Don’t Wait, Jump Write In

The last two months have been a whirlwind. The writing has been put on hold somewhat while we sort out our living space, find jobs and get the kids situated in school. But that is not to say, I have not taken steps to continue to write here in Florida.

The first thing I did was get a library card for myself and my boys (the older boy is like his mama; he loves to read). I cannot write if I am not reading and my new work-in-progress (WIP) requires some research.

The second thing I did was join a local writers’ group. Let me put out this disclaimer right from the get go: I am not a joiner. Of anything. I never joined any groups in high school or college. The thought of staying after school for anything was a form of torment. I can be shy in groups and that is why I love the anonymity of being online. In Ireland, I did belong to an online writing group, still do but I have never met any of them face to face. Now that I have been in that group for years, I regret that I did not have the opportunity to meet them before I left.

Armed with an attitude that I want to be successful, it meant doing whatever it took, even if it made me uncomfortable. So as soon as we arrived here, the first thing I looked for was a writers’ group to join and preferably not an online one. I found two and although it appears (somewhat sadly) that the one no longer meets, the other one does. Within two weeks of arriving here, I went off to meet other people like myself: namely writers.

I left the shyness at the door, because I can no longer afford a behavior or idiosyncrasy that holds me back from being a successful writer. They had a guest speaker, a woman who is a screenwriter and a novelist, and boy did I learn a lot. Just when you think you know it all, there is something more to learn about the craft. A month later, I went to another meeting (they meet once a month) where we all brought sample pages and read them out loud for critique. It was all different genres of writing. It was positive and constructive.

Just as I felt I would accomplish all sorts of things, writing-wise during my years spent in Ireland, I am hoping that I may one day be able to say the same about Florida. I am working to make it happen.

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