This writer’s recent journey has been flooded with reconnections.
There were the contacts I had with family members and friends as a result of events that surrounded us in recent months. While these were traumatic circumstances, the connections were heart-warming, full of stories and the sharing of photographs. Many shared memories, rekindled links with cousins not seen for decades, and friendships from the past were blessings among the sadness… and are definitely teasing my writing muse.
Writing Friends.
The next leg of my journey was time spent with writing friends on the Central Coast. First, I spent an afternoon with the talented members of Wyong Writers, many of whom are old friends from when I lived in that area and facilitated workshops for them for more than a decade. Our discussion on my recent visit centred around writer’s block… what it is, possible causes, personal experiences, writing-associated activities to do while blocked and to rejuvenate the writer within… and all things necessary for reconnecting with writing. I came away inspired, as I always do when I meet with these writers.
Then there was a day with some of my long-term students, discussing their current writing projects and having a good old catch-up. We were all reconnecting with each other and the progress of our work. Another inspiring day, and for me a rewarding experience to see ideas that were once dreams and possible story-lines taking shape into manuscripts, and in some cases published books.
Brunch with the lovely Sarah Barrie was next. Sarah has had huge success in the Rural and Contemporary Romance/Suspense genres, being one of the top ten breakthrough authors in 2014 with Secrets of Whitewater Creek and with her latest book Promise of Hunters Ridge currently one of the top ten best-selling romance category books in Australia. Two of her books have reached the finals of The Ruby Australian Romance of the Year Awards and three have made it to the finals of the Australian 
Romance Readers Association Awards for Favourite Romantic Suspense. Our morning was filled with great food and stimulating conversation about all things writing and getting published, in relaxing surrounds at Norah Head, followed by a gift of the most stunning orchid I’ve ever seen.
A few days later, it was coffee at The Entrance with Mei-ling Venning, president of Wyong Writers, where we discussed the use of photographs to enrich writing… among other writing-related topics. Mei-Ling has won writing competitions, had her plays performed, and her book Pelican Bay was published last year.
On the return journey, I visited writing friends from my Blue Mountains days. The elderly gentleman who gave me feedback on my writing in earlier years, enjoyed a day out from his nursing home… lunch and shopping, followed by maintenance on his computer so he can edit his son’s manuscripts. My friend may be eighty-nine, but the writer in him is still alive and well!
Then I visited my long-time friend, Bea, in the picturesque locale of Isabella, where we discussed several topics – too many for the short time we had – and she read parts of my manuscript and gave me encouraging feedback.
It was fitting that this was my last stop before home and my return to serious work. Within hours of settling back in after the unhappy events in my family and the sentimental journey of reconnections, I was back at my computer. Connecting again with all these wonderful people was the impetus for my readiness to reconnect with my memoir and I have now finished the significant re-write I began earlier in the year.
The manuscript is getting close to being fully cooked and I am excited at the prospect of the next stage.
This Blog relates to my Blogs Hidden Stories Lurk In Photograph Albums and A Telling Example, Writing Tip #16 and Writing Tip #17, and Writing Exercise #16~ Journey Into A Photograph and Writing Exercise #17 ~ Take Five Words
Please share your thoughts in the Comments section below…