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Welcome to Cojournal
Thanks for your interest in the Cojournal project. I’m Dipika Kohli and I publish Kismuth Books.
Are you interested in writing your own stories? Feeling like sharing some ideas with others, in a small community that journals and shares from time to time? We are doing this, every single week.
If it sounds curious, let me share with you about the Cojournal.
Before we begin, I can see where you are coming from. I understand that there are many distractions keeping you from making time to write. Making time for yourself to do any creative project, even, is a little tricky. There’s work, there’s home, and there are the many other things you have to do online. I know.
I understand, too, though, that you wouldn’t be on this page if somewhere deep down you didn’t find resonance with this project’s goal. To give you structure, and accountability, to reach the goal you set out for yourself: make time, for myself, to explore my writing.
To make time to get to it, but also, to do it. Helping you help yourself: this is the goal, for me, in creating and hosting Cojournal’s monthly tracks.
Cojournal is an asynch writing circle, with no more than 4 people in each group. Groups are assembled based on mutual writing goals, which will become apparent in the on-boarding and application process.
Prompts are designed, they’re not arbitrary.
What I mean is, they’re built from whatever is coming up for us, as a group. Each group evolves and grows differently. The tracks include a zine club, Art & Copy, which meets weekly in person from time to time.
The rest are virtual conversations.
We mostly use Telegram, though there are Discord, LINE, and Signal groups also. We host Zoom calls occasionally for some groups. Many choose to work with me 1:1, at their own pace, which is also a completely fine way to engage, as in those cases, I am your sparring partner (if you want one).
The prompts come about naturally and are designed to reflect back what I hear. And to invite further dialogue. I have so many tools, from these years of writing and making it up as I go. I want to share them.
So, based on the writing you share and the ongoing discussions that we and each of us in the groups have with each other, things evolve. I write the next prompt. That prompt is sent on Monday, and it hinges on those conversations. This is the stepwise, customized and personalized part of the Cojournal.
Making time for better conversations
It’s us talking.
Mostly. At least, for me, the best times in 2014 were that. Since this can’t be everything for everyone, naturally, I’m trying to guide the conversations so that we have more back-and-forth amongst ourselves in the small groups, and it’s not a class or how-to or lecture-y thing, but a comfortable space for talking, talking together, and seeing what we might find out as we go. About each other, writing, our writing voice and… ourselves.
Why? The conversation is where we get to talk, to practice, to explore, and to share. I like this thing I found about someone who wrote about that, the value of it. Journaling provides this safe space. At least, Cojournaling with me here at Kismuth‘s aim is to design and optimize for that. Exploring, with joy, wonder, care, attentiveness, encouragement, discovery and fun. Fun, in the main.
Learning through writing is extraordinarily fun; so for Cojournal, engaging with you in this way, to allow you to learn and enjoy the conversations, too, that’s mainly the point.
Writing here is for inquiry. Not work. Nor a ‘product.’
Instead, we we will develop the conversation and the relationships, which will be a way for you to seek out your own unique voice and try out different things. Play.
TRUST. The idea is we build and progress on the goals that you and I will work out, as we start, and get to know one another. This is an opportunity for people with very limited time to be part of a process that will, by design, offer structure and accountability to you as you discover ways to explore a creative side of yourself, away and apart from work obligations or the styles of writing that might be more automatic for you.
A writing circle
What’s the value of a writing circle? Meet, talk, connect, deepen the ties over time as we go, and progress towards a place of conviviality. Make the effort to show up, try new things, and naturally and organically. You will be grouped based on mutual goals, which we’ll discover through the application process.
Here are some ways you can use this opportunity.
- Time. Make time to write the things you haven’t gotten to (yet) but want to. Especially journaling for self-discovery.
- Practice. Meet us online (3-4 per group), regularly in a low-key and nonjudgmental way. Practice your writing. This is where it gets really real. Cojournal Host Dipika Kohli has been described as a ‘writing accountability partner’. ‘I’m applying all that I’ve learned from 10 years’ experimentations in how to get us talking in ways that are comfortable and relaxing but also insight-yielding, too. What this takes is a little bit of care, attentiveness, and understanding the goals of each guest,’ she says.
