I'm back

I joined a new writing group last week. It's an on-going group and there are two new people this time.

I think it will be just what I need right now. We do writing exercises, can choose to read or not, and can sign up for critiques if we want them. No big pressure but I really liked the energy of the group.

One of the things we did in the first class was to set objectives for the next ten weeks. My top two objectives are to re-find a habit of writing and to set some objectives for myself. As I was making my list a character crossed my mind. He was intriguing and I couldn't remember where I knew him from at first. Then I remembered I had written half a short story about him. It was a short story that I really liked. I had even gone to L.A. and taken pictures of apartment houses where I thought he would live. And I felt the little flicker of artistic interest in me -- for the first time in a long time.

Then I thought of another half-written story.

I realized I have no idea what is in my own computer.

So now I know that one of the first things I need to do is take inventory and figure out what to leave as is, what to pick up again, and what should never see the light of day. Maybe my year off from writing was a good thing. I will certainly have distance and hopefully a more objective eye about the things I wrote before. We will just have to see.