Why I joined a Writer’s Group.

I’m a Baby Boomer. Yes, one of the many. Not long ago, I was reading an article about my generation, and found that the biggest dream of Boomers, is to write a book. Man, I thought I was doing something unique when I retired from public school teaching to become a writer. Nope, not unique. 

That was the first blow. The second came after giving my memoir to a writer friend and hear her tell me I needed to do more work on it. “You’re close, but you need to peel back more layers. We want to feel what you felt.” My heart sank. I’d worked on it for two years! Surely it was ready for publication, and will become a sensational best seller. I was forced to take a good look at my expectations. Did I want to peel back the layers, and expose my deepest self in a memoir? Maybe I’ll turn it into a novel. I’m still thinking about that one.

For awhile, I dithered around with writing, not knowing what I should do. I’m a fence sitter from way back, so, not making a decision came natural in this situation. One of my dither activities was to read blogs about writing. If you can’t write, read, right? Many of the blogs suggested I join a writer’s/critique group. I don’t need that! I’m an expert at story analysis. A gift from my education in Theatre. However, the more I thought about the possibility of having someone else read and critique my work, the more I knew that’s exactly what I needed. I was scared. So, I started a group of my own. It’s a great group. We support each other’s process. But, we’re all new to writing. I needed experts, or close to it. That’s when I found Cochise Writers. I’m still a little afraid that I’m not a good writer, but as so many creative people have pointed out, it’s the scary projects that make you grow. Since joining Cochise Writers, I’ve learned some valuable things about the art of writing and about myself. In subsequent blogs, I’ll peel back the layers and share my process with you.