We have a rather ‘eclectic’ writers’ group in town, to put it mildly.
It’s run out of the local library, thanks to a proactive librarian, and really nice lady! One of her assistants is also a writer, so we have a place to meet, and water/munchies. Yay!!! Feed a starving writer.
The group is… A 70ish retired schoolteacher who writes children’s books (a number published), and is very soft spoken with a high pitched voice; the 30something assistant librarian (indie published), who writes young adult and romance; a nice 50ish empty nester who writes children’s books and inspirational books (published and indie); an artist that does picture books and storyboards, and a couple of folks who are writing their first books.
And then there’s us… LawDog, Wing, me, Tole, Alma and Peter on occasion, and our newest member, Jonathan (who doesn’t blog, but is on facebook). So… It’s kinda us against them, if you want to look at it that way… 🙂
But it’s really interesting! We share parts of our stories, inviting comments from the group, and it’s interesting when ‘we’ share what we’re writing with some of the other folks. They ARE kind enough to read it, even if it’s not their style, and the comments are lighthearted.
We share information, and Wing is our go to for a lot of the marketing side of the equation, but we all share what we’ve learned at the various cons and seminars we’ve attended. We are trying to support the other local writers, and look forward to seeing their work come to fruition, as more of them start taking a hard look at Indie, and using KDP for their work. One of the ladies did that with her kids book, and, though she griped about the extra work, was blown away with the difference in quality of the printing and colors.
It’s things like that, that make us feel good!
When we started there were only six of us, and now we’re up over a dozen, with new folks coming every month. I hope this continues, and we can continue to help others on their journey!
And it’s also nice to broaden our horizons a little, and realize we’re not the ONLY writers in the area! Yay… 🙂
That’s really cool! It’s really helpful to get feedback, and it’s such a wide range of people. Great to see libraries who provide more than story hour for little kids.
It is definitely an interesting group of folks and the topics of conversation are…varied is a good word. I enjoy it quite a lot. Thanks to both you and Lawdog for shoving me through the door that first time.
MRs.C- Especially from folks that DON’T read our type of novels.
Tole- You’re welcome… I think… 🙂
Just think of the dichotomy when magazines are discussed: merits and drawbacks.
PK- LOL
Sounds like it’s a good thing all the way around!
I miss having a writer’s group. I’ll have to check if the local university has one once classes start again.
Ummm…I want to see some cross-over publications. A Grey Man picture book. That should be first.
Brig- It’s fun!
JMI- Hopefully they will!
Pat-Um… Probably not… LOL