365 Days with Ladies in Writing

It is official -- as of this evening, Ladies in Writing reached our one-year anniversary. Over countless mugs of steeped tea and quite a few scones on my part, our collective has explored the written word beyond the borders of our original class and into coffee shops across the GTA.

We were enrolled in the same Intro. to Creative Writing workshop held each Wednesday during the October 2008 to December 2008 stretch. We huddled around tables in a little church in the suburbs and shared stories scribbled in notebooks, on scrap paper, and even on a few napkins. The idea of a writing group was a snap decision made after our final class and we have continued to meet each month to share our work and hone our craft.

Now, I admit, we're a relaxed group. We're more supportive than we are critical. I'm aware that I'm probably known as "the young one who writes the disturbing fiction," but that's fine by me. I know there'll always be a chair waiting for me each month.

We're quite the motley team of writers. Two women have retired; three women are around my parents' age and are quite successful in their careers; and then there's me, the random twenty-three-year-old queer gal who idolizes writers like Sylvia Plath and Chuck Palahniuk (and yes, it is quite evident in my writing). I'm often there to act as the voice of the 21st-Century Youth and whatnot, but I've come to learn quite a bit about the perspectives of the older generations, too.

Regardless of the age differences between us, we're linked by our love of the written word and our desire to have others hear us out and give us the motivational push we need to carry on. The Ladies even decided it's time for me to get out there and submit my stories to contests and literary journals across Canada. I gotta tell you, it's a massive boost to the ol' self-confidence to hear such glowing words from a group of women you respect entirely. They're even willing to chip in on a Writer's Calendar so I can get out there and force these stories of mine into the public sphere.

Too sweet.

In 2010, we're setting precise writing goals for ourselves and creating accountability among the members. Should be an interesting experiment. I can only hope I will continue to earn my place among them each month (so long as I tone down the creep factor of my fiction. Heh.)