Are You There To Talk Or To Learn?

I belong to some writer groups.
The #1 rule in these groups
is to search on a topic
before asking a question.

Many writers don’t do this.
Why?
I believe it is because
they are less interested
in finding the answer
than they are interested
in hearing themselves talk,
in being noticed
by other writers in the group.

They are in the group
for social reasons.
If you answer their question,
they’ll ask another question,
keeping the conversation going.

Others like myself,
writers who search on a topic
and then quietly go back to work.
are there for professional reasons.

If you’re at an event
(in person or online)
and you’re talking more than you’re listening,
you likely aren’t learning anything.