Friends Who Write

“May I a small house, and a large garden have! And a few friends, and many books …”

– Abraham Cowley (1618-1667)

Many writers of fiction are introverts. It would be wonderful to spend each day at the computer, lost in imaginary worlds, and not have to promote our work. At least, that’s my wish! For some people, recent lockdowns, for various reasons, have been hell. For me, I think it would be business as usual.

At our house, the only friction occurs when my husband sings and plays his guitar a little too loudly while I’m trying to write. It would be ideal if his method of artistic expression was painting (well, he’s painting at the moment, but it’s freshening furniture, not daubing on canvas!). It might be a little quieter.

I do have a few writer friends. There’s our critique group. I’ve been privileged to be a member of Hearts of Gold (Hogs) for more than twenty years. We meet every few weeks, and on these occasions we are far from introverted! We “get” each other. We don’t have to explain ourselves.

Over the years, I’ve become close to several in the group. We can phone each other any time to have a beef about life in general, to discuss each others’ work-in-progress and seek help with various writerly issues. Oh, and moan about technology (I’m the biggest culprit!). And it’s wonderful to be able to cheer people on when they have a success. You might care to search for the writing of Josephine Allen, Helen Ellis and Vanda Vadas, three Hogs who have ebooks out in the world.

There’s also my American penpal, Barbara Giles. Her book, The Crow’s Nest, pipped mine with its release (mine, by the way, is The Heart Has Its Reasons). Barbara and I have been friends a long, long time. More about us in my next blog.

Then there are writers’ organisations. I’ve been a member of the Romance Writers of Australia for thirty years, even though I’m temporarily drifting from Historical Romance writing to Middle Grades adventure stories. I don’t get to every annual conference. Last year’s was virtual, owing to Covid – let’s hope this year’s in mid August on the Gold Coast will be a chance for romance writers to meet in person. The workshops, the conversations are mostly about writing, and we encounter friends we’ve maybe not seen for several years. An important part of the conference is discovering the latest industry news, and there are plenty of editors and agents to pitch to. This last is a big call for some writers, taking them way outside their introverted comfort zones!

I know it’s possible nowadays to promote books almost entirely via technology. But there’s the rub – learning how to do it! Currently I’m on a steep learning curve concerning this subject. Wish me luck!

The Heart Has Its Reasons is available for ORDER by clicking this link https://www.bronwynhouldsworth.com/books

Enjoy.