Recently, I’ve been casting aside my… hmm – inhibitions seems like the wrong word, but something along those lines – my self consciousness? and have been making the most of the internet and its glorious ability to connect you with others.

Skype and G+ Hangouts are becoming second nature to me, and I LOVE it. The webcam is getting more use than ever before, and yesterday I purchased a new headset to help me on my way.

See, my writers group has just jumped into this new way of communicating. We had our first official ‘hangout’ yesterday morning, and aside from a few technical difficulties, it was really cool to be able to see and hear them while we talked writing and critiques. I like watching peoples faces as they listen, seeing their expression as they speak. It’s awesome.

The world seems like a much smaller place now. Of course, last weekend I trialed it with M to make sure that everything was working, Anna joined us and that was a lot of fun too – gave us some insights into the others lives, with kids running rampant in the background and life carrying on around us. I felt really boosted, knowing that despite the physical distance between us, we could still be close. Despite the fact that I may never meet some of these people in person, I could still know them and get a feel for the whole of them and their lives.

And it lessens the craziness of being a writer, having this easy contact with other people who spend hours and hours living in other worlds, killing off characters, creating conflict, exploring love interests and everything else that happens when you are trying to bring fiction to life on the page.

We are not alone, or at least, we don’t have to be. The internet is a wonderful thing.