Let the Writer’s Retreat Begin

I drove through a forest of dense hardwoods, down a two-rut road to reach my destination on the peninsula’s end. The shimmering lake waters greeted me. I pictured my friends, Heather and Darryl sitting inside the cabin working away. They had arrived two hours before me, and as I drove, I felt their writing energy pulling me along the road. Spending time with friends who no longer are a fifteen-minute drive away is a precious commodity. My heart sang.

After a hello break, all heads were down. I opened my computer to begin my writing process. Time is an artificial constraint because we picked up where we left off. Look at our habits. Everyone sat in his or hers previously designated spot. Doing what they did best, creating stories.

Today, sitting with these two folks, affected me. I remembered when we met, our initial writing discussions, and our dismay that I would be moving three hours away. This meeting marked another change. The second of the third musketeer is relocating. Our writing location here in the woods has been the spot that kept us connected and it will again.

Today, we marveled that we have writer retreat options. Collectively we have access to a lake house, a mountain house, and a beach house. These were our quiet settings that provided the place for our creative juices to flow freely. Does a writer need much more?

Being together to write, one learns about each other’s unique writing rhythm and process. Sharing that private writing space is an honor. I do this in real life with Heather and Darryl, and I do this in virtual space with Mischa and Oleander. Writers make things happen in whatever location we place ourselves. When we add the ingredient of friendship and caring, we move writing mountains, singularly and together.

This week, I beta-read Darryl’s latest book and had the privilege of sharing my comments with him in person. I did this a year ago, but now I appreciated how much I had learned about writing since his previous book. I brainstormed with Heather ways to condense four scenes into one while maintaining the elements she wanted to bring forward. That too indicated to me how far I’ve come in learning about writing.

So, what did I take from this?

December is a time of personal reflection for me. As the end of the year approaches, I begin to take stock and plan for the future. Today, I appreciated these two people who were with me when I started down the writing path. They have inspired me. They have celebrated my milestones with me while they allowed me to share and learn from theirs.

I told them my news about being included in the list of the Top 100 Sex Bloggers of 2017. I felt their immense joy and pride. Of course, that had me crying. When you begin something from nothing, like I did with writing, and tackle it with every tool you have in your arsenal, wondrous things can occur. This accolade was one of them.

As 2018 begins, I plan to introduce you to the Top 100 Sex Bloggers of 2017. My hope is they can inspire you to dream and write. And in between, I’ll be here blogging erotic sex stories in keeping with my forever goal to maintain a sex-positive stance in the world.

What has helped me thus far? Friendship. Bulldog tenacity. Perseverance. Drive. Enjoyment. Connection. And a Passion for something that has a meaning to me.

I wish that for you.