Merry Christmas!

Hi Sue! Sending out my thoughts in hopes they may be helpful :) Please know they are sent with love! I'm also in a bit of a rush, because I'm on deadline, so if this has that feel of being blunt or brash, please know it's being sent with all good intentions of helping to problem solve and move forward as it seems you're wanting to. Okay, here are my thoughts, others may see things differently: - Unknown Entity/Etiquette: This is a different online venue than I've used in the past, so I'm not 100% certain how it's supposed to work, what I'm supposed to do or not do etiquette-wise... I've been observing, and it seems like the protocol is you as the leader post ideas, questions, quotes, reflections, etc., and then we as those who are taking part simply respond to what you say? - What's Missing Compared to Other Social Media: Human connection doesn't seem to be included in what I "get" from time here. Maybe it's not intended to be. I think what we all get from the social media sites that keeps us coming back and participating fully is we get human connection. I don't find that going on here. I LOVE you, yet I can reach out to you via LinkedIn email for more authentic connection between us. The online work session concept seems to be something a lot of writing groups I'm connected with are doing, too. What I do is a solitary endeavor, so to just keep my computer camera on or screen where I can see a lot of people I don't know leaning over their own laptops while I try to focus on a Word document is something that doesn't seem to have a lot of value for me. Maybe I don't "get it"? - What Might Make This More Valuable (for me, anyway): A common denominator such as contact with other creatives where we share ideas, obstacles people "like us" meet and how to overcome them, something of interest in our field that's news (if you see an article in the NYT about a landmark AI lawsuit, or something of the like). - One deterrent (for me): - - With online groups like LinkedIn and such, everyone else seems to be selling something: services, products, etc. I'm not. I'm a writer, and not looking to build a clientele, per se in the same regard as people wanting to make a living marketing skills to build others' businesses. From my perspective, camaraderie from others who "get" the writing life and writing world (the solitary aspect of it, dealing with external noise and distractions, successes I can celebrate with them, a new writing book someone loved, etc) would be more fitting for me, but maybe not for others, because it seems like pretty much everyone I've "met" on LinkedIn and such is wanting to sell something and make money. (Yes, writers make money, but I'm not looking to hawk books at art fairs, I'm looking to land an agent with a publisher that has a marketing department and advertising dollars.)

@Sue Shier I tried to click on the "here" link a couple of times but got a "404" page saying the link wasn't active.

I think mine would just give me a long hug.

One thing I loved: spent some fun downtime with my husband. We did a couple of jigsaw puzzles, watched an old movie, and just did "us" stuff - I read and wrote, he watched some of his favorite vintage TV shows. Ready to Leave Behind: Those "friendships" in which I put in 99.9% when the person on the other side doesn't bother to call, text, or ask to get together the other. Best leftover creation: my husband made a turkey casserole from scratch, just wingin' it with ingredients - turned out great!

@Sue Shier We love jigsaw puzzles, too! We have dozens of them. Our favorites are the vintage ones with a theme - like toys from our generation, vintage television shows, etc. Totally with you on the turkey-d out - I'm making beef stroganoff for dinner 🙂