A Much-Needed Retreat by Carla Damron

Two weeks ago, I spent an amazing four days at a women writers conference and retreat. Held at a lovely park on the banks of the Potomac, our group occupied six cabins. We talked about writing. We wrote. We also ate---really, really, well.  And there may have been a happy hour or two.

It’s hard to articulate why this event is so important to me. Yes, I learn from my fellow writers. Yes, it’s nice to get away. But mostly, it’s the spirit of this group. We like each other. We support each other’s work. We understand the struggle and the heartache and celebrate the precious, amazing, too-rarely-found rewards.

Writers are a unique breed. We have varying political beliefs. We represent a range of religions and live in vastly different places. Some of us are successfully published, some are still waiting for that opportunity.  In my little group, we had poets, biographers, ghost writers, and essayists. It’s fun for fiction writers to hear about these other literary ventures. I marveled at how hard it must be when one has to stick to fact.

What amazed me most, though, was the passion. Just ask Diana about the woman she is researching: her excitement was infectious. Listen to Miho talk about the Japanese poet she is translating—what a tremendous and fascinating journey. Smile as Joyce, a long-time journalist who refused to try fiction, much less long form fic, decides to write a novel. Share what it feels like to be rejected, and the anxious elation of knowing your book will come out next year.

I often say it takes a village. Without my little writing village, I doubt I’d be where I am now. My village is this group, and my on-line critique partners, and many, many other writers who support me and my work. I’m blessed to have them, and hope I give back a little of what they give me.

Who comprises your village?