To write, or to learn to write?

I was interested to read that a fellow blogger has just signed up for writer’s conference. I have occasionally thought that if there was a local writers or photography group would I join it? After all I have been doing it for so long there can be little scope for improvement! Indeed, as an Addison, I am happy to acknowledge Samuel Johnson’s statement “Whoever wishes to attain an English style, familiar but not coarse, and elegant but not ostentatious, must give his days and nights to the volumes of Addison.”

In fact I do belong to a photography group and I have learnt, and have improved my photography so I guess I would do so with my writing if there were a writers group I could join. (Nearly a convoluted sentence there). Why do I write? To amuse, to inform, and/or to capture memories/information. It may be either purely for my own benefit or for others to read (or both) but if it is public (such as my blog) rather than private, feedback in the form of ‘Likes’ or Comments makes it all much more worthwhile.

However I would be a bit nervous (well very nervous really) about joining a writer’s conference just as I don’t fancy a creative writing course fearing that it would be full of English graduates rather than Engineers, and might be a bit ‘precious’ but that is probably totally wrong. In addition at the back of my mind is the memory of being told that the great violinist Yehudi Menuhin allowed his technique to be analysed and that it was claimed that his playing was never the same again. Whether that is true or not I don’t know. So I think that I will just continue to do what I am doing, enjoy it and welcome any helpful comments.