Monday, December 30, 2013

Face-To-Face

On a whim, I emailed my critique buddy who lives here in town. Not only are we both fiction writers and critique partners, but we're good friends, too. I haven't seen her for awhile due to health problems (both of us), job challenges, her son getting married, the holidays, etc., etc. So I emailed her today to ask if she'd like to meet for coffee since I knew we both had the day off, and she was up for it.

We met at a local place and had coffee (okay, I had a diet Pepsi and a red velvet cookie - bad, I know!) and talked and talked and laughed and commiserated with each other. We talked about our jobs, our families, our faith, and of course, we talked about our writing.

Most of my writing friends are online. I'm deeply thankful for them all because writing is a solitary business. But it is also important to have writing friends off-line, too. Being able to hear the other person's voice and see them face to face is essential for knowing that we are not alone. We can put a face, a voice, a mannerism, a wave of the hand, to that person. Sure, you can Skype with someone, but really, it's not quite the same thing as meeting them in person.

We both resolved not to let so much time go by again before we reconnect. We're also planning to have a mini writing retreat of our own in the next few months. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to do nothing but work on my fiction!

In Holiday News...

We had a very quiet Christmas and we will have a very quiet New Year's Eve. We don't ever go out on this night because it's far safer to stay home and it's also a lot quieter. Ha! Does that mean we're getting old? I suppose. My husband told me tonight that he will try to stay up until midnight, but since he is used to falling asleep early every night, I'm not counting on it.

Still, I plan on watching some good movies and having my annual New Year's Eve snack: Lays potato chips and French onion dip. I think I started eating this snack every New Year's Eve when I was in high school, and I've continued the tradition through the years.

Then it's back to work on Thursday! Sigh. I'm not ready. I'd much rather stay home and work on my writing projects. But in a way, it's nice to get back into a routine. I've let my eating habits sort of run by the wayside this past week and a half. Must get that back on track soon! (After the chips and dip, of course!).

Happy New Year to you and yours!

10 comments:

  1. That's so funny—French onion dip is just about inextricably associated with New Year's in my mind too! Let's say great minds think alike. :)

    I've found myself wishing several times lately that I could meet up with a writing friend and have just such a cozy chat. But it seems that everyone I've connected with online lives in a totally different part of the country. Oh, well!

    A belated Merry Christmas, and I hope you have a happy New Year too!

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    1. I hope you can find a face-to-face writing friend soon, Elisabeth. :)

      Happy New Year!!!

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    2. Elisabeth, have you tried Meetup(dot)com? I too was looking for off-line, nearby writing peeps. On Meetup, I found a local group of writers who meet once monthly to critique and once monthly to just write or be social.

      Ilene

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  2. I suspect I will be following your husband's example and snoring long before midnight gets here. :-)

    Happy New Year!

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    Replies
    1. LOL! Yeah, he fell asleep at 10 p.m. My daughter and I made it until midnight, but then I went to bed. Happy New Year to you, as well!!!

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  3. It will be nice to go back to those work habits Thursday after all the holidays-related activity. The holidays are marvellous, but there is much to be said for routine!

    We stayed in, watched funny movies, and enjoyed fondue and other goodies last night. That's how we tend to spend NYE and it's fine with us! (We're so boring. ;D)

    Happy New Year!

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    Replies
    1. I don't think you're boring at all! I love to stay at home and hang out with my family. It is one of my very favorite things to do. :-)

      Yeah, I think a routine is better for me to get things done - I haven't accomplished nearly what I wanted to do on this break. But it was still a great vacation. I loved the time off.

      Happy New Year!

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  4. Happy New Year!
    Your New Year's Eve sounds so similar to ours. We're almost always at home and barely stay awake until midnight. We had a Doctor Who marathon, which was fun. I can't remember how many episodes we watched.
    Isn't it wonderful to have a face to face writing buddy? I have a great writing friend - we critique each others work, egg each other on when the going is tough and can talk about our characters as if they really do exist. Sadly she moved up north a year ago. Thank goodness for telelphones and the internet, but it's just not as good as being there in person.
    I know you will love your mini retreat. My writing buddy and I have been on several over the last few years and they were so much fun and so encouraging.

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    1. I hope you can find another writing buddy that's close to you, J.T. It does make a big different, doesn't it? :)

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