen pages of write-in comments. “The workshop was a Vitamin B shot for me,” one wrote. "I ended the conference feeling more encouraged and growing in confidence that I am a writer and can succeed,” said another. “Would not have believed you could capture the spirit of the workshop virtually. Like catching lightning in a bottle,” another mused.

Others wrote about the experience:

Encouragement, Mike Rowe

Virtual Belly Laugh, Lauren Durham

The Chat Bar, Janie Emaus

A Family Affair, January Gordon Ornellas

Virtual Erma, Yvonne Ransel

Workshoppin’, Elise Seyfried

Pandemic Halloween 2020, Amy McVay Abbott

8 Tips for Creating a Wildly Successful Virtual Event (Without Losing Its Soul), Teri Rizvi and Sarah Alice Keiser

How to Make the Most of a Virtual Writing Conference (Writing in the Time of COVID-19), Kristy Stevenson, Writer’s Digest

In addition, the workshop’s blog featured Diana Aydin, a writer from New York who won Pitchapalooza *and* Nickie’s Prize for Humor Writing, and Regina Stoops, a comedian from the San Francisco Bay Area who won Erma’s Got Talent: The Stand-Up Auditions.

The next Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop will take place March 24-26, 2022, on at the University of Dayton, Erma’s alma mater.

(Photo by attendee Jess Witkins. For an attendee Facebook album, click here.)