CHRISTMAS BREAK UPS...

It's that crazy pre-Christmas time when all of our groups call it an end for the year. My writing group, Lazy River Writers  meet at the end of the month so last weekend was our Christmas break up.

Celebrating Christmas in November does seem strange, but trying to find another date, that doesn't clash with children / work / social activities is near impossible. You should see us try to plan a writing retreat!


It is always a fun day. We lunch..we chat....we celebrate the fact that we are friends as well as writers.

Serious business does get done. If I recall correctly, this happened about four and a half hours after we got together...but some things can't be rushed.


Being the last meeting for the year, we had to plan the dates for the coming year, 2017. And as I work a lot of weekends, this lovely group of writers, always move things around to accommodate this. We tweak the set dates...find venues if our usual local library is unavailable (we do clash with another group if we change our dates)...and of course someone to run the meeting.

One of the reasons why our group works so well is that there is not one person who runs it. We all take turns to host, and everyone has their own style and system.


Once the nitty gritty of planning for the coming year is done we look back on this past year. We talk about our goals and plans. Were they achieved? Did we get waylaid? Side tracked? Did we discover new possibilities and venture on new projects?

Looking back on my year and you can tell when I was distracted. A few hurdles thrown down and it reflected in what I achieved...or in my case, what I didn't. Seeing it in black and white was revealing, and some discussion was held on what we can do to help each other when life gets in the way.

We are a very nurturing and supportive group, great with offers of wisdom and help...but perhaps we can find a way to help someone push through and keep writing.


After all the seriousness it was time for a quick quiz . I had taken notes throughout the year of some of the comments made...mostly humorous...and this was a case of 'Who said this?" More food and of course no Christmas event is finished without a gift...or two.

Our yearly breakup is a reminder of how much we achieve. This year there were many published works, prize wins for not only short stories but also a picture book, and workshops run. It was also people getting back into major pieces of work, finishing first and second drafts, hosting spoken word events and reconnecting and discovering the joy in writing.


It does seem strange finishing for the year, but we do know December is waiting. Perhaps we'll be inspired...perhaps we'll take a well deserved break? Some of us will keep on...others will be so busy with children and work that there won't be time to breathe before the new year.

Whatever you do...enjoy it.

Vicki 


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