Lily Java

Tomorrow will mark one year since I asked to join the Writer’s Review & Support Resource Group on Facebook at the urging of my friend, the fabulous Theresa L. Henry.  Ms. T., as I like to call her, is an author.  Her first book, Abandoned but Not Alone, was such a fun read for me that for the first time in a lifetime of reading a ridiculous number of books, I reached out and told an author how much I enjoyed their work.

I consider Ms. T. a sister/friend, even though we live on opposite sides of the world from each other and we have never met, not even to Skype.  Why?  We get along.  We learned early on that we both love to laugh, don’t take ourselves too seriously, and are willing to offer each other support when needed.

Knowing my restless and relentless urgings to write Ms. T. insisted, joining WRSRG would not only be a great way for me to meet and open myself to the world of other writers but also to learn.  The truth is hard to ignore.  Plus then, I had absolutely no idea how very much there was to learn, so I had nothing to gripe about.

The few people who have known me personally for years and know about my current obsession to be a published storyteller span the gamut between being sincerely mystified and incredibly supportive.  However, that doesn’t faze me too much because like most writers I’m solitary and I learn through observation, trial, or error.  I sometimes mix up the order of those three but nobody’s perfect so who cares?

What I haven’t had a lot of experience with is learning a craft through a large and vibrant community of virtual strangers.  And frankly, when I think about it that way it just sounds remarkable.  And it is . . . it is remarkable.

This is the first blog post I’ve done in many moons because I’m very busy finishing my first novel which I hope to publish in the fall.  But given the anniversary milestone I had to find a moment to express my gratitude.  To the Administrators of WRSRG and all its members, including authors, avid readers, editors, designers, indie publishers, and fledgling writers like me who all share their time, energy, info, stories, critique, and encouragement with each other learning together in this unique and wonderful forum: thank you and carpe diem.

Peace, Lily