My Writing Blog

My Writing Blog

My thoughts on writing and research, practice and process, and the writing life.

February 5, 2025 – Writers need each other

Yesterday afternoon, I Facebooked with a young author from elsewhere in Nova Scotia. She has published one book of historical fiction, and is now working on her second. She had gotten in touch with me to chat about writing: historical fiction, research, practice and process, among other things. It was our first conversation and it was great to meet and share thoughts with her. She is articulate, smart, ambitious and full energy and love for writing. Her subjects, so far, are Nova Scotia women in the early twentieth-century. Right up my alley.

It’s so important for writers to share thoughts and to meet with other writers. Most of writing is a solitary process; we huddle over our laptops, oblivious to the world around us. While I love the idea of it, I’m not capable, as are some writers, of taking up a table at a local cafe or coffee shop, and writing away the hours. I have used such a location, however, for inspiration and to listen in on conversations, as all good writers should. I need to be alone, at my desk, in my home office, music is ok, if it’s classic and instrumental. I work best in the morning, but don’t get up and at the computer as early as I should.

I got off the topic a little bit there. What I wanted to convey is that we writers need to talk with other writers, to share ideas and let each other know that we share the same feelings about our work: anxiety, commitment, pride and frustration, etc. In rural, northern Nova Scotia, where I work , there is little opportunity to meet with other writers on a regular basis, when it does happen at a workshop, reading or other occasion, I’m like a kid seeking a new best friend, wanting to know all about them, what they’ve written, what they’re working on now, etc. It’s the opportunity for sharing, that I so enjoy.

So I thank the young woman whom I chatted with yesterday. She helped me more than I did her. She inspired me to keep writing and helped me to remember, once again, why I do it in the first place.