Hi Writing Group! My May Progress.

Here is my look-back to my progress in May,

I think of you as a member of my big, bold, extended writing group, and when I articulated my 2025 goals, I promised to share my monthly progress with you.

We had a lot of chilly, gloomy weather this month, which I took as a sign from the writer gods I should dedicate time to curl up and read some gothic-y books. So, instead of dipping into all types of fiction and nonfiction, most of my reading time went to Nora Robert's The Mirror, Ruth Ware's One Perfect Couple, and G.R. Pidgeon's The Haunting of Hern Hall.

These books gave me the jolt I needed to polish a ghost story I will offer for free later this year to people who subscribe. Funnily enough, I wrote two versions of this story: one with a happy ending, and the other with a much darker ending. How do you like your ghost story endings? Let me know in the comments.

May has been very motivational for two more reasons:

1. This blog is one-year old, which gives me a strange feeling. The work is hard, but it's been worth it to develop this place of reflection/source of connection with other writers and readers.

   
   

2. My paranormal romance minibook, Dream Walkers: Heart & Hand, is rolling out, connecting me with more writers and readers. The comments are helping me get perspective on my strengths as well as what's not working, leading me to learn new things. I'm so grateful to the writers/readers who take the time and attention to comment, vote and share my work!

All this to say, wherever you are in your writing journey, connecting with other writers and readers is a great way to help yourself grow as a writer.

There are lots of places to network, e.g., libraries, book clubs, professional organizations, writing-related classes, writing groups, Facebook groups, writing platforms, and conferences. You probably can think of many more! But in whatever way you choose to network, making connections will be a powerful contributor to your writing development. It's worth your time and effort.

That's what May has taught me.

Now it's your turn. What have you learned this month? Let me know in the comments! (And don't forget to tell me how you like your ghost-story endings.)