On Writing Groups

I just got a call from my mom informing me that another winter storm will be rolling through their neck of the woods precisely when I was planning to be driving home for the holidays. I wanted to wait till Friday to leave because tomorrow night I have my writers’ group. I could hear the unasked question in my mom’s tone: “Is that meeting really THAT important?” (i.e.: is it worth missing the chance to get home for the holidays? is it worth putting yourself in dangerous driving conditions?)

And the answer is no. But it is important enough that I feel majorly bummed about missing it. Especially since this was the first time in a long time that all five of us had something to submit, and the first time in over two years that I was sharing something new (up until now, it’s just been the same old story that kept going and going and going . . .). And well, I’m in the midst of bidding for a freelance job writing children’s textbooks, and I wanted to use part of my new novel as the writing sample, but I really didn’t want to include it until *someone* besides me had seen it.

Now I’m stuck in the quandary about whether I procrastinate finishing the application process or just include an excerpt prior to feedback. I think the lesson to be learned here is “thou shalt not become dependent on thy writing group.”

But still, bummer. : (