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I've been thinking, about Isolation and community
I spent the long weekend, way out in the woods in a tiny cabin along with five other writers.
Peers.
Friends.
Productivity isn't always measurable in words and pages. Sometimes productivity is deeper.
Less obvious. More discreet.
Aside from the writing, my trip was productive because I learned something.
Many somethings.
And in the end, I think that matters most.
I learned that you can sit in a room with five other people, creating and snacking and
talking and still have plenty of room in your head for your own private thoughts.
I learned that we're all horrified.
Insecure.
Confident.
And hopeful,
In varying measures, but in some proportion or another.
I learned how important it is to be independent; that if I'd spent as much time talking to
my friends as I'd wanted to, I wouldn't have gotten as much done.
But I also learned that if I'd been sitting in that cabin alone, there's not much of a
chance that I'd have found the creative fuel without their inspiration
I learned that books are written on a strict diet of carbs and hard cider.
I learned that the most important things to pack are extra socks, fingerless gloves, and
footie pajamas.
I learned that even when I don't want to be the emotional girl, I am.
I learned that Rizzo was wrong. Crying in front of you wasn't the worst thing I could
do.
I learned that laughter is one of the best cures for writers' block, and that connectedness
is the soil in which creativity blooms.
I learned that sometimes you learn more about people when they're in a hot tub than you
do when they're at a kitchen table.
I learned that Donna Lufkin is the most dynamic character I've ever met.
In each alternating moment of togetherness and independence, I found a greater joy in
the balance. We writers are, by nature, solitary, but we're also not navigating this world in
isolation.
Our community is bound together by strong ties, like rejection, active imaginations,
and absolute perseverance.
Isolation and Community