SPLASH!

Sorry, this isn't about me trying on my mermaid outfit. This is about the wild ride I've been having past week...

It began with Burt Kempner, one of my dearest friends here on Zaadz. (He's what you call a 'keeper', Hmm, perhaps his name should be Burt Keeper...)

Anyway, Burt told me about one of his Zaadz friends, Alex Noble, how wonderful she was. I trust Burt implicitly, so I immediately went to her place here on Zaadz. I visited her blogs, and, well, wow. I perused around a bit, loved everything. And THEN... I saw her Wisdom for Writers - 2 - What do do when your muse leaves town...

My muse has been taking a LOT of days off recently, and she doesn't even give me notice. Off, just like that. God knows where she goes, maybe off to Alex or Dryad's place where there is clearly a lot of muse-ing going on. 

Well I read Alex's Wisdom on the topic. I felt like I had dived into a crystal clear stream, my cells & soul singing with nourishment. I posted a comment or two,  and within a day (or was it less ?), to my utter surprise, dear Alex invited me to moderate her brand new pod, Camp Happiness: A Creative Writing Workshop. I said YES! of course, are you kidding? I love this woman, I love to write, Burt was also a moderator... yes, I said.  Besides which I can't resist an invitation to pour out yet more of my flotsam and jetsam advice: the Pod had already over 100 members.


And then, time speeded up. Alex and I went whitewater rafting together, in this phenomenal virtual world of Zaadz. We rode all the rapids, laughing most of the way, and then we floated into a very beautiful pool, and out of this pool a transformation occurred. Camp Happiness: A Creative Writing Workshop became Diving Deeper: A Writing Workshop, with me at the helm, Alex and Burt by my side.

I'm still reeling. I'm not a huge Podder, I do drop in now and then, and love to listen in on many of the conversations. I had a momentary 'shall I create a pod' spell way back in the early days, but the moment passed by very quickly. I was even invited to join a few other writing pods - also, in the deep past of Zaadz history, but when I looked, somehow I didn't have that yes feeling.

This particular yes feeling came without me even having a moment to think about it - a moment of grace - a mad crazy dashing moment of grace! ( Alex moves fast, let me tell you, ride her wave and you can't help but feeling graced).

So. Here I am, working out some of the corners with Alex and Burt, feeling very much a Pod Administrator neophyte, my paddle keeps splashing water in my face, but it's a lovely cool refreshing splash. This boat isn't going to stop, that is for sure. In two days the number of members has climbed to 142 and still climbing.

Is there quality amongst the quantity? was my first worry. (I'm somewhat fond of the Rule of 150). But, I didn't have to worry at all -  right now some exceptional people are posting, people I didn't know existed until this Pod-Splash - yet another reason to be grateful.

And I'm in total awe of all the pod administrators here, I had no idea it was so much work!

I have already invited some of my Zaadz friends who I think would be interested, but if you did not get a formal invitation, please consider this blog as one. Go check it out, see if it feels like fun, and come and join the ride! There's definitely room, for all kinds.

I want to say that even if you 'don't see yourself as a writer', or are someone who 'wants' to write, please take a look. For me, writing is much deeper than craft, it's about sharing our stories, about discovering ourselves. It's about taking a leap into the unknown, it's about finding a way to speak from your heart.

I'm there a lot, and if I'm not, I'm just taking a little nap, catching my breath after the Big Dive.