Marcy Kennedy was my first connection to A Round of Words. (You can visit Girls with Pens here or Marcy’s personal site here.) I signed on for Round 3 last year, and because of all the great support I received from fellow ROWers, I became a sponsor for Round 4. Now it seems Kait and the team are stuck with me. I love it here.
Unlike many writers, I’m an extrovert. (That’s probably why I spend so much time on the social networks, much of which I should probably spend writing.) A Round of Words recognizes that life sometimes gets in the way of the writing we want to do. On the other hand, if we need a kick in the behind to get going or encouragement to keep going, we can find it in the ROW community.
Writing and its related endeavours – the dreaded edit, for example – are a big part of our lives, or we wouldn’t have joined this group. However, I love that we can share our non-writing goals. Before I became a sponsor, I was thrilled to read that others had included “encourage other ROWers” as one of their goals. As a personal trainer, I was also surprised and please to read that some listed fitness goals. I know exercising regularly, eating well, and getting enough sleep affect every area of our lives. It was good to know that I would be held accountable if I put my personal goals out there because, even as a trainer, I don’t always practice what I preach.
And then there were those who added reading goals. I was especially encouraged by those who listed “skills development reading.” That made me want to do the same. I have an extensive list of books, magazines, and writing related blogs I want to read. And the list grows longer almost every day.
I’m eclectically interested. (Some would say scattered.) The idea of adding these non-writing and writing related goals was right up my alley, that and the fact that we as ROWers are free to change our goals as necessary. Freedom and accountability…what a great combination!
Some of you are the classic introvert and may be reluctant to check in on Sundays and Wednesdays. I would, however, encourage you to do so. These check-ins can be brief, wordy, or simply part of another post. Barring that – or in addition to – you can post a line or two on the ROW80 Facebook page. And if you like to tweet, there’s always something going on at #ROW80. If two check-ins per week doesn’t work for you, I’d suggest at least one. You might be surprised at what a great community it really is.
Round 1 begin on January 2, so sign up here today.
