Writing groups

Last night, as part of my book signing event at Barnes & Noble Lancaster, I was invited to speak with the writer's group that meets there twice monthly. I have to admit that I am jealous of people who have found their group--a collection of people you can trust with your writing. And I mean trust. Trust them to be gentle. Trust them to tell you the truth. Trust their insights and sensibilities.

I have girlfriends I trust with my life and my truths, but not many that I truly trust with my words.

I think about Stephen King and his wife Tabitha. I imagine them propped up on pillows (very expensive ones) in bed, passing pages to each other. She is nodding and chewing on the end of a pen. He is underlining a phrase and writing YES! in the margin. What must it be like to have that instant audience? A sounding board for all those great and not-so-great ideas?

Sometimes the first feedback I get is from my agent. Maybe this is good. Maybe it isn't. I take comments to heart and don't always defend my work. I am too quick to try it another way--afraid that someone who knows the publishing world is more knowledgeable about my characters and plot than I am. I am learning. Perhaps when I learn to trust my instincts, assert my dominion, I'll look for a writing group. Would it be in a classroom or workshop situation where we can learn to know one another first and then decide that our community is too good to abandon when the class ends? Or maybe I'll just take out a personal ad:

Literary novelist who likes poetic devices, word play, twisted plots, and dimensional characters seeks like-minded writer for insightful critique, exchange of ideas, and brainstorming. Love of coffee and/or a good Chianti is a must, as is a wicked wit. Special consideration goes to any applicant with access to a Tuscan villa. Send an email to introduce yourself. Attach a writing sample and picture of your dog. Put the name of your favorite kind of cheese in the subject line.

You can go home again

Last night, I had a scheduled reading and signing at Aaron's Books, a bookstore in my hometown of Lititz, PA. The event coincided with Lovin' Lititz Every Second, a monthly celebration of the arts and business in the downtown sector.

My hometown is one of those tight communities with a rich sense of its own history. It is a small town that is often described as quaint when the travel bureau or TV newscasters are grabbing for adjectives. The downtown is bustling with shops in an era that has seen the erosion of many such Main Streets. (About a decade ago, Lititz successfully fended off the advances of Wal-Mart--if that is any indication.) I say all this to give a backdrop, but it is really the people who make it into the place I like to call home.

Last night was just an indication of that. I signed about 70 books for classmates, teachers, church members, friends of friends, neighbors. My second grade teacher, who is mentioned in the acknowledgements of my book, brought me a gorgeous Gerber daisy--one of my favorite flowers. My novel deals with some sensitive issues, so the fact that my town was willing to embrace it, meant so much to me.

I am working on a third novel. It is in its infancy, but I would really like to use Lititz for the setting. My publishing company publishes a lot of work by southern writers who are known for their sense of place, the ability to make their locations breathe as if they were characters. I've often admired that style of literature. Could I, as a northern writer, invoke the same sense of place?