Or, Bloggin’ Baby Boomer knows no Bounds (That’s me!)

I’m a woman with backbone and I have a bona fide confession:  I LOVE to write.  Which is why I adore the printed word and which also explains why, at the tender age of 6, I drove my mother crazy while sitting in the backseat of her Chevy, obsessively reading aloud all the street and retail signs, not to mention billboards we’d pass along the road.  Shop Rite. Stop. No U-Turn. A&P. “I’d rather fight than switch.” And so on.  Sometimes I’d make my mother slow down, to give me time to read even more signs.

Fifty years later and I’m a bloggin’ fool and, if you know anything about bloggers, well, there’s nothing a blogger won’t do to get a little attention (Translation: More visitors to the blog). I mean, we love writing, but without an audience, what are we—just trees falling in the forest, with no one to hear our cries? TIMBER!

And as a writer, I must say, I love chatting, tweeting, exchanging emails and submitting comments to other bloggers.  So, who knew I could have it all with one amazing, glorious site? I’m speaking, of course of She Writes.

Here’s their raison d’etre in a nutshell:

She Writes is a community, virtual workplace, and emerging marketplace for women who write, with over 14,000 active members from all 50 states and more than 30 countries. Leveraging social media tools and harnessing women’s collaborative power, She Writes is fast becoming the destination for all women who write.

I came across She Writes while discovering  “Out of My Mind,” a blog written by Linda Cassidy Lewis, author of “The Brevity of Roses.” Her post, ironically called,  “The Problem with Writing,” was recently Freshly Pressed by WordPress.com.  Well, as I read her post and scrolled all the way down reading the gazillion comments she received that day, I noticed a little icon badge on her site, that said quite simply, “I’m a member of SHE WRITES.”

Kamy Wicoff, She Writes Founder/Chief Innovation Officer

Which piqued my interest, and so I clicked. From there, I entered a whole new, exciting world of women writers who love nothing better than to write and network.  Sheer perfection, if you ask me!

Of course, I first had to complete a simple, but very probing, application to make sure I really was a writer, or at least serious about it.  Are you a blogger? Check.  Are you published? I cringed. Err, no.  Do you review books, television or film? Does having a crush on Colin Firth count? Do you offer services to other writers? Uh, a pat on the back, a “you go, girl” on occasion. Is that an acceptable response?

Are you part of a writers’ group or a writers’ salon? Is “N/A” sufficient? Though, frankly, I wouldn’t mind being part of a salon—sounds fancy!

I submitted my scant answers and was told I’d have to wait to learn whether or not they’d accept me. Talk about pressure. I was sweating bullets for 48 hours. I was sure if they didn’t accept me, it was because they’d seen me for the writing imposter that I am. Not published, indeed! Who did I think I was, trying to get in on the ground floor?

But OMG, they liked me! They really liked me! At least that’s what I assumed when I got the email stating I was in like Flint. I did a little happy dance until I realized I was in the office and everyone was staring.

When I got home that night, I dove into my new She Writes home with gusto, following their tips for newcomers, in order to create my page. Uploading a picture, writing all about my wonderful, writing self and, of course, detailing my zeal for blogging.  Then I perused the more than 250 distinct writing groups to see which ones I could join. Here, at last, my chance to find like-minded writers in such tantalizing groups as, “She Writes in California,” “Bloggers: Let’s Make It Work,” “Multicultural Writers,”  “Funny Women,” “Baby Boomers” and “Blog to Book.” (As to the latter, well, a girl can dream, can’t she?)

I’ve already made eight friends on She Writes (Soneet, Shary Folkmann, Amy Wise, Scrollwork, Julie Farrar, Tina Lane, Rukhpar Mor, Tele Aadsen and Sierra Writers), and can’t wait to make more–assuming they still like me. No matter. I just adore my new She Writes home! I may even move there and live forever within its pages of comments, encouragement, and words of wisdom from the over 14,000 members.  That is, if I can figure out how to take my toothbrush with me.

So friends, it comes down to this: If you’re a writer I encourage you to become a member (my friend, Leah, just did!). And if you do, tell them I sent you.  It’ll help me earn brownie points and hopefully keep them from throwing me out for the unpublished rapscallion that I am!  After all, I’m just having too much fun with She Writes!