An Inkling

WHEN YOU IMAGINE a professional writer what do you picture? Someone slaving away at an old Underwood typewriter surrounded by mounds of paper and a dog, his only companion, snoozing at his feet? Or maybe a woman sitting in a bustling, crowded coffee shop yet still alone, kept occupied by the words rattling in her skull?

If so you are not far wrong. Writers do spend much of their time alone wandering the corridors of their minds juggling facts, creating characters, struggling to find the best lead for an article, or maybe working to please a freelance client. While writing requires time spent with no one but the muses for company, it should not mean forgoing human contact.

Some of the world's best writers made an effort to hang with other wordsmiths. There are reasons for this. First, creativity breeds creativity. Being with other writers feeds the imagination,  sharpens our edge, and restocks the shelves of our minds. Hearing what they're working on often inspires us to move forward with our own work.

Sixty years ago, a group of writers in England made a point of getting together to read their works-in-progress. Many of the writers were professors at Oxford. They would fellowship, laugh, then listened to the works of their members offering encouragement and suggestions. (Since they often met in a pub, they may have done other, less literary things.) They named the group the Inklings and their number included C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.

Meeting with other writers also remind us how human we all are. Years ago, I was invited to a fiction writers conference for Zondervan novelist. It was the first time I had been with other professional writers, especially best selling writers like Angie Hunt, Terry Blackstock, and Bill Meyers (and other notables). I learned more by sitting in the hotel lobby listening and watching. I felt like I was in a graduate course and left feeling blessed to have been invited (and a whole lot wiser). I also learned that these “name” writers were just like me. We even helped one of the novelist settle on an ending to her book.

This sense of camaraderie among new and experienced writers is one of the chief goals of the Southwest Christian Writers Studio. It is one reason we have limited enrollment; one of the reason we follow a "studio" format. SWCWS is conference with a different format: more personal; more directed; more hands-on.

This is the kind of writers conference many have been waiting for. There is still time to join us. Just click on the LIFEWAY link above. Come join other writers, people like you, people who understand you and the work you do.

Alton Gansky,

Faculty member

Comments

[Sharon Leaf]

If I lived closer, I'd be there! Rob and I moved to South Carolina 4 years ago, leaving the ocean and desert behind. We love the south, and I have joined several writer's groups, which have helped me grow as a writer. I hold The Artist's Studio in my home for fellow writers who long for support and inspiration.
Oceans of blessings from the south, Sharon Leaf