What Do You Look for in a Writing Group?

That question has been on my mind a lot lately. When we write, we're usually alone; it's a solo process. When we want feedback or advice or direction, we want to turn to other writers, not non-writers. That means we need to be part of some kind of writing community.

I've been part of four writing communities over the past decade. One fizzