There are many ways that you can get help as a writer/author. You can read books about creative writing, article-writing and book publishing. You can enroll in on-line or real-time classes and attend conferences. You can hire a writing coach, editorial assistant or publishing/manuscript consultant. You can subscribe to appropriate publications and scour the vast Internet for information. Hopefully, you are pursuing all of the above in order to strengthen your writing skills and/or have a more successful publishing experience. And don’t forget to consider joining your local writers’ group.
SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network) was initially established as a face-to-face networking organization. We had three chapters in three counties of Southern/Central California. For about three or four years, we had good attendance. And then attendance fell. We learned that we were competing with the Internet. Folks began staying home and surfing the net for their social outlet and for information. We decided to join them and we moved SPAWN to http://www.spawn.org
Well, guess what? Now our members are asking, “Where do you meet?” “Do you have meetings near my home?”
Writers and authors are evidently ready, now, to get away from their computers for a while and meet face to face again. Writers’ groups are cropping up all over the place. They are growing to such proportions that it’s necessary to create sub-groups—members of like genre are breaking off and meeting separate from the main group. This is a good thing. In fact, it’s pretty great for many writers. Being with other writers inspires an undisciplined writer to write. The encouragement from peers spurs even the most reluctant writer on. Mingling with other writers stimulates the mind and gives one an energy that seems to dwindle when left to his/her own devices for too long.
Do you belong to a writers’ group? I’d like to hear about it and maybe write about it. What makes your group different, special, valuable, inspirational? My readers would like to know.
The Writers Under the Arch (WUTA) in St. Louis have been meeting for a while and they’ve just come up with an idea for a sub group. For now they’re calling it Big Books. It is for those members who are working on book projects. One member will hand out copies of his/her book manuscript at each meeting and the other members will spend the month reading it. The next time they meet, the focus is on this one author. Everyone present will critique this manuscript during that meeting. It could be quite a valuable process. You might try it with your group.
In the meantime, tell us what works in your writers group. Either comment at this blog or email me at PLFry620@yahoo.com.
I’ve had only a few people respond to my offer for a free manuscript evaluation. Is there anyone else out there who would like to take advantage of this offer?
Before you get too far into your project, you’ll have a far greater chance for success if you will read The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html
I would very much like to take advantage of your evaluation offer. Wow! I am completely stunned at an offer of a partial evaluation. How do I go about this? Thank you. Stephanie (meliaka@aol.com)
Hi,
I’m in an online critique group with Deborah Allen. She just posted your bloglink, letting us know about your offer of a free manuscript evaluation to your blog readers. May I send you a sample of my novel? How many pages would you be willing to look at?
Thanks for your time,
Mimi Pearson