Wednesday, September 03, 2008

ACFW Ohio chapter

Yesterday I finally made it to a writers' meeting when the Ohio Chapter of the American Christian Fiction Writers met at the Der Dutchman Restaurant in Waynesville, Ohio for a Meet & Greet.

I know all kinds of writers online, but because of my rural location and the inability to travel to many conferences, I've never met most of the people I know online. Yesterday was a lot of fun. We discussed where we were in our current writing projects, our searches for editors and agents, and what was on the horizon for our careers.

It reminded me that I need to get out more.

Writing can be a very lonely business. Most of the time writers are alone behind our computers with little interaction with the very people who understand what it's like to do what we do.

Before my first book was published in 2004, I didn't know a single writer. Now I am discovering there are all kinds of them in my own area. Not everyone is published, but they are still writers. It feels good to know I'm not alone. I don't talk about writing to many in my family or close circle of friends.

At a family dinner over the weekend, several people who hadn't seen me in a long time asked how the writing was going. They do care and they are interested, but if a person doesn't write themselves, you can see their eyes glaze over if you discuss it for too long.

Not so with other writers. We can sit around and discuss it all day. It's a welcome change. Thanks to everyone at Der Dutchman yesterday. I loved meeting you and talking about my passion with others who truly understand. Can't wait until we meet again.

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