creative writing groups melbourne

Space Coast Writers Guild

Launching writers to new heights.

Welcome to the Space Coast Writers Guild, Inc. We are dedicated to encouraging, instructing, and developing writers of all genres. If this is your first visit, please take a moment to explore all we have to offer.

SCWG YouTube Channel

On March 16, 2024, Gina DiDesidero presented Helpful Strategies for Building a Better Critique Group. This was an extremely engaging exercise, with much audience participation. You can watch the presentation by clicking the button below.

The Guild meets on the third Saturday of each month at 1 PM. at the Eau Gallie Public Library, 1521 Pineapple Ave., Melbourne, Florida 32935 .

Meetings begin with a brief business segment, including announcements, welcome of new members, introduction of the board members, and treasurer’s report. A presentation of some aspect of writing, by a guest speaker, follows.

Our Next Meeting: April 20, 2024

As required by our Bylaws, the Annual Business Meeting is to be held in April of every year. This year, Directors-at-Large Dan Fisher and Ashley McGrath’s terms end, and their positions will be up for re-election. There are also changes to the Guild’s Bylaws that have to be voted on. Additionally, the Guild’s own Jay Heavner will speak on What I Wish I’d Known as a Beginning Author, aka Writing for Dummies . Please join us at the Eau Gallie Public Library on April 20th for another compelling SCWG meeting!

Upcoming Events

April 20: Space Coast Writers Guild Annual Business Meeting. Also, Jay Heavner will present What I Wish I’d Known as a Beginning Author, aka Writing for Dummies .

May 11 & 12: Cocoa Village Fine Art & Craft Fair.

May 18: SCWG Meeting: Fay Lamb will present Manuscript Magic: Polish, Pitch, and Publish Your Way to Success .

June 15: SCWG Meeting, The Structural Elements of Poetry , presented by Dr. Andy Stanfield’.

August 17: SCWG Meeting. Jaimie Engle, with Turning Your Book into a Screenplay . This will be an interactive workshop, so please bring your laptop or tablet.

October 19: Chris Robinson (audio dramatist). Presentation topic TBD.

October 19 & 20: Cocoa Village Fine Art & Craft Fair.

December 7 & 8: Cocoa Village Art & Craft Holiday Bazaar.

December 21: Yet another Q&A Roundtable. These always prove to be thought-provoking!

Join the Guild

Annual dues are $40. Monthly meetings are held the 3rd Saturday of each month at 1 PM at the

Eau Gallie Public Library, 1521 Pineapple Avenue.

President’s Corner

Cynthia hall.

Hello Members!

It’s astonishing how time flies; it feels like I just took down my Christmas tree and suddenly it’s March! Spring is in the air—at least in Florida—birds are nesting, tides are turning, and things seem to be brewing just under the surface, hidden from view.

Now is about the time I’d text my husband a list of available dates to spring clean the house, beginning with the garage, which seems to accumulate item after item despite previous attempts at paring down. Now is also the time we’d make plans for other household repairs, Easter dinner, and visiting family members we haven’t seen in a while.

Throw in work schedules, immediate family goings-on, doctor appointments, pet parenting, and carving out time for creative pursuits, it’s a wonder we don’t go a little stir-crazy every now and again.

As many of you know by now, I was feeling unwell in mid-February. A hospital visit determined I suffered from BPPV vertigo. I won’t go into detail—and the consummate diagnosis is pending specialist confirmation—but I can tell you that vertigo is not fun, not by a longshot.

My case proved severe, literal days of incessant spinning, swaying, movement, unable to walk, or keep any sort of balance that, honestly, hasn’t fully let up. I’m blessed with asymptomatic normalcy one day, only to pendulum-swing back to spinning and swaying.

As with all things out of one’s control, sooner or later you have to resign yourself. You have to surrender.

You don’t give up, but you do give in.

During the worst of it—lying still, reposed, doing nothing because there’s not much you can do when there’s not much you can do—I had a lot of time for reflection.

At first, it was difficult. For the go, go person that I am,  not going   was the worst of all! I have things to do! People to see! Places to go! Stories to write! A guild to president!

I don’t have time for lying down! But apparently, that was all the time I had for.

After I got over myself, my perception shifted and I remembered the No, Nothing Sunday my husband and I employed years ago, but forgot about somewhere along the way.

