This is what happens when we are sapped of energy to be creative and true to ourselves. This loss of energy can come from the voice within, or it can come from others who criticize our words and stories because they are bringing their own issues to bear. In the face of such rebuke, we are sometimes drained of enthusiasm and passion to go about the delicate and hard work of writing.
The joy of the Circle and the read-around is that we can draw on the group's energy and creative passion. In the Circle we can "come clean" of the frustration, fear and anger we feel as writers . . . as artists, crafting the masterpieces of our lives. The Circle is a place to validate each other in a supportive, non-judgmental way. When one person reads, another gets an idea of how they might use that idea or literary device in their own work - whether it is poetry, a novel, memoir or short story. Critiques are offered in the spirit of goodwill and of gratitude by the very act of sharing something so unique and so personal.This morning we welcomed three new members to the Circle - Jan and Flo who came from the Plymouth Meeting area and Karen, who is seen here reading from her novel and traveled from West Chester to be with us.
Many thanks, also, to Arleen and Laura for return visits and for helping make the Circle a warm, thoughtful and welcoming place with their words and their writing.
Please mark 9 a.m., Saturday June 12 on your calendar for the next meeting of the Circle at Wellington Square Bookshop in Exton.
Until then, keep writing. We are in this together.
Susan
