We All Need a Life Raft

My writing life changed when I became a WWWP--when I became one of the five Wild Women Wielding Pens. The WWWPs is what my writing critique group calls itself. (We had to come up with a name for something that was this good.)

I think I'm in the best group ever. Without a doubt. We laugh, we support, we critique, we prod... and unfortunately, too often, we eat. (Lynn's cake pops and Tammy's BLT bites and Beth's pizza and Linda's birthday cake... well, they all head straight to my gut.) 

Please read Susan G. Weidener's guest post on how a writing group can impact the work you do. And if you don't belong to a group, consider forming one--it can change your writing life. Forever. 

The Importance of Finding a Writing Group

By Susan G. Weidener

You really can’t work in isolation all the time. It’s important to seek out people who love writing like you do. And when you gather together over an aromatic candle and the written word, there’s this sense of possibility that your story matters . . . may actually and truly reach an audience and transcend the voice of one and become that of many.

A writing group is more than an essential element in a writer’s toolbox; it is often a life raft.

Whether we are the creator, or the recipient, we find in a community of writers the support so necessary to take a leap of faith onto the blank page. We sustain and affirm each other. If we’re lucky, we banish our demons of self-doubt through the acceptance and support of our peers.

What makes for a good writing group? Here’s my list:

• No apologies allowed.
• A place to work on the craft of writing.
• A safe setting to explore and practice our craft.
• Diversity – writers from varying backgrounds and experience levels.
• Acceptance.
• A chance to network.
• A place for renewal and contemplation.
• A forum to be immersed in the creative process without distraction.
• A space to carve out time away from the demands of everyday life.
• A place to take a deep breath and celebrate yourself as a writer.
• Inspiration derived by sharing with other writers.

After attending a women’s writing retreat and hearing others read their stories, it so inspired me that I decided to start my own writing group, the Women’s Writing Circle. That was back in 2009. Six years later our group is still going strong . . . it remains diverse, ever-changing . . . always interesting, instructional and relevant. Our writers come and go . . . some have stayed all six years, others dip a toe in the Circle and return, or not. We discuss craft to changing dynamics of the publishing landscape.

The goal of a group like the Women’s Writing Circle is to “test drive your voice” in front of a community of writers. At read around, some want critique, some a “listening ear”. Those considering publishing often come to our critiques. We read the pieces in advance, bring notated copies of the work, and then provide criticism and commentary. When we workshop, we read the pieces that morning and then come back in group to discuss. We follow guidelines. For example, we never refer to the person as “you,” but as “author” or “writer”. 

As we explore the rich life that writing awakens, each of us is the Women's Writing Circle. Without the other, our community wouldn't exist.

About the Author:

Susan G. Weidener is a former journalist with The Philadelphia Inquirer. She has interviewed a host of interesting people from all walks of life, including Guy Lombardo, Bob Hope, Leonard Nimoy, Rubin “Hurricane” Carter and Mary Pipher. She left journalism in 2007 and after attending a women’s writing retreat, wrote and published her memoir, Again in a Heartbeat, a memoir of love, loss and dating again, about being widowed at a young age. Two years later, she wrote and published its sequel, Morning at Wellington Square, a woman’s search for passion and renewal in middle age. Her novel, A Portrait of Love and Honor, completes the trilogy, inspired by and dedicated to her late husband, John M. Cavalieri, on whose memoir the novel is based. Susan earned a BA in Literature from American University and a master’s in education from the University of Pennsylvania. An editor, writing coach and teacher of writing workshops, she founded the Women’s Writing Circle, a support and critique group for writers in suburban Philadelphia. She lives in Chester Springs, PA.  Her website is: www.susanweidener.com. 

About A Portrait of Love and Honor: A Novel Based on a True Story

Newly-divorced and on her own, 40-something Ava Stuart forges a new life. One day, at a signing in the local library for her novel, a tall, dark-haired man walks in and stands in the back of the room. Jay Scioli is a wanderer – a man who has said good-bye to innocence, the U. S. Army, and corporate America. His outlook on life having changed, his health shattered by illness, he writes a memoir. In his isolation, he searches for an editor to help him pick up the loose ends. Time may be running out. He is drawn to the striking and successful Ava. Facing one setback after another, their love embraces friendship, crisis, dignity, disillusionment. Their love story reflects a reason for living in the face of life’s unexpected events. 

Based on a true story, A Portrait of Love and Honor takes the reader from the halls of the United States Military Academy at West Point during the Vietnam War to a moving love story between two people destined to meet.

Website: http://www.susanweidener.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susan.weidener      

Twitter: @Sweideheart 

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Susan-G.-Weidener/e/B004G7AXQY/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_4?qid=1438829053&sr=1-4

Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Portrait-Love-Honor-Novel-Based-ebook/dp/B00WIATKC4/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=