what's in a year...

by Karen Dums


The Third Story Writers Guild website and blog is celebrating its first anniversary. As stated in my "myriad musing" on the website, it's been a year of discoveries. Some pleasant. Some not so much.
But I look at it this way. We've had a great year as a group, and it is hoped, as individual writers.
One thing this writer has discovered? Having a presence in the virtual world is hard work -- time consuming and plain, flat out hard work. If a site is going to be good it needs to be kept up. Hope we're doing well in that department since the musings, the wramblings, the book recommendations, all come from within. There is no "passing the buck."

Not that it's all been pure drudgery, we've had a lot of fun in the past year too. Kourtney Heintz came to visit with us last year about this time. We'd all just met, yet now many of us are fast friends with this Connecticut native, hard-working, giving, wonderful woman, who will be back with us again in little more than a week. So willing to share insights and advice. Amazing.

Jerry Apps and his wife Ruth joined us for a program in October 2013. He spoke with our group in private, and gave a wonderful, well attended public presentation. We now count him as friend, giver of advice and insight. This man who has nearly single-handedly saved the "little histories" of rural life in Wisconsin is our friend! Amazing.

During the winter months we held write-ins. What a fun thing, to be able to stay in our beautiful public library after hours and just write. Unbelievable how much work gets done in a few hours when there is no phone, no television, no dishes in the sink to call one's name and become a distraction from concentrating on the written word.

Four of us made a trip up to Northland College in Ashland to hear an author speak. It was a great little road trip. Interesting to see "how other folks do it."

We did an open read at Chequamegon Canoe Club. We are always well received there, and we have an absolute blast every time.

June brought us the long-awaited gift of Michael Perry's presence. What a humble, sharing, down-to-earth, hard-working, multi-talented man! Again, amazing!

On a personal level some of us were "accepted," some of us "rejected." That is each individual's story to tell and I will not put it here, but we soldier on.

We are a little writing community. Please let us know what you think.