Grateful for Writing Groups by Lynn Lovegreen

November is a great month because of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it focuses on family, food, and gratitude. What can be better than that?  I am thankful for many things in my life, including my family, my friends, and my home. Today, I’m going to write about something else I am grateful for: my writing groups.

 

I belong to several writing groups, including 49 Writers, the Alaska Writers Guild, RWA (Romance Writers of America), SCBWI (the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators), and local chapters AKRWA and SCBWI-AK. (Full disclosure: I’ve been active in RWA’s reformation toward a more inclusive writing community, and I am the President of AKRWA.) While my participation varies now and then, all of these groups have helped me grow as a writer.

 

Writing groups give many benefits to writers. They provide information about the craft and business of writing through programs such as classes, webinars, and conferences. Many host critique groups, which in my experience is one of the best ways writers can enhance their writing process and improve their writing. And I am thankful for the camaraderie—I love to hang out with other people who have characters running around in their heads and understand the highs and lows of the writing life.

 

If you don’t have one now, I encourage you to look into writing groups to find one that suits your interests. Here are a couple links for ideas:

https://www.rwa.org

https://www.scbwi.org

 

Whether you’re just starting out on your writing journey, or you’ve been on the path for years, I encourage you to create your own writing community. Find a writing group that supports you, and you’ll have much to be grateful for.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Lynn Lovegreen has lived in Alaska for most of her life. After twenty years in the classroom, she retired to make more time for writing. She enjoys her friends and family, reading, and volunteering for her local library. Her young adult historical romance is set in Alaska, a great place for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com. 

Gratitude for Writing Groups by Lynn Lovegreen

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it focuses on family, food, and gratitude. What can be better than that?  I am thankful for many things in my life, including my family, my friends, and my home. Today, I’m going to write about something else I am grateful for: my writing groups.

 

I belong to several writing groups, including 49 Writers, the Alaska Writers Guild, RWA (Romance Writers of America), SCBWI (the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators), Rainbow Romance Writers, and local chapters AKRWA and SCBWI-AK. (Full disclosure: I’ve been active in RWA’s reformation toward a more inclusive writing community, and I am the President of AKRWA.) I also take advantage of programs offered by other writing groups; for example, I recently became a finalist in the Hearts Through History Romance Writers “Romance Through the Ages” contest, where I got great feedback on my chapter. (Thanks to HHRW!) 

Writing groups give many benefits to writers. They provide information about the craft and business of writing. They offer programs such as contests, webinars, and conferences. Many host critique groups, which in my experience is one of the best ways writers can enhance their writing process and improve their writing. And I am thankful for the camaraderie—I love to hang out with other people who have characters running around in their heads and understand the highs and lows of the writing life.

 

The Romance Writers of America is having a membership drive until December 21st. If you are referred by a member, you get a $25 discount for joining or rejoining. Learn more about RWA at https://www.rwa.org/referral. Let me know if you’re interested, and I can give you my membership number to give you a referral.

 

Whether you’re just starting out on your writing journey, or you’ve been on the path for years, I encourage you to create your own writing community. Find a writing group that supports you, and you’ll have much to be grateful for.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

What’s New in ’22 … Delsora Lowe

For me, it is not what’s new for the new year, but what I will recycle and make new in 2022.

I’ll admit, 2021 was not the most productive year I’ve had. Between trying to figure out how to live a normal life, in a crazy situation, and then experiencing many life-changing situations, both sad and happy, I had difficulty making my goals that I set out for myself last year.

For 2022, I’ve brought forward all that I planned and was excited about in 2021, in hopes of accomplishing them in 2022. That list includes both professional and personal goals. For several years I have had on my list to join a local, non-profit organization that provides a meeting place and a list of activities for both teens and retirees. Last spring, I finally joined. The activities that interested me most were exercise classes, various art classes, and a writing group. Did I do any of them? 

A BIG FAT NO!

So, what’s new for ’22, is to get myself out of the house, with mask in place, and get to exercise class two days a week, join the writing group, and explore some art classes that will definitely take me out of my comfort zone. My sister was an artist. My grandmother was a juried craftswoman, mostly in painting on tins and velvets. My grandfather dabbled in painting, as did my mom. My daughter is an interior designer and a floral designer. Me? I loved art when I was in school, and I took craft classes as an adult and loved rug braiding, pottery, knitting, etc. But I never pursued any of them beyond the adult education classes I took.

2022—here I come.  Time to get out of my comfort zone and learn a new craft. If only, because it will challenge my creativity in a different way than writing. And by doing so, my hope is to jumpstart my writing,

I’m convinced that if I can activate my creative brain in other areas beside writing, that I might jumpstart my writing creativity, as well. In other words, allow the light of creativity to shine through once more.

“It is the light in the lantern which shows you the path,
 not the lantern.”
from a Yogi Tea Bag

And that leads me to what I love…writing. Alas, 2021 was a bad year for me. I totally shut down. I missed most of my goals I set for myself at the end of 2020, and I beat myself up over it. But hey…as I write this, we are in the last few weeks in December and all of a sudden, my creative juices are flowing through my brain and into my fingers. Time to take advantage, pull all my 2021 goals forward, and kick up a dance of creativity (both physical and mental) for 2022! And STOP with the I’m a failure self-talk.

The words of encouragement I have chosen to guide me for 2022 are:

Self-Forgiveness and Looking Forward

What are you going to do to move forward and find something new in ’22?

~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet and spicy romances and contemporary westerns from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.

Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine. Her new novella, The Love Left Behind, will release in late fall, 2020.

Social Media Links:
Author website: www.delsoralowe.com
Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/delsoraloweauthor/community/
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe
Instagram: #delsoralowe / https://www.instagram.com/delsoralowe/

Credits:
2022 Words Meme: Image from CANVA
Reuse in-box: Displaying 19 Images For Reduce Reuse Recycle Symbol Clip Art #v3CeAZ - Clipart Suggest
Goals Clothesline: free clipart goals - Google Search
Exercise: Free Exercise Cliparts, Download Free Exercise Cliparts png images, Free ClipArts on Clipart Library (clipart-library.com)
Writers Block: writer-s-block-words-road-construction-barrier-barricade-sign-stopping-you-making-progress-writing-novel-article-40955648
Raising a Glass: Raising A Toast Stock Illustrations, Cliparts And Royalty Free Raising A Toast Vectors (123rf.com)
Michelle Obama
Nelson Mandela