Writing, aside from the perfunctory stuff we crank out at work or at the kitchen table, finds its source in solitude, but it cannot remain there if it is to come to fruition. Paradoxically, this is so even when we are “writing for ourselves.” We share our work as much to discover what we mean to say as to better express what we have already decided to say. In writing circles, we learn with friends kind and honest enough to help us see. We will share and discuss our writing in search of ways for it to grow from where it is to where it might be. We will limber up from time to time by sharing brief extemporaneous writing exercises. We will study a few simple techniques for making writing a more enjoyable and productive undertaking. This course will work equally well for quite experienced writers and for beginners. We can accommodate everything from personal memoir to religious tracts, from novels to essays to sonnets. Participants may take the course as many times as they wish.