Tuesday, May 5, 2015

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? 

9 comments:

  1. I no longer have a small or even large group of folks I meet with, largely due to my dual residences and extensive traveling.

    However, over the years I have collected a group of writing friends who act as a virtual village -- and you are right that we all need a village to support us.

    ~ Jim

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  2. How delightful!

    I just got back from Malice Domestic, where I'm always thrilled to interact with so many authors and fans. I come away feeling invigorated (although exhausted--it takes a lot of energy!) and like I have made some new friends.

    Sometimes I think about spending some time in an environment where art of all sorts is encouraged. I enjoyed visiting my sister in Cape Cod, where her circle of friends were very immersed in creative pursuits.

    I live in a very peaceful area--right now all I can hear are bird songs and one of the neighbor's goats clamoring for something--and it is conducive to writing. And I meet regularly with several groups. But I do make an effort to find "writers community." My SinC chapter is a big help.

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  3. I recently found a MeetUp group of writers in Kansas City who are really helpful in critiquing writing. I also keep active with my local Sisters in Crime chapter.

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  4. Y'all have some great ideas for building a village!

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  5. Carla--Was it Algonkian Writers' Workshop? It sounds like a retreat I went to several years ago. Hope it was good for you!

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  6. Carla, I have a local group who meets once a month at a local library. I've been with them for at least ten years. Writers in the group come and go, but many of the ones who were there when I started are still there. Like your group, we are an eclectic group. I am the only mystery writer. One writes romance, one writes humorous bits, another writes historical fiction of the Civil War era and knows her topic well. Many of us write poetry, too. Those two hours we spend one Saturday a month are full of warm camaraderie, laughter and sometimes some of us continue at a restaurant later. One of the group is one of my beta readers.

    Like KM, I just returned from Malice, too. That is a wonderful place to consort with writers and online friends I've met as well as ones I've met at past Malice's. A photographer we were visiting with while waiting to register said - when someone commented on the great pictures she took - "Mystery writers give me the best group pictures because they're all happy and laughing." She's right about that - at Malice, at least.

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  7. I agree. I probably wouldn't be where I am now with my writing if it hadn't been for the writers around me (online and locally) who helped and encouraged me along the way. If I never get published, I will still feel successful because of the support I've received on the journey.

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  8. The retreat sounds wonderful, Carla. It must have been great to be with an interesting group of people who are so passionate about their work.

    I'm thankful for writers who volunteer their time, share both their good and bad experiences on the road to publication, and urge us to "keep writing."

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  9. It kinda is about the journey, isn't it?

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