- Finishing, and the satisfaction of that. Get regular, back-and-forth light editing suggestions. Use it for a personal project. Or for school. Or professional projects. Use it as a sounding board to test new ideas with others in your (small, four-person max) circle.
- Learning about your creative voice. Getting feedback regularly in this low-key way over time can help you see patterns, understand what ‘works’ and doesn’t ‘work’ for you and your writing. You can see how others approach the same prompts, too.
- A third place. With Cojournal, the idea was always to create an opportunity to (meaningfully) talk, talk together, and talk together over time. It’s an example of ‘a third place,’ which is neither work, nor home. I’ve found these are disappearing fast, so it’s nice to see our January and February circles connecting up with the newly convening ones, and engaging like that. ‘Community is a place where people keep showing up.’
- New people. Cojournal gathers our guests in the cities where they happen to be, too. So far: Phnom Penh, Seattle, San Francisco, Bangkok, Houston, and Tokyo. We’ve hosted guests in Paris, Raleigh, Helsinki, Da Lat, Ho Chi Minh City, Chicago, and more, too. See what happens when you connect with… people all over the world.
[Kindly note: No religious stuff. No selling No agenda. This is not a space for dating. Thank you!]
Your host
YOUR HOST. Cojournal with Kismuth’s Dipika Kohli as your host. She’s skilled in facilitating dialogues that are aimed to keep the conversations in flow, while inviting and encouraging new lines of thought, too. I started this project in 2014, as an experiment for a year. To see how it would go if we talked, talked together, got to know each other, and saw where we might take our writing if we showed up, to weekly prompts, and to share… I have my own way of doing this. See what people have said… Read reviews: http://dipikakohli.com/rv.
Structure & accountability
PROMPTS. We write new prompts based on the conversations that are unfolding. It’s a conversation. A space. Make time for you, to write. See what making this room for yourself to immerse in creative writing can do, for you. Do what you’re doing to keep up your writing, and also, explore with us, too. Bring a project you’re wanting to complete, if that’s your preference, too.
WHO IT IS BEST SUITED FOR. Journaling through Cojournal is for you if you value of having a place to go for regular, consistent, and honest feedback. Through the experience of getting acquainted over time, my hope is that your group will get to know you. As such, no harsh judgment, and you can safely explore and experiment, with your writing. Getting to know your own style and voice is a major outcome for some who have been taking part.
Generally, this is for those who are comfortable communicating in writing, in English, and with others who are starting to explore their writing more with up to two others at a time. Be cognizant and respectful of people’s ideas, beliefs, and opinions.We share, confidentially: there’s that understanding, too. There’s patience, forbearance, and tolerance. There’s mutual conviviality, but it’s not forced. You can think of it as a ‘third place:’ not work, and not home. Make what you want, come as you like, and see what happens.
How to participate
FEE. To be a part of Cojournal, kindly note there is a participation fee. Two options for Cojournal participation, which depend on your choice of duration. There is an option to join for 8 weeks. Or, for 12+ weeks:
| 8 weeks |
12+ weeks |
Channel Options |
Notes |
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| Participation Fee* *For guests in Cambodia. If you’re not in Cambodia, we’ll adjust the price based on where you are, for parity. |
USD 160* | USD 15/week* | Signal, Telegram, Email, Instagram, Zoom, Discord, LINE |
Apply |
APPLY. The first step is to apply. To tell me where you are with your writing, and what hope to get from working together. The link is below. Note, there is an application fee of USD 15.
TLDR: Journal for reflection. If finding a low-key way to a) get to ‘done’ on a personal project while b) discovering new people who may have a different way of thinking from you, through writing together in very small circles of no more than four, with writing prompts custom-designed for you as we go by yours truly, I invite you to apply[$].
