By Stephanie Dean

Special to the Enterprise

Silence is not always golden but solitude is.

Rollo May said: “In order to be open to creativity, one must have the capacity for constructive use of solitude. One must overcome fear of being alone.”

I crave quiet solitude, a fundamental basis to my personal creativity, and I’m a master at being successfully alone … and creative. When I pause to consider the habits that promote creativity, some are crucial in squeezing out what I call the CJ … creative juice. The number one habit that ignites anything I create is solitude. If we peek at the private habits of some famous creative people, solitude’s their most important one, too.

Solitude provides the space where my creative thoughts bubble up from the depths of my soul, are then scribed to paper – one day coming to life. Being creative at the beginning of each day helps steer the direction of everything to follow, whether I’m writing, playing the piano or planning events.

Creative people think alike.

Hence, it was no surprise when I learned Kathy Chaffin and I had independently approached Jane McAlister, director of the Davie County Public Library, with a keen interest in creating a new writing group. In our quiet solace, we understood the timing was perfect to focus on summoning creative talent from our community.   

Much like a clamant spark, Kathy and I connected and began the planning stages for what would become known as the Renegade Writers Guild.

Local author Ron Semple from Advance will be our first guest speaker for the guild’s kick off meeting, Tuesday, April 5.  Come enjoy a  pot luck supper at 6 p.m. followed by the guild meeting at 6:30 at the library in Mocksville.

Ron will be sharing with writers some sage advice such as how to develop good writing habits,  how to get published as well as information on his new novel “Black Tom: Terror on the Hudson.”  The book tells a tale of sabotage, subterfuge and political shenanigans set in Jersey City in 1916 when America was on the cusp of war, and the fate of a president and the nation could hinge on the decision that an ordinary policeman  might be forced to make.

Everyone’s stories are potentially interesting and exciting so start thinking about writing topics.  Create the solitude and solace you need to discover your  words, seek a deeper creativity, and get ready for some surprise and secret writing assigns; we’ll be hittin’ the pavement, traveling down treacherous, slippery roads and boldly steppin’ through beckoning doors where one must go to find great treasure.

Especially fun, Open Mic Night will be sponsored by Renegade Writers Guild and held on Friday, April 8 at Corners Coffee in Advance (beside Tanglewood Pizza). Signups for readings will begin at 6:30 p.m. and open mic will begin at 7 as guest author Ron Semple will read an excerpt from his new novel.