While it was grief that brought me back to the page after a six-month writing drought, it was my beloved writers’ group: Kath Walters, Sandy McDonald, Yamini Naidu and Di Percy, that got me through to the publishing of Brave Women Write.
Every Monday morning at 8am, we turn up on Zoom, me with wet hair fresh out of the Yarra Birrarung river and the others looking much more glamorous and professional. We share our writing wisdom, what we’re working on and ask for advice. Every month or so on a Friday, we gather at someone’s home for a day to write, share a long lunch and seek advice on our projects.
These women are so much more than a writers’ group. They are true friends. In those first weeks when I first began writing again, they held me in my grief when I couldn’t hold it all alone. They challenged my self-doubt and my procrastination. And they kicked me lovingly up the butt when my inner-critic took over.
Without these women, I would not have produced and published Brave Women Write. Without these women, I would not have kick-started my next writing project, Love Stories of the Yarra Birrarung. Without these women, I would not have found the courage to pursue my purpose to write the stories that remake the world.
So to these women, I say thank you.
A writer’s life can be a solitary life. But we can’t do it all alone. Writers need other writers to get the work of writing done. Just as mothers need other mothers. And climate activists need other climate activists. And river swimmers need other river swimmers.
We can’t hold our grief alone and we can’t pursue our purpose alone.
Our writers’ group has been in existence for almost three years. We’ve learnt a lot on what works and what doesn’t, what makes us successful and what makes us tick and stick together. We all practice our craft daily and we’ve each produced a book or two in our time together. Getting to the finish line in our personal writing projects is a direct result of our collective contributions and support for each other.
I’ve participated in many different courses and programs for writers over the years. All of them have been useful and worthwhile, but it’s my writers’ group that is the absolute best.
That’s why I’ve included a chapter on writers’ groups in Brave Women Write. It’s also why Yamini, Di, Kath, Sandy and myself have come together to produce a video offering readers our perspectives and ideas on how to start your own group and ensure its success.
If you purchase Brave Women Write, you’ll find a QR Code in the front of the book which gives you access to our video along with a Writers’ Group Guide.
Thank you for your support and I can’t wait to have you join me on the writing journey.
With love
Brave Women Write Book Orders
Australian Orders: $30 for a signed copy including postage.
International Orders: $37.27 for a signed copy including postage.
Brave Women Write Private Mentoring
Do you have a book or writing project to be brought to life in 2023?
If you need clarity and focus to get started and support to make it to the finish-line, I’m here to help.
Applying the practices in the book and through a unique combination of workshopping and mentoring over 90 days, I help turn your fledgling ideas into a tangible book.
I work with women who have a story to share through a memoir, biography, fiction or non-fiction book that will drive personal and planetary change for women and Mother Earth.
If you feel that it’s time to stop dreaming and start writing, make a time for a conversation to see if we are a good fit.
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