You may have noticed my blogs have been delayed these past few weeks. Health,
family and travel have interfered. While years ago, I would have managed all three
without interruption, not so as I get older. Multitasking appears to a part of the past.
Having recognized this, I am delighting in scheduling hours of full attention and have
found that, with the exception of writing while traveling, there is a new kind of joy in daily
accomplishments.
Interruptions to a writer’s group will happen as each individual navigates their elder
years. Scheduling a break may become necessary. However, this does not mean you
should stop writing or sending your work to each other for comments.
1) Check the calendar and make sure there is always an upcoming date for a
meeting.
- If you meet every two weeks, try not to miss more than one session. A
month is a long time.
o If a date for meeting is scheduled, even if several weeks pass,
you will still be prompted to get your work ready to submit along
with your comments for others in the group
o
2) Don’t let time drift or you will lose the continuity of thought for each other’s work.
- Sometimes it is hard to remember where another writer is headed with
their plot, characters etc. This become even harder if too many
sessions with your group are missed.
3) Don’t stop writing and working with your group while you are traveling and
exploring.
- It may sound impractical to try to write while traveling, but it only takes
a few minutes while on a plane or sitting in a hotel room to reread
whatever you last wrote. If you do so, you will be surprised by how
fresh surrounding will give you new insights and ideas.
4) Be supportive of yourself and others during times of illness. - At age sixty and over illness can be more daunting. Be supportive.
Emails that discuss someone’s work with encouragement can provide
a kind of healing tonic. Let the ill person know you are still thinking
about them AND about their work - And please don’t forget if you do become ill keep a notebook nearby,
think about plots twists and descriptions, and remember that your
characters and your writer’s group are waiting for your return.