| Writing friend A writer’s life is full of riches, even when it doesn’t produce much income. I find satisfaction in building a just-right phrase, joy in a fresh idea to dance with, and an addictive blend of euphoria and contentment that marks completion of a solid piece of writing. Another of the intangible rewards has a solid, corporeal base: the encouragement and assistance of a group of writing peers. These are writers who often become friends, who read my work with interest and caring (for the art and the artist), critique it with a sharp eye and diplomacy, and allow me to review and learn from what they write, as well. Since I began writing personal essays in 1994, I’ve seen enormous gains from membership in two such groups. The first group, now known as Stromboli Streghe (the group's name is explained in the preface to our recently published anthology; click on the book cover to read), was created by members of a workshop at the Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Maryland. A few of the Streghe’s charter members were in the first workshop I attended, and they honored me with an invitation to join their bimonthly meetings. It’s the event that convinced me I am a creative writer; and I stayed with the group until 2004. After moving from Washington, D.C., to the Northern Neck of Virginia, I sought out other writers who have been writing creative nonfiction or who have written fiction or poetry and are interested in stretching their wings. We formed a new writing critique group -- the Northern Neck Nonfiction Writers Group. The group includes two former technical writers; a poet; a book- length memoirist in search of an agent; another memoirist who, like me, is struggling to capture in print her story of physical and emotional turmoil; and three published novelists, all of whom now have second and third books ready for publication. Sharon Baldacci’s first book, A Sundog Moment: A Novel of Hope, was released in paperback early in 2006. You can order "Sundogs" from Barnes&Noble.com in hardcover or paperback. John Atkinson's coming of age novel, Timekeeper, is published by Fisher King Press. It is now available through amazon.com and other online and store booksellers. Sarah Collins Honenberger published White Lies: A Tale of Babies, Vaccines, and Deception in 2007. It is available at Barnes&Noble.com, amazon.com, and other online booksellers. Her second novel, Waltzing Cowboys, is due to be published later in 2008. I look forward to many future years of working with my writer friends to speed our successes, so I can include other friends’ books on this page, in addition to my own. |
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| bshinewrites.com |
| Prize-winner! Our anthology earned second place among edited books in the Virginia Press Women 2007 Communications Contest! |