Person to Person Keeps a Writer Sane

Well, after months and months of doing what every new writer does - write, read, research, learn about the industry, join online writing communities, subscribe to Writer's Digest and start a blog - I took a step out of the virtual and into the traditional...I attended my first meeting of Writers Inc., the local writer's club here in Red Deer, Alberta.

I was excited to meet real flesh and blood people who share my passion for writing, but I'll have to wait until next week to get to know them all a little better (about a baker's dozen of them). I walked into the quaint old farm house, which is also the main office for one of the local tourist attractions in Red Deer called Sunnybrook Farm.  It's a genuine working hobby farm in the middle of the city, so this metaphorical step back for me into the traditional writer's group couldn't have had a more appropriate venue.

As I sat in on a Skype Interview with Turnstone Press's own Jamis Paulson, and listened to questions from this group - questions I had previously learned answers to from my time spent in the information age called the internet - it wasn't lost on me how important it is to take time to remember and preserve our roots.  This little working farm, in the middle of the matrix of concrete and glass we call a city, is as important to preserve as it is to preserve a small flesh and blood circle of writer's like the one I attended this evening, which sits in the middle of the electronic world of writer's communities, blogs, instant messaging, instant information, eBooks, and e Readers.

Writing is a very solitary and lonely endeavor.  We tend to get into a mind frame that prevents us from participating in the real world; family, friends, physical activities, outdoor time and social activities. We lock ourselves away from these things until our goal is achieved.  I was falling into that mind set.  Despite my apprehension about walking into a room full of strangers, I am so thankful I did.  They understand me.  Their loved ones understand my loved ones.  It can only be a good thing for me as a writer, so I look forward to allowing this group of people into my solitude, because they have welcomed me into theirs.  If you write, remember to live. I think we too often get caught up in our stories and our characters that we forget about the plot and the characters of the real world.

I'll talk at ya tomorrow.

Kelly