Hi! Welcome back. It’s been a few months since I’ve shared anything here (there goes my goal of blogging more consistently 😑). But I have good reason for dropping the ball like it did.
I decided to go back to school and get my degree. I have a few semesters left to go, so it’s not a quick process. This means my blogging and writing will be even slower than before while I finish my classes, homework, and projects all while still working full-time at the Day Job.
Even with everything going on, I still decided to join the Romance Writers Weekly for their weekly blog hop. This week they posed a question that is very dear to me.
Writing can be a lonely business. Share how you stay connected. Do you have an in-person writers group? Or chat with other writers on social media? Share your experiences.
This is an interesting topic to me because I am a solitary person by nature. I don’t enjoy being social and in groups or people, and would much rather be by myself in most cases. But when it comes to writing, I’m so much more productive when I’m around other creatives than when I’m by myself.
I’ve talked before about how I’m and energy vampire (you can read about it here) and this really comes across when I’m writing. If I’m by myself I lack focus and tend to do other things like scroll the internet, or research something I don’t need to know for what I’m working on, or (if I’m at home) laundry. The exciting life of a Romance Writer, right? lol
But when I’m around other people, especially creatives, I get so much work done! It’s almost like magic. 🙂
It started innocently enough at writers conferences. Us night owls would gather in a group in someone’s room, or even the lobby of whatever hotel we were staying at and write away. Some of my best memories are from the Orange County Romance Writers Birthday Bash when after the festivities were done, we’d all gather in an unused conference room and write, chat, talk business, and brainstorm. Sometimes the stuff we’d come up with would be so far out there, we’d end up in tears laughing.
Then I met my Writing Partner Extraordinaire, Carolyn Anthony, and we would meet up before writing meetings, after writing meetings, on days off and weekends. Sometimes we’d write at cafes or restaurants. My favorites were those times when we were both on deadline and we’d spend the weekend writing in her Day Job office when no one was there. We’d blast music, eat cheese and peanut butter M&Ms, and drink endless cups of coffee while listening to the clickety-clack of each other’s keyboards. We text back and forth, talk on the phone (and if you know me, you know how rare this is after being at the Day Job all week!), brainstorm ideas, and just hangout being silly. She’s the first one I call when I have what I think is a brilliant idea (she then sets me straight), and talks me down when I take on too much to handle. At the same time, I push her to get her writing done and support her with real-life problems. She pushes me to be a more consistent writer, and I push her to be more adventurous.
For the past two years, I’ve been meeting most Mondays with my local OC Writers group. We originally started writing at coffee shops, but we’ve outgrown the space and recently had to move locations again. We now occupy several tables at the local Polly’s Pies restaurant. We meet early for breakfast (pie) and coffee, then get a good three hours of writing time in before we break for business talk.
These meet-ups are precious to me. Not just because I like having a dedicated time to work on my writing with minimal distractions, but because I love being around my creative friends. It’s reassuring to know there are other people out there who are in the same boat as I am; that we are all going through the same troubles and irritations with our work. We’re here to support each other, brainstorm ideas when we’re stuck, share information and marketing advice, and be a cheering section when one of us accomplishes our goals. I do everything I can to protect my Monday morning writing time. I’ve even chosen my Day Job schedule in order to have Mondays off so we can meet.
I’ve been part of different writing groups over the years, both online and in person, and while I treasure the online groups, there is nothing like meeting other writers and artists in person and getting all the Creative Vibes they give off. I wouldn’t trade it for anything!
Your turn! Do you have a hobby where you get together and enjoy the company of those with the same interest?
Christina
This week I’m linking up with Jill Haymaker. You can read about her writing friends on her site at https://www.jillhaymaker.com.
Jill’s new release whose new release, Christmas in Montana Pines, is out now!
It’s time to start getting into the Christmas spirit with this feel good holiday romance set on a horse ranch in the Montana mountains. Belle Brooks has given up on romance after burying two husbands, but when a down and out former rodeo cowboy,, Bart Stockton, shows up at her ranch looking for work, she can’t turn him down-it’s the holidays, after all.
Can two people in their 60’s, who feel romance is only in their past, find a way to love again. It’s never too late to fall in love.
Click the image below to buy on amazon, or read on KU!
