Reaching Out and Meeting People

Last week, I had the privilege of attending three separate events over a five-day period. All were very different and by the end I was exhausted, but it was worth the effort.

The first event was a cultural roundtable hosted by local city representatives. The goal was for different cultural groups to meet one another and share our needs. I and my colleague represented the Delta Literary Society. While our needs center around gaining publicity for our events, it was interesting to hear about the challenges that other groups are facing. I was surprised to see twenty different groups attending that night: the police pipe band, quilters, potters, artists, acting groups, rockhounds, heritage groups, and so forth were all there.

At the second event, I was part of a panel of five people who talked about writing. We each read from our books to a lovely group of people. This was a new event hosted by our society, and we’re grateful for the terrific support we received.

Two days after that, I attended a craft fair that ran from ten until four. Again, I met some delightful folks, sold books, and answered questions about publishing and marketing.

I’m sharing all this to help the writers and introverts out there understand the importance of connecting with others in person. I know it’s scary and feels risky at times, but starting with just one small event can make a big difference in your confidence and in achieving your writing goals.

Writing is a solitary business in the early stages. If writers want to take their work to the next level, however, then they need to reach out and ask for feedback from others. Taking workshops and courses can be useful as well, and I do recommend attending some of them in person. Producing a published book is also a joint effort. Very few writers can do all of it on their own. And then there’s the marketing and promotion side of things. You can only do so much from your keyboard at home.

Other than my weekly critique group meeting and facilitating creative writing workshops on Saturdays, I’ve been enjoying a quiet week. My grandkids are sick today, though, so I’m off to take care of them. Their busy parents are accountants who are working long hours to meet the April 30 deadlines.

Until this week, the last few days were gloriously sunny, so we managed to enjoy several afternoon walks. With all the tree blossoms, daffodils, and tulips that have sprung up in our neighbourhood, it’s the perfect time to exercise outdoors. The tulips in the photos are from our garden. I didn’t even know we had them until now. We moved in exactly a year ago and I don’t remember seeing them. I was probably too busy unpacking to notice. But I’m noticing now. 😊