Feature

A Writers' Group: Start to Success

As an aspiring writer, I found myself constantly coping with isolation and rejection while working at a miserable job. I was sure there were others like me who needed a place to talk about their aspirations; share coping strategies and triumphs. So when an open meeting for artists was held in my neighborhood I was eager to attend.

The artists were from various backgrounds, working in a variety of media, and we spent the day talking about our crafts, dreams, and resources. I met lots of interesting people and heard about a book, The Artist's Way, by Julia Cameron, which was frequently mentioned and highly recommended. I exchanged phone numbers with a freelance writer who lived near me and bought the book that day.

The Artist's Way is based on workshops Julia Cameron taught with the intention of unblocking artists' stifled creativity. Its primary tools are "morning pages" and "artist dates." The morning pages are assignments of three longhand pages of stream of consciousness writing done daily. This kind of writing helps drain the brain of the frequently merciless critical voice that sabotages creative energy. Writing down whatever comes to mind helps to better identify what stands between an artist and her creativity. Solutions previously unseen emerge onto the pages. The artist date is a play date for the inner artist. It's time set aside, preferably in two-hour blocks, to be alone and open oneself to the creative spirit. The date can be anything from going to an exhibit to taking a long walk or cooking a favorite dish. The crucial component is the time spent alone nurturing self-intimacy. At the end of each chapter are suggested tasks like listing three enemies of creative self-worth, or imagining having five other lives to lead and managing to spend and keep track of that time.

For the twelve weeks of reading, I was exhilarated and confident, but eventually, the misery of work combined with creative isolation began to wear on me. By this time, I had become friendly with an equally miserable co-worker. We commiserated during breaks over our troubles. I understood her frustration: Her photographs were featured in an upcoming show, yet we both earned our living doing work that depleted us.

Remembering my experience of The Artist's Way, it occurred to me that my photographer friend and the freelance writer from the artists' meeting could benefit from reading the book. Several phone calls later we agreed to meet to explore the possibilities. Fortunately, we liked each other and thought reading the book together would be beneficial. We agreed to meet once a week for an hour and a half. To ensure our group's success, we set a few ground rules:

• Decide individually how much of each chapter to read
• Tailor the tasks to suit our needs
• Respect each other's reactions and responses

Using a timer, each member took turns speaking for fifteen minutes, without interruption, about her experience with the week's chapter. Because we had established guidelines and were free to explore, question, challenge, and disagree, an atmosphere of safety and trust grew among us. Our creativity was rejuvenated and we look forward to our time together. We share ideas, resources and frequently laughter. The group has broken my isolation and given me a place to ask for and receive help.

The ground rules fostered respect and trust, and The Artist's Way provided ways to examine ourselves, giving us direction and inspiration. We have continued meeting long past the twelve weeks it took to work our way through the book, and we've come to call ourselves The Fragmented Fallopians. The support, opinions, and trust resulting from our time together is an enduring gift that I treasure in both my writing and my life.

Drina Turner is a freelance writer who is very happy to have found Seattle Writergrrls. She can be reached at frameofmind12@hotmail.com