May Waldroup

Encore May Waldroup

My definition of a writing group has an atmosphere where, as you write among friends and colleagues, you feel safe in presenting your words and your work to them without judgment. There are some writing groups where the writers welcome critiquing, judgment of their work, to make their writing better or to help them prepare for publication. Pebbles Writing Group, however, is first and foremost a safe, friendly place where we can express our opinions and share our beliefs and feelings without being judged, where we feel comfortable sharing our emotions and our thoughts. It's been this way almost from the very first, twenty years ago. As we gathered around the pushed-together tables at the Thunderbird Book Store and first read our work to "strangers," we proceeded cautiously. But we soon came to find that whatever we wrote was "okay" with our new friends. We came to laugh with each other as funny pieces were written, quietly commiserate when private sorrows were shared, and greet each new written piece with interest and appreciation for what that writer was offering. And the variety of work presented was so diverse! With each given "prompt" to help us on our way to writing that piece, we came up with amazingly wide-ranging takes on what that prompt meant to each of us. It was fun - so much so that over the years, no matter where we have met, that same safety net holds to protect us and make us comfortable. Today, after so many years, we find it still amazing, the range of humor, personal reflections, private philosophies that we present each week at our table. So, this is our Pebbles Writing Group in its 2018 version of what we started out to be so many years ago - now a smaller group in numbers, but a fascinating variety of writing to share! Marnie Sperry