Writing alone... but together
It takes a village to write a book, a love letter to a community.
The first book I published was not the first book I wrote. That book is still in my laptop’s hard disk. I am not sure why, but it is still there. I always wanted to tell stories. The first draft of that book had become the never-ending story. A close friend of mine had heard me talk about it for over four years. In 2019, she read me the riot act when I was on a two weeks’ holiday with her and her husband. It was time to finish the story, and I did. Later, my eldest son told me that the end felt rushed, but he welcomed the end. He had heard most of the stories I included in the book and it was time I finished it. In a way, it is still not finished because the book has not been published yet. The book is the dramatised story of my father’s family during Mussolini’s racial laws and WWII.
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world. By the end of March, we were all isolated in our homes. One day in May I noticed an e-mail from Meetup.com about a group of writers that were meeting online. So, on May 5th, I joined my first session of the London Writers’ Salon. In the first session, I structured what turned out to be the first draft of The Dressmaker’s Parcels. The dramatised story of my mother’s family during Mussolini’s racial laws and WWII. Structured is in italics because four years later, I know it was just a set of bullet points. It was not even the starting point of the process I have developed to structure a story before I write the first sentence. (See my blog post on the subject). It took me seven months to write the first draft. I had other things to do. I write about technology applied to finance and banking regulations for clients. However, the writing alone but together gave me some structure. In seven months, I did a much better job than the one it took me over three years to finish. I joined the community that is behind the zoom meetings as a gold member after three weeks. I still remember Matt Trinetti’s words “If we get forty members, we will continue till the end of June”.
I have decided to keep my Substack free. However, if you decide to support my work, you can ‘buy me a coffee’ a one-off tip by clicking on this link, or you could buy one of my books (the Amazon link is in the caption of the image at the end of this post) or keep reading my posts, it is entirely up to you.Four years later, many more people have appreciated the power of writing ‘alone but together’. To me, it has been more than a way to focus at specific times of the day mixed with a professional development tool. It is a community that supports me, celebrates with me, shares my frustrations, gives me advice and inspiration. I would not be the writer I am today without LWS. The acknowledgements in all my books start with “It takes a village to publish a book”, LWS is my village.
In March 2020, if somebody had told me I would see the end of the pandemic with more friends than I had when it started, I would have laughed. And yet, it happened. There are many people from those days I consider my friends, some I have met in real life, others I haven’t. It does not matter.
Nowadays there are four sessions, chasing 8am around the world. I live in London, so my first session of the day is dedicated to creative writing. I work at my book (whatever that is) or at my Substack post. My day job takes priority during the two ‘American hours’ (8am East Coast and 8am West Coast). If I am in a freelance drought, I work at my book. The fourth hour alternates between 8am New Zealand and 8am Melbourne depending on the season, the different ‘summer times’ create havoc with time zones. In London, it is 9pm. During that hour, I work at whatever I have left to do. LWS has also become my ‘pills against procrastination’; whenever I have tasks I have postponed for days, admin being the typical example.
I published four books and a collection of short stories, writing ‘alone but together’. I met interesting people, I made friends. There is a group of different individuals who created a bond during the pandemic. The bond is still there, although the private WhatsApp group we generated does not see a lot of traffic nowadays.
I joined LWS’s Writers Hours four years, three months, and 15 days ago (at the time of writing this post). Earlier on, I wrote I wouldn’t be the writer I am now without LWS. Probably, I would not be the person I am now without all the people I met at LWS\s writers’ hours since then.
Many affectionally call the founders of this community Ma and Pa, although nobody has claimed the paternity, or maternity, of that nickname. So, to Matt and Parul, a huge thank you. Your idea changed my life.
By the way, if you are curious to see what happens during one of those zoom calls, check this website for more information https://writershour.com
I have decided to keep my Substack free. However, if you decide to support my work, you can ‘buy me a coffee’ a one-off tip by clicking on this link, or you could buy one of my books (the Amazon link is in the caption of the image below) or keep reading my posts, it is entirely up to you.
what a wonderful expression of love for LWS. thanks silvano. i love seeing your face in the little zoom box most UK mornings. the power of the pen/keyboard is multiplied by our numbers!
I am so grateful for LWS and the people it has brought me to meet like yourself, Silvano!
I related to this a lot: "I wouldn’t be the writer I am now without LWS. Probably, I would not be the person I am now without all the people I met at LWS writers’ hours."