The importance of writing tribes

 The worst part of this pandemic for me has been the closing down of the various writers’ groups I belong to.  Just before the pandemic hit I became a Director of Portsmouth Writers’ Hub, a community interest company.  We were all set to apply for funding from Arts Council England, and then covid struck.  We could do nothing then, and I haven’t met up with some of those people face to face for nearly two years now.  The absence of regular Hub meetings has left a huge hole in my creative life.

I have managed to get Havant Writers’ Circle back to meeting in person.  This week we had a excellent workshop on writing very short fiction from our member David.  It was great to be in the same room with a bunch of writers taking on the challenge of instant writing from a given prompt.  Then we turned that piece of short fiction into even shorter fiction - a one hundred word drabble.

As always, the quality of the writing produced was excellent.  We have such a talented group of writers, and I never fail to be amazed at the richness of the writing they produce.  It’s even more impressive when you know that these were first drafts produced under time pressure, within the space of twenty minutes.  I came home feeling really energised from that workshop.

Today I’m off to Bristolcon, my first SF convention in person since August 2019.  It will be great to sit and listen to other writers, to hear their wisdom about the importance of geography and diverse characters in stories.

I get a feel for the pulse of the book world and publishing from interacting with lots of writers, editors, and agents on Twitter.  But there’s nothing like sitting listening to a panel of writers, and suddenly coming across some stunning insight which I furiously scribble down in my notebook.

So this weekend I will be immersed in the science fictional world.  It will be lovely to talk about issues with people who understand the genres, and the great history of them.

My writing often tackles environmental themes, and I’ve had some pieces of environmental writing published on the Pens of the Earth website.  On Monday I’ve been invited to perform part of one of my stories at an event at the Portsmouth Climate Festival.  It promises to be a big event, and I’m looking forward to it.

Life is slowly returning to normal, and I’m feeling far more positive about my writing life than I did six months ago.  I’ve just bought a membership for Eastercon for next Easter weekend, so I’ll be extending my contact with other writers again then.

Tribes are important for keeping our self-esteem high, and for sparking off our creative process.  Now, please let the train run on time today.