I did it, Friday came, and I took myself off to experience my first writing group. The nerves were there, but alongside that I felt excited.
On the bus, I thought about what I could contribute to the group. I’ve never been a fan of what I call ‘circle time’, where we sit around and discuss an issue, but unlike the other times this was an opportunity to discuss a topic that I actually have a lot to talk about. I have knowledge and experiences that I would like to share; this is why I do my guest posts on The Horror Tree.
I arrived 30 minutes early. I was told that the woman organising the group was in a room, so I walked towards the room and popped my head round the corner. The room, however, was empty apart from a cardboard cut-out of a woman. I must admit that I did wonder if the woman, organising the event, had been transformed into a cardboard cut-out, crazy I know, but my imagination just took over. So I peeked into the room again to make sure the woman wasn’t hiding behind anything, but the room remained empty. So to pass the time I strolled down the book aisle and pretended to be interested in the books presented on the shelf. I wasn’t, but I needed to distract myself from the fear of being the only person present. Feeling unable to wander around anymore, I sat on a seat by the door and pulled out my Sharon Bolton book. I was about to dive into the world of murder when a woman came up to me. Thankfully the woman hadn’t been turned into a cardboard cut-out.
We talked for a while, but I still feared being the only one here. I, however, had no need to burden my mind with fear; soon enough people came into the room: one by one all looking slightly apprehensive. There was no reason to be worried because the conversation flowed, and we all appeared excited about the prospect of further meetings.
I have homework to complete, which is something I haven’t had for a while. I need to write a paragraph about my favourite place. Normally I would be fine with such activities, but this is a story I will have to read out, and leave myself open to criticism, which anyone with self-doubt knows is a scary thought. However, I shall complete the task; I just hope my piece doesn’t suck as much as Mr. Self Doubt tells me it does.
I’m looking forward to next week. It’s interesting to see such a diverse group joined by one common thing, and this is the love of writing.
Keep writing, folks!
That’s it for today, but I’ll be back, and don’t forget to read my self-doubt fighting posts on The Horror Tree website.