Especially for storytellers, there is MAGIC in just being with other people, and listening to them. What are *their* stories? Back when I wrote romance novels, I approached every date with the idea that I might find true love, or I might find details for a character in my next book, but I would definitely be getting something great from the experience. When people talk about what they're passionate about, a writer can learn so much more than they would just by Googling a topic. And who would even think to Google it? Did you know that there are people who hand-machine parts so that they can create perfect working scale models of machinery like trains, tanks, and motorcycles? I certainly didn't!