It was a special occasion. My husband and I decided to drive to a nearby town, browse the historic section and enjoy a lunch out. After walking about, we settled in at an out-of-the-way family restaurant, small, quaint, but reported to have good, homemade (freshly made, too) food.

It was quiet in the restaurant; we were a little early for the lunch crowd. As we awaited our order, the door opened again and who should walk in but one of my writer friends (that’s what I call them; I also have artist friends, but that’s another story). Our eyes met simultaneously and I waved her over. She knew my husband, so introductions weren’t necessary. Since she was alone, we invited her to join us. The cozy lunch with my husband turned into a wonderful sharing of ideas, about writing, yes, but about just about anything and everything under the sun. It was a good lunch, too.

I went home feeling refreshed. What did I do? I immediately sat down at my laptop and started to write. Why? There’s nothing better than a little bit of writer networking to get the words flowing again.

Writer networking is a powerful tool to overcome the writer’s block syndrome. Although, I must confess, I haven’t had that issue to contend with. At least, not yet. But sharing ideas? Very rejuvenating and certainly a way to maintain a healthy writing style. After all, one doesn’t want their written words to turn stale. I certainly didn’t.

Meeting writer friends for lunch or supper is a regular occurrence, a means to refresh and kick-start more serious writing sprints. Another writer friend, Gary, who just happens to be part of my fan club (very supportive of my work), meets me regularly. Along with his wife, of course. Lots of ideas flow over lunch and support is both given and received. It’s a sharing thing.

I met Gary at one of my first book signings. He had noticed a new author event, mine, which had been well publicized in the local paper. Always one to keep abreast of writing and publishing news, he sought me out, introduced himself to me, and what followed became a long-standing friendship. When we can’t meet, we write to each other, at least once a week. The old-fashioned way. By snail mail. He doesn’t have a computer (surprisingly in this day and age). And he’s quite happy to continue pounding away at his trustworthy typewriter, one story or poem at a time. Me? I have a laptop, but it’s set on top of a Jane Austen era spinet desk, so that I have the classic mode of writing mixed with contemporary high tech. Oh! The stories we share! All over good food. (Well, at least most of the time the food is good. We tend to try different venues, not all of them worthy of comment.)

There are writer’s groups, both virtual and real, all of which provide workshops, writing events and just plain, old-fashioned, good networking opportunities. Writing might be a solitary occupation, for the most part. But it doesn’t have to be a means to remain cut off from the world.

There have been many occasions when I have been asked to speak before a group of talented, often award-winning authors. Standing before these groups, I have to swallow my nerves and remind myself that we are all present in this given room for a reason. And that reason is that we are all serious about our writing. Given the impression that we are all equal, just at different stages in our writing careers, I muster the confidence to share my experiences in the world of writing, be it book reviewing, publishing or some other typical writing topic. What begins as my presentation usually evolves into a discourse between enthusiastic, serious writers.

My ideas are not the only ones in the room. And that’s a good thing. My well-prepared talk takes off at tangents to unexpected developments. By the end of my presentation, I may feel satisfied knowing that I have imparted some of my expertise. I have also absorbed thoughts and ideas and the expertise of others. It’s a win-win situation. We all go home having learned something. We all go home ready to tackle another writing day with a fresh outlook. It’s a good feeling.

Writing might be solitary, but we are not alone. And the more we make use of the resources available, either in person, through correspondence or online, the more we will benefit and the more our writing will benefit.