The Benefits of a Writing Group, Conference or Workshop

I have found especially being sequestered during the Covid-19 pandemic that writing groups have kept me grounded and stimulated. The have been my intellectual saviors and for that I will forever be grateful. Whether they were classes with John Boles under the University of North Florida’s Continuing Education Department, workshops with IWWG (International Women’s Writer’s Group), The Writing Academy at the Kravis Center under the direction of Julie Gilbert or the Cream Literary Alliance craft classes ---they have all bolstered my mood and hopefully my writing proficiency.

Most of all, I have benefited from my close-knit group of writers who are in the throes of editing our JOINT effort—DETOURS. Five women over the course of eight years we have met to collaborate on a novel that tells the tale of six women who attend a writer’s conference in Hudson Valley, New York. Through a lot of laughs, determination and ups and downs we have prevailed. Combining our writing styles and personalities has been a testament to the ability to yield cooperation and respect. I am enormously indebted to them for their friendship and support. We have all grown and are better for the experience.

 Our book will be available by the summer. DETOURS. Look for it. Order it. Read it.