Personal Gold

So we spent Saturday one hour away in Vancouver visiting friends in town for the Olympics. I'd assumed that today's post would be about the athletes & trying to be the best. Motivation, achievement, practice... Um, not at all.

The best part of Saturday was not the Olympic hubbub. It was seeing old friends. And the best part of seeing old friends was sitting in a hotel overlooking a park and having coffee and tea and talking and feeling comfortable and feeling a shared history and knowing that we were a group of four people hoping the best for one another.

What does that have to do with writing? I felt nourished, centered and focused. But then we drove away to this new place where we share history with no one.

I'm joining a writers group here and will be attending the northwest SCBWI conference this spring. I Skype weekly with my main crit partner & have met fantastic new readers through the blogosphere. That's doing the right thing. That feels good...

But I do want to remember the simple power of relationships. Those people who may not write but do believe in us. They're vital. My nieces get adamant about YA books I should read. My younger nephew and niece both suggest topics and characters. Friends listen. My partner gives me space. It's all part of the mix that helps me fill notebooks and gets me to my laptop. I'm grateful for everyone.

Some writers may be called to be isolated artists. No judgment. Very cool if that's what works. But people are for me.

And you?

Photo from one of this week's walks. Beneath where we're staying. Don't know what the red thing is. Bumps in the distance are the Canadian Cascades (I think).


Monday Meeting: Goals for the week of 2/15/10:

YA novel

• Incorporate feedback from 3 new readers
• Make timeline for conference submissions
  

Middle grade novel

• Revise 2nd chapter and send to writing partner
• Make timeline for conference submissions

YA novel #2

• Add synopsis to computer

Strengthening the center

• Meditate at beginning of day just before starting to write (I need to pay more attention to this...)
  
• Two walks in nature