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By Wendy Migdal
Writing is a bipolar endeavor, in the yin-and-yang sense of the word. There are few other pursuits that
are so private and yet have the potential to be so public. At the National Book Festival, author Wally Lamb once attempted to disabuse loyal fans of the notion that writers lead a glamorous life, explaining that, in reality, it consists of hourly visits to the Chips Ahoy container.
Maryel Stone of Write by the Rails would agree. “Writers live in caves,” she says. “We write by ourselves. That’s why meeting with others can be so wonderful.” Stone is the current president of the organization, which has served writers in Prince William, Manassas, and Manassas Park since 2011. The group provides
encouragement, instruction, networking, and publishing opportunities to local writers.
“Writers,” as far as Write by the Rails is concerned, aren’t just published authors. Anyone who is at least 18 years of age is welcome, regardless of publishing status. “Some of our members have been published and some haven’t,” says Stone. “Some have been published by traditional presses, and some are self-published.” And while being published may be the goal for some group members, others prefer to focus on growing as a writer.
Providing Support: Inreach
To that end, Write by the Rails provides a wide array of opportunities. Their regular monthly meeting, called Writers Enrichment, features guest speakers who may address anything from how to include imagery in your writing to tips on marketing your book to the fine points of AP style. While these meetings themselves aren’t critique groups (where writers take turns reading their work and giving feedback), many members
have formed critique groups as a result of the contacts they’ve made at meetings.
Rebecca (“Becks”) Sosa, current co-secretary says that she may wake up on a Saturday morning Enrichment day and not feel like getting out of bed, but is always glad later that she did. “I never regret going to Enrichment. I feel so energized and inspired afterwards,” she says.
The group presently meets at Bull Run Unitarian Universalist Church in Old Town Manassas near the railroad tracks (hence the name), though it has had several prior locations since the first meeting was held in a local restaurant. Katherine Gotthardt and Cindy Brookshire were responsible for the genesis of Write
by the Rails, lamenting that there was nothing local to support writers. Thirteen years later, the group is still going strong.
In fact, the organization is the local chapter of a state organization that was founded in 1918, the Virginia Writers Club. Together, the groups cosponsor an annual contest called the Golden Nib, with categories in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Another annual event is the Writers Workshop, in which several local authors hold sessions and participate in a keynote panel.
Every two years, the group (which styles itself as WbtR) publishes an anthology of submissions from members, usually centering around a theme. The 2023 edition, Steam Ahead! focused on hope and the future. #Back on Track Now, 2019’s offering, was the result of a three-month social media campaign to
write thoughtful blurbs and take back social media from the ranting space into which it so easily devolves.
“The anthology really becomes a record of Manassas and of what was going on at the time,” says Sosa.
Members at a writers enrichment session
Getting Involved: Outreach
WbtR also seeks to be a part of and contribute to the larger arts community in the area. The group is a member of the Prince William Chamber of Commerce and the Arts Council. It also supports Spilled Ink, a speak-aloud group, which hosts open mic nights at Jirani Coffeehouse in Manassas where writers can read
aloud from their own works.
While most people are well-acquainted or at least aware of the thriving local arts scene, not everyone knows that Prince William has its own poet laureate. That notable accomplishment is thanks to WbtR, which spearheaded the program in 2014. The poet laureate position (currently held by Michelle Garcia) has a mission similar to the U.S. or Virginia poet laurate: to promote awareness and appreciation of poetry and to make it more accessible to the average person.
The public is likely to see the group at various functions, because members make an effort to spread the word about what the group has to offer. The group has been visible at the Arts Alive Festival, Haymarket Days, and the Fredericksburg Independent Book Festival, to name a few.
For anyone who would like to join a writer’s group but feels intimidated, Stone is quick to reassure. “If you write, you are a writer! Everyone who writes experiences ‘imposter syndrome.’ Even well-known authors who have spoken to our group admit to feeling that way,” she says.
For more information on membership and to apply online, visit wbtr.org.
Wendy Migdal is a freelance writer who has lived in the Northern/Central Virginia area since 2000. She enjoys history and reading and can’t resist cute animal content online.
