Writing can be a very lonely task. It is just you and your laptop (or maybe you, your favorite pen and a yellow tablet). It is inevitable that self-doubt and frustration creep in. Is this good enough? Does anyone care what I have to say? Will my hard work ever get published?
After many years of blogging, I was no longer able to go at it alone. I needed support. I needed people who understood why I agonize incessantly over word choices and spend hours figuring out the best way to tell my story.
I needed a community.
I’ll admit I was nervous the first time I went to class, but within minutes I felt totally at ease. Complete strangers became my new best friends as we talked about the satirical genius of David Sedaris, the candor of Andy Rooney and the awesomeness of the song “Word Crimes” by Weird Al. Such fascinating conversations have never ever happened with my friends at the bus stop or with my family at the dinner table.
These were my kind of people!
The biggest challenge for me when it comes to writing is making the time for it. As a parent of two children who works outside of the home, writing is something I used to do in my spare time. What spare time you may ask? EXACTLY! There was no such thing!
By joining the workshop, I was able to carve out “me time” for what I love to do the most. Over the past year, the advice, support and encouragement I received from my fellow writers has been invaluable. And I am honored to have had the opportunity to provide feedback and cheer on other writers and listen to their works in progress. In the meantime, I have learned so much about myself as a writer in the past year—especially when and how often to use an em-dash. (Did I do it right?)
So if you are sitting in front of your laptop, staring at a blank screen, and longing for the kind of company who will understand what you are going through, I highly recommend finding a community of writers to join. It is a decision you will never regret.
