Cassy’s Corner- Communities, What are They?

I have been giving a lot of thought lately to the concept of communities. What are they and what do they mean to us- both professionally and personally? I don’t know how many groups you belong to, but I have a long list. There is SinC, MWA, RWA (locally and nationally), KOD, gosh so many more. I have blogs tagged, follow people on Twitter, FaceBook and private logs. Then, there are the ones that are set up for individual postings, such as the one important for many of us- the Book Cents loop that our wonderful agent Christine Witthohn has organized for her clients.

Where am I going with this?

It is so easy to be consumed by the emails that flood in. I was away for a few days and literally had over 1000 emails waiting for me to hit the delete button. My husband groans. “Why would you do this to yourself?” he asks.

Why? Good question. It is certainly a management challenge. But then, how many of us write in isolation? Sure we have the kids, the laundry, the day job, the grocery shopping and for me, letting the dogs in and out about 100 times per day. But, where do we gain our support? What is our community? Who really knows what we do hour after hour?

One of the things I have found amazing about the groups in which I participate is the unconditional support. Who would think that each tiny victory would be celebrated with cyber champagne, pink and purple feather boas, and a flood of congratulations sent out in a rush of high energy? We are in some ways in competition with each other. There are only so many contracts out there for the having. Yet, all that aside, we reach out. I am in the process of helping three different writers with their works in progress. I love it. They are there for me at a moment’s notice.

Name me one high-end corporation that would reach out and help another improve on its products or its marketing strategy. Would Xerox help Hewlett and Packard? Would Johnson and Johnson help Eli Lilly? Would Walmart help Kmart? You get my point.

But, we have something different in our community. We have built it this way and we work to sustain it. What is it that makes us so different? What have we done that encourages the collaboration rather than the competition? Sure, we have lots of competitiveness. Sure, we have many who would stop at little to stay ahead. Sure, we have an environment that is tough. Though, having said that, we also have many hands reaching out. I find it amazing and reassuring. I know that if I sent out a plea for a read, for feedback or for general support, it will come flooding in.

And you, tell me. What experiences have you found with our fellow writers? Does this resonate with you? Maybe I’m living in a dream world, but I don’t think so. You are my community and I wouldn’t have it any other way.