Mar 31, 2016 / Inspiration

If we were having coffee…

Get personal and make deep connections with other bloggers with the #weekendcoffeeshare community.

Have you noticed multiple posts in your Reader beginning with the line “If we were having coffee…”? No, you’re not missing out on a blogging mind-meld, but you are missing out on being part of a great community: the bloggers of #weekendcoffeeshare.

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you I’ve missed these chats over the past couple of months. I’ve missed lots of other blogging things, too, but the #weekendcoffeeshare is my favorite regular blogging activity, and I feel as though I’ve been away too long.

– “The Hard Year,” at Just Gene’O

What’s #weekendcoffeeshare?

Simple: each weekend, bloggers publish posts about what they’d say to their readers if they were sitting down together over a cup of coffee. Some bloggers do it every weekend, while others dip in and out.

There are lots of blogging events and communities, on WordPress.com and beyond, but I especially love this one because intimate posts it produces. One participant might offer an overview of his week, giving you a detailed glimpse into his life; another might reflect on a thorny emotional issue she’s been grappling with, offering a unique insight into her psyche (and maybe your own!).

All the quotes in this post are from pieces written for #weekendcoffeeshare, and you can see how differently each blogger reacts to the concept. But no matter the focus, the conceit of a post that speaks directly to me draws me into the blogger’s world and life in a direct, powerful way — and makes me want to share as well.

I think often of rituals; not the religious ones, but the ones that we do daily, the habits that make up our life. As a tea drinker, I realise the history of the tea ritual, though my tea routine is very far removed from the Chinese ritual of centuries past. There are small things I do every morning when I get ready for work, like slid a pen into my bun, or take things to my car as my tea is brewing so I don’t have too much to carry… Were we having tea, I would ask you about your daily rituals and perhaps what they tell you about your life.

– “Of Rituals,” at A Political World Tour

How do I join?

You take part in #weekendcoffeeshare by doing: just write a post, and give it the “weekendcoffeeshare” tag. Blogger Diana at Part Time Monster hosts a weekly link-up, where you can submit a link to your post and browse everything else that’s been submitted, or you can use the #weekendcoffeeshare hashtag on Twitter or Facebook.

That’s it! Participate every weekend, participate once or twice — it’s up to you.

The snowdrifts almost reached the roof of our little one-story house. I really wanted to leap from the roof into the deepest drifts, but our neighbor, the minister, was keeping a pretty close eye on me and kept calling Mom every time he thought I was trying something too dangerous.

I had my first kiss in that snowstorm. All of the neighborhood kids bundled up and met in Lexington Circle for snowball fights and games of King on The Mountain. We played until we were numb and the streetlights came on, and someone dared Donnie to kiss me under a streetlight. I remember that there were runny noses and chapped lips involved, and I went home wondering why people made such a fuss about kissing.

Where were you to stop that dangerous activity before it started, Reverend Buwalda?

– “Sunday Morning,” at A Goode One

Why should I care?

Many bloggers find #weekendcoffeeshare a useful way to carve out space for personal posts, and to reflect on the week-that-was and prepare for the week-to-be. And for folks with focused, topical blogs, writing more introspective posts can sometimes feel out of place or self-indulgent; #weekendcoffeeshare gives a context and structure to those pieces, which frees you up to try something new.

If you’re having trouble getting started with such a direct, audience-focused post, take a few minutes to read and be inspired by “Who is your reader?” from our in-house master of memoir, Cheri Lucas Rowlands.

#weekendcoffeeshare also has an incredibly supportive community of participants who are always ready to visit fellow writers’ reflections and leave both praise and thoughtful, constructive feedback. It’s fascinating to read the variety of takes on the prompt, and motivating to see how this community of bloggers lifts one another up.

Blogging has always been half about creating, and half about connecting with people. If you feel like you could use a bit more of the latter, give #weekendcoffeeshare a try!

 

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  8. My first weekend coffee share. My attempt to get talking after a long tryst with depression, and avoidant personality disorder. But nothing about those. Its about the week that just went by starting to slowly fill light in my life, pulling me out of the darkness that I was lurking in. And it’s about things that have helped me find health and feel better. Stop by if you would like. Read other posts if you wouldn’t like to read something along these lines, as I also write poetry, and a wide mix of other stuff.

    If We Were Having Coffee

    Liked by 7 people

  10. Wow, this sounds amazing. I have been trying to find a way to stick to my theme but also share some really intimate thoughts unrelated to it. So I am definitely giving this a try!

    Liked by 4 people

  19. When I read this, I easily tracked back to my blog coz I’m sure that I published a post before carrying the same first line, and true enough, with a little digging, I found it and I just wanna share it to you guys:

    If We’re Together

    This is a nice blog event, I can’t wait to participate!

    Liked by 3 people

  21. I tried this a few times and really enjoyed writing. It’s something different other than just recipes and food and the occasional travel post – which is what my blog is about. These coffee posts give me the opportunity to write something new and give an update on life in general. I tend to post them during the week though, but moving them to the weekend could be an idea. Thanks Michelle for reminding me about this!

    Liked by 3 people