Prose and Cons

diane jane ball
Aug 18
2 min read

September 1^st is the date for our fourth ASPA 'Prose and Cons' Virtual Meetup. If you’re wondering if it’s worth your time and effort to attend, then the answer is YES.

Although it’s scheduled for an hour, once we get started, we could easily carry on chatting all afternoon! Regular members return time after time to build up friendships and catch up with familiar faces, but there’s always a new face or two as well to be welcomed into the group.

Everyone who comes along gets the opportunity to share their work and ideas. We tell each other what motivated us write and where we are on our journey. Everyone has a unique tale to tell and the enthusiasm to chat and ask questions is contagious.

At these meetups, we are no longer isolated writers with doubts about our ability, but become a professional community. Together, we have a valid purpose, like in any other job, which does wonders for self-esteem. No one ever leaves without a hint or tip to follow up on, and very often some spontaneous screen sharing brings about a quick, impromptu training session.

Make sure you have a notebook handy, too, as you never quite know what level of expertise will enter the room and where it will take you!

If you’re shy, that’s not a problem either. This is a warm, safe and friendly environment where everyone’s views are welcomed. Rules of politeness are valued, everyone is equal, and nobody is allowed to dominate.

'Prose and Cons' takes place on the first Monday of every month. It is hosted on Microsoft Teams, and you can find instructions on how to join, and the link, by clicking the 'Prose and Cons' banner on the ASPA homepage. The link below is set up for the next meeting on September 1^st.

https://www.aspa.uk/event-details/prose-cons-members-chat-2025-09-01-12-00