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Writers Anonymous — Because Talking to Ourselves Isn’t Enough

Step one: Admit we still need each other

2 min readJul 6, 2025

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“A tongue-in-cheek photo of a ‘Writers Anonymous’ support group setup. Eight beige folding chairs form a circle on a bare concrete floor, surrounded by scattered piles of paper and half-empty coffee mugs. A plain white sign reading ‘WRITERS ANONYMOUS’ hangs on the wall, evoking an AA-style meeting with a humorous literary twist.
Writers Anonymous: where the coffee is strong, the drafts are endless, and support comes in circles. (Photo created by author using AI-generated imagery.)

Hello, my name is Deb, and I’m a recovering feedback addict.
It’s been three months since my last affirmation.
Can you relate?

If you are tagged in this post, please know I miss you terribly. Not just for your comments and support. It may have begun as a way to receive reciprocated feedback, but it blossomed into what I would name — friendship.

I promise, I do have friends. Great ones, close ones, annoying ones. Hey, just being honest. The thing is, as hard as they try to support my writing — and they do — they don’t understand what I need. Whereas we as writers know how to massage those wounds — apply the right salve to inspire and encourage.

So, I have a proposal.

Let’s organize a Zoom meeting — maybe weekly — like a support group. I’m thinking one person would lead each week, and one writer would be read and discussed. That would mean sending a story to all of us to read ahead of the meeting. These are just my ideas.

I am probably not the best person to deal with the techy Zoom thing or organize — sorry. I will try if no one else steps up. Follow-through is not my strong suit right now as I try to keep family close and business afloat. It’s taken me months to write this — it wouldn’t have happened yet, except Dawn Ulmer sent me a sweet note on Substack saying she missed me.

Before I go, I need to apologize for not reading those few of you still writing. I tried, then cut down to a select few. Then I kept collecting the stories in my email with good intentions to read. Lastly, I got depressed — stopped even trying to read Medium stories.

So, I am sorry.

One more thing — I can’t remember everyone and shouldn’t be the one to choose our group — so much needs to be discussed and organized. Some of you are soooooo good at that hint.

Okay — hopefully we will talk soon. Those not interested, let me know please and maybe catch up with us a little bit.

If not, no hard feelings — I’ll just be here, behind the paywall, still a recovering feedback addict — waiting for my next fix.

Okay here’s the list, I know I’ve forgotten some very important people but in the end, this needs to be decided by the group. Even so, if you are interested, please let us know.

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Deb Palmer
Deb Palmer

Written by Deb Palmer

Author & Freelance Storyteller — Sweeping humor and gut-wrenching truth from under the rug —

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