The No, Nothing Sunday is precisely what it sounds like. On Sundays, we’d do nothing. No schedules, no chores, no tasks, nothing pending, nothing hanging over us, nothing  requiring . We may do a little something here or there, but it was minimal at best.

Anything that needed attention could and would be taken care of Monday through Saturday. Sunday was devoted to rest, relaxation, and the pursuit of happiness.

In our case, that meant lazily reading a book or magazine, listening to tunes on the radio, cooking a hearty meal, enjoying the outdoors, day trips, spending the day cheering on our beloved sports teams, or binge-watching a favorite show.

On many of these Sundays, we’d spend the time separately, me reading on the patio while Tom enjoyed his favorite baseball team on TV. The separation wasn’t one of discontent but more of allowing one another space to simply be ourselves.

Funny enough, time stood still. Those Sundays used to last a week!

When you slow down, one day can last forever.

Come Monday morning we were rejuvenated, energized, and ready to take on the coming week with gusto, which brings me back to the here and now.

During my convalescence, I was reminded of the importance of slowing down…down…down. I had forgotten the significance of respite—the benefit of Balance—offsetting moments of productivity with moments of tranquility, and this includes writing!

As much as I love my creative medium of choice—writing can be a stressful activity: finding the perfect word, sentiment, turn of phrase, plot, theme, and so on. It is joyful—oh, yes it is—but it  is  work and the practice of Nondoing ( the No, Nothing Sunday ) provides equilibrium (pardon the pun).

In the perpetual whirl of deadlines, drafts, perfecting projects, and landing gigs, it’s so very easy to find ourselves caught up in the relentless tide of doing more and pushing harder. The No, Nothing Sunday might seem counterintuitive to our aspirations but it holds the key to unlocking a deeper, more fulfilling creative experience.

Having worn the Editor hat for my current book ( The Happy Muse: How to Combat Creative Blocks… ) for these many months, I have even forgotten my own advice! Near the end of the book, I briefly touch on the practice of Nondoing, an ethos that encourages us to embrace a gentler approach to life and creativity.

As writers, we often grapple with the pressure to produce, to meet expectations, and to conquer the blank page almost by force. Nondoing, on the other hand, invites us to pause, to breathe, to connect with our inner selves and the world around us in a more meaningful way. It’s about listening deeply to the stories that want to be told  through  us rather than forcing our will upon them.

Not  doing , not  striving  releases us from the “have-to”. It teaches us to let life and our creative endeavors unfold naturally.

Mind you, the No, Nothing Sunday isn’t solely observed on Sunday. It is rather an indicator to counteract the output with input, to open ourselves up to a wellspring of creativity that flows effortlessly. It allows us to approach our writing with a sense of play and curiosity, free from the constraints of judgment or fear of failure. It is here that our authentic voices emerge, and our stories resonate with the truth and beauty that comes from the natural rhythm of life.

The No, Nothing Sunday encourages us to appreciate the journey and that there’s profound strength in vulnerability and rest. Something the vertigo industriously reminded me of.

Now, I have no choice but to slow down once again, to delegate, to  grow  with the flow instead of paddling upstream. These quiet moments have subsequently offered much in return, too personal, perhaps, or long-winded to share with you here, but enough to encourage you to explore the practice of Nondoing alongside me.

Take time to sit quietly with your thoughts, to wander without direction, to observe the world around you without the need to capture it in words, literary fireflies in a jar. Allow yourself the freedom to create without expectations, and to find joy in the act of creation itself.

Happy Writing,

Cynthia M. Hall President, Space Coast Writers Guild Launching Writers to New Heights

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Our authors   |  our poets  |   anthologies  , news & events   |  hot off the press, archive   |   gallery   |  argo award, anthologie s   |  resources   |  contact, privacy policy, the space coast writers guild, inc. (scwg) is a nonprofit, tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) organization located in brevard county, florida since 1982. annual dues are $40. monthly meetings are held the third saturday of each month at 1 pm at the eau gallie public library, 1521 pineapple avenue, melbourne, florida, space coast writers guild p.o. box 262 melbourne, fl 32902-0262, copyright © 2019-2023 space coast writers guild, inc.  all rights reserved. dan fisher, ai4gk, webmaster web development www.macred-designs.com.