Writing Groups

[comana]

Are you involved with a writing group/club?

I just started meeting with one last night and I think it's going to be very good for my writing. The wealth of experience and talent is more than I could have imagined with many very successfully published, and I now have 30+ brains to pick.

I was worried that my writing would be too novice for their attention but no worries, they are all excited to help a newbie grow.

 

[Tariel]

I'm not officially involved in a writing group, but almost all my close friends are writers so our conversation often revolves around words and our projects.

 

[janny108]

what kinds of things do you write about and how do you get involved with one?
Jan

 

[comana]

what kinds of things do you write about and how do you get involved with one?
Jan

I found my group via their website after a search for local writing groups. If you are looking for a group I would do a web search and see what's out there.

A few times a year my group has short story contests with a specific theme in mind but other than that it's a a chance to bring excerpts of your works in progress (any topic/genre) for constructive critique. Some members later submit these works while others are just writing for fun and improving their skills.

 

[sunstruckdream]

Same as Tariel - several of my friends write, and we give each other constant feedback. It's unofficial, but hugely helpful. I love it. I'm a writing major at my school, too, so I get a lot of help from professors and in-class workshops.

 

[Tariel]

Same as Tariel - several of my friends write, and we give each other constant feedback. It's unofficial, but hugely helpful. I love it. I'm a writing major at my school, too, so I get a lot of help from professors and in-class workshops.

mmhmm - yay for writer friends It's always good to be around people who don't mind our antics.

Where do you go to school? If you don't mind me asking. (grrr....fragment )

 

[sunstruckdream]

I *heart* my writer friends. They understand - and sometimes even share - my psychotic, compulsive, must-write-NOW-even-though-it's-2AM tendencies. My roommate is an artist in her own regard, so she at least understands

I'll PM you.

 

[Tariel]

Alrighty.

My roommates get scared whenever I start playing the same song over and over again, because that's what I do when I'm getting really intense about writing. So it usually means that before long I'll wander out of my room, pace around a little bit, grab something from the fridge, threaten to kill something, and then disappear for a bit longer. It's even more fun when we have guests

 

[sunstruckdream]

Yup, I relate to that. I sit in my room blasting symphonic metal, instrumental stuff and New Age music through headphones (often so loud they can hear it - yipes), rocking back and forth in my chair, and saying lines out loud a bunch of different ways to see what sounds right. My roommate last year was terrified of me. Lol

 

[Tariel]

Unfortunately for the rest of the apartment, I can't concentrate with headphones on, which means the rest of them get to hear it too - and I wonder why my roommate doesn't like my music. And then I do the reading out loud thing, and I'll go out into the living room to ask whoever happens to be over which one sounds right, and get some opinions on whether or not I should kill him. Then there are the questions that I almost always get:

"Are you writing?" No, I'm really planning to kill someone - watch out.

"Could you turn down the music?" This one usually comes from my roommate's boyfriend. I just stare at him until he realizes how silly his question was.

"When do I get to read it?" Not. Now.

 

[sunstruckdream]

The worst is when random people are over (we live in a very drop-by-anywhere-whenever-you-want dorm) and they're like, "So, wait, you wanna be, like, a writer? That's so cute! What's your book about? I write too! I wrote three pages last year. I keep meaning to get back to that. So yeah, can I read it?" *Peeks over my shoulder.* "Come on, how hard can it be? ...WHOA! 129 pages?! Do you ever go out? What's wrong with you!?!"
...Grar.

...This thread is so derailed. My apologies to the OP.

 

[Tariel]

We have that effect on threads, don't we

I once printed out a hundred pages in the school library - that was exciting

 

[sunstruckdream]

Hey, around here, new posts are scarce anyway!

They charge for paper in our school library. Sad. I buy mine in bulk. But I can imagine that'd be exhilarating