Fellowship

By Diane Burton

The problem with being the blogger at the end of the month is that the posters who have gone before have taken all the good stuff. <g> Since this month’s theme(s) have all begun with the letter F, I wracked my brain trying to come up with something new, different, but appropriate. Then it hit me. The reason for this blogsite: fellowship.

I tend to view the word fellowship in connection with church membership. But when I checked the definition, fellowship also refers to a community of interest. One of its synonyms is camaraderie. And that’s what I’ve found in writers’ groups. We come from all over the world. We are of different social, marital, and economic status. We’re young, middle-aged, retired. (Notice, I didn't say old.)  Despite our differences, we have a common interest—writing. And that draws us together.

Writing is a solitary occupation. Yet, as humans, we crave interaction with others. We may closet ourselves when the writing is flowing or when we're on deadline and only come out of our caves for food, drink, or potty breaks. Think of the scene in Romancing the Stone after Joan Wilder types “The End” and goes looking for a tissue only to find sticky notes everywhere reminding her to buy tissues and t.p. Yep, that’s what it’s like.

When we emerge from our caves (aka office, converted bedroom, basement), we desperately need to talk to someone. Our spouses/children/BFFs, as supportive as they are, do not get our thrill of a great day’s/week’s writing the way another writer does. Or the satisfaction of completing a 100,000 word novel. Thank goodness for email and social media where we can post at two in the morning that “we did it.” As much as they love us, even our best friends don’t like celebratory phone calls in the middle of the night.

In the twenty years I’ve been seriously writing, I have met so many wonderful people through writers’ groups--foremost, Romance Writers of America and its affiliated chapters. My local chapter, Mid-Michigan RWA, inspires, bemoans our rejections, and celebrates our successes. And, when needed, kicks our butts when we're discouraged. The online community does the same—and we don’t have to wait for an entire month to get together.

Of all the benefits the writing community offers, the one I saved for last is the most important—friendship. The song “You’ve Got a Friend” certainly applies to writers’ groups in general and the group that makes up The Roses of Prose. I feel very fortunate to have made such good friends with some of the Roses and look forward to becoming friends with the others.

I blog here on the 8^th and 30^th of each month. On Mondays, I “muse” about life, writing, and whatever strikes my fancy on my blog: http://dianeburton.blogspot.com You can read excerpts from my books and other information on my website www.dianeburton.com

See you again on August 8^th.