![\"Yours](\"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/Bevere-grp.jpg\")
<\/a>Yours truly, Janice Preston, Morton Gray, Alison May and Lisa Hill in our very grand writing ‘hut’ at the Bevere Gallery.<\/p><\/div>\n
One of the best things to have come out of taking up writing as a career, is meeting and be-friending other writers.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Writing is a solitary pursuit. It\u2019s you, the laptop, a notebook and a cold cup of coffee most days. That’s if you’re lucky.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n At least I have the dogs to keep me company. However, they\u2019re asleep most of the time and snoring. I\u2019ve been desperate enough sometimes to chat to the radio, television and on one memorable occasion, had an in-depth discussion with Henry the Hoover. It was sadly one-sided.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The dogs get me out every day and we tend to meet the same dog walkers to chat to, so that\u2019s great. Once back inside though, with lunch eaten in front of Loose Women (don\u2019t judge) it\u2019s nose to the work in progress. In theory.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n When you work on your lonesome, the call of Twitter and Facebook is siren-like. When you only have the wall to talk to (I’ve been known to do that too)\u00a0it\u2019s great to have a chat online, especially to readers and writers. To make matters worse, writers are expected to spend a certain amount of time using social media and it\u2019s all too easy to get carried away for hours at a time.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Take this afternoon for instance. I\u2019m currently writing something I\u2019m really enthusiastic about. Yesterday I managed to add nearly 3,000 words, which for me, is a result. I want to write the next bit. I love my characters, I know where it\u2019s going and I\u2019m on the first draft which, always gets my writing juices flowing.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n So, why did I find every single distraction going to stop me getting on with it today? Okay, the bloke came to service the boiler, the dogs went berserk at next door\u2019s cat bringing home a rabbit, I had to ring my mum and then put some washing in and then I went online …<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s now nearly five o\u2019clock and I\u2019ve mithered about for three hours. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Except I haven\u2019t. I\u2019ve spent a lot of time retweeting about the Harper Impulse promotion that\u2019s on at the mo\u2019, I prepared the next writer\u2019s cave blog to go up on the website and I began to sort some prizewinners for a competition. All useful things directly connected to my books. But I haven\u2019t added a single word to the WIP!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n To go back to the beginning …<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n One of the best things to have come out of taking up writing as a career, is meeting and be-friending other writers. I now belong to three writing groups and value all of them. It can seem counter-productive to leave the computer and go out to meet people but, trust me, it\u2019s a necessity. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n You need your fellow writers when you\u2019re on a roll with something (gives eyes, fingers and the back a break from the hours huddling over the computer) and they are vital if you\u2019re going through a rough patch. At this week\u2019s meeting, procrastination was a hot topic!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n It could be seen as just an excuse for lunch and a chat but meeting other writers is balm to the story-telling soul. Who else would understand the fear, the joy, the anxiety – the dilemmas? Who could share the celebrations and the disappointments, except others in the same boat?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n So, scoff away, as you see yet another Facebook post of me stuffing my face with quiche or cake, or drinking a large latte. I don\u2019t care. I need my writing buddies. This is a big thank you to all of you out there, who help me along this sometimes joyous, often frustrating and, quite frankly, bizarre way of making a living.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n