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Why Didn’t I Catch That?

October 11th, 2007

One of the things that makes writing so difficult is the isolation. Not that you’re writing in a vacuum, but the fact it’s such an individual task, and the world exists in your head. That’s why it’s so important to be a part of a writing group. It allows you to hone your editing skills and apply what you learn to your own work, and you get feedback on your WIP (work in progress). I cannot begin to tell you how helpful that is. Everyone in the group brings their own talents to it, and they’ll find and suggest things you’d never thought of. If you’re very lucky, the group you’re a part of will become more than just a group of people who talk about writing. They’ll be a support group, a cheering section, and the anchor that helps you focus on the task when you start to get overwhelmed.

I am incredibly fortunate to belong to a writing group that has done all these things for me. I’ve never met any of these women face to face, only ever seen photographs, as we’re an online writing group. We’ve got members from all over the world, from all walks of life. Yet, I feel incredibly close to these women. They’ve pushed me to write better than I thought I could, reassured me realize that what I wrote wasn’t a waste of time, and let me know that every single comment I make when I critique their work is valuable.

You see, I’ve been having what I call a crisis of value. We look at the comments we make about each other’s work, and I’m seeing all the things the others found and I didn’t see a single one of them. In fact, the things they were pointing out seem to fundamental and important that it makes me wonder what I’m doing wrong. Why didn’t I see those things? How could the meager few things I commented on be of any use?

That’s where the support part of being a part of a writing group comes in. One of the women beat me very gently and lovingly around the head with a “you are worthy” stick and made me remember that we all have our own strengths. We can’t all see everything in a story. That’s why we are part of a group.

So, I’m going to take this time to thank all the members of the “Pendragon” writing group, past and present. You’ve all been such an incredible help to me, especially to Vic, who wielded the stick.