About half of the members of the Red Ink Circle, a Georgia-based Christian women’s writing group, didn’t know they were writers when they were first asked to join the circle.
Candace Roberts of Monroe, as well as Andrea Dozier and Gloria Anderson of Lee County, were living unique lives, writing a bit on the side, when Valerie Benton, the group founder, and Victoria Davis of Camilla convinced them to join the group.
The group of seven is made up of these women, along with Jennifer Parks and Susan Sanders of Albany. They are all different ages and spread around the region. The paperback version of their second book, “Every Scar a Miracle,” was released at the end of October.
“Scar’s” 40 chapters tell the story of grappling with struggles in marriage, parenthood, professional hurdles, trauma and more. The group emphasizes religion having transformative, healing power that turns hurt into testimonies of faith.
Benton was coming from a decades-long career in journalism and public relations writing and Davis a career in education and technology writing. Despite the different backgrounds and levels in writing, everyone is treated and encouraged the same, Benton said.
“We’re a circle,” she said. “No one’s above anyone.”
Drawing the circle
Benton had dreamed of being a writer since she was a little girl. She lived much of that dream during her time as a writer and marketing specialist at The Albany Herald.
She was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, disease that attacks the central nervous system, in 1997. The disease, which causes Benton to lose the ability to walk at times, eventually forced her into retirement in 2012.
For about three years, Benton said, all she did was pout, vent in her journals and remain in her house. She felt left out when friends or former colleagues got to attend writing seminars. She felt like she was sitting on the sidelines of life, she said.
Benton said she felt a stronger calling to her faith during this time. And, she decided, if she couldn’t venture out of her house, why couldn’t she bring such opportunities to her? Her faith, she said, called her to form a writer’s group.
She ignored the calling the first time, as well as the second. But the third time brought her names of women who had supported her when she released her first book, “Greater Heights.” Most of them attended Sherwood Baptist Church with her.
Benton decided to send out an invitation to these women to begin a circle for Christian women writers.
“These women were invited to take the words that flow out of us and to point others to the gospel of Jesus,” she said. “To let Him shine, not us.”
Their first meeting was Sept. 19, 2019, at a Chick Fil A restaurant. The COVID-19 pandemic began early in the circle’s creation, yet they continued to meet virtually. The circle provided connection at a time when everyone was forced apart.
The group hoped their stories would help those struggling during the pandemic as well, Davis said.
Friendship penned in red ink
Dozier, a nurse, said she was looking to make friends through her church when Davis asked her to join the circle.
She had never thought about writing but still obliged because she was seeking connection with other Christian women. The first time she wrote a story, she made the other women in the group cry.
“They were like, ‘This needs to go somewhere,’ and I was like, ‘What do you mean? Where?’” Dozier said.
They encouraged her to form a blog. She writes stories about everyday life experiences — going to the grocery store, raising three sons and lawn mowers. She often prays about what to write.
Roberts, who had already moved back to Monroe from Albany when she joined the circle, had the same experience. Having this connection with the women in southwest Georgia keeps her motivated to write.
“We all pray for each other, and we all support each other,” Roberts said. “We are all pursuing our own things and we all have gifts in different areas, but we’ve always come together as a complete group, and it’s helped me a lot.”
This is the essence of the group, Davis said.
Davis is a teacher at Albany’s Sherwood Christian Academy and runs “The Cool Cat Teacher” podcast and blog site. She can often get caught up in work, she said, but the circle keeps her accountable in her personal writing.
“When you get a group of people together who do a common thing, it’s like iron sharpens iron,” she said.
Through group texts and “Tattle on Yourself Thursdays,” group members consistently remind each other to write every day. The structure helps her keep writing front and center, Davis said.
It’s an incredible thing that seven women, who four years ago did not know each other, came together and orchestrated two books filled with stories, she said.
“Women come in and out, and they always leave changed,” Davis said.
Amid their differences and busy lives, they found one common thing: God.
Faith at the center of the circle
At the center of the circle is the women’s faith, Benton said. They feel that God called them to create the group to encourage each other and spread faith and personal tales of overcoming struggles.
The women feel strongly that God called them to write to spread His word to others, Anderson said. However, the circle made her faith stronger within herself as well.
She has multiple stories in the book regarding family matters or personal strife. She was a reluctant writer at first, but quickly found freedom through the process. Writing about these topics forced her to vividly relive memories, she said.
“In order to show the emotion in your writing, you have to face it,” Anderson said. “I cried. I got angry through writing stories.”
And when she was finished, she could see God’s involvement more than ever before, Anderson said. He gave her strength.
When Davis had to have cancer removed from her face, she was told she’d never look the same. Two years later, she sits at breakfast with members of the circle, smiling with no signs of scarring on her face.
Through writing, she learned that lives aren’t destroyed by difficulties. God showed her that through struggles, there are miracles, she said.
“Every smile is a miracle,” Davis said. “Every scar is a miracle.”
The circle’s books are written in the hopes that others can see His involvement in their lives as well.
Encouraging connection
The circle creates connections across several counties in southwest Georgia.
Davis encourages people to find ways to connect with others through common interests. Such connections would do a lot of good for Albany and the region as a whole, she said.
“We’re all dedicated to the fight for southwest Georgia,” Davis said. “God has called us here. I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.”
God can do amazing things in southwest Georgia, she said. He can even write world-class books.
People were designed for connection, Roberts said.
“To have someone else looking out for you is so important,” she said.
Albany Herald
Albany Herald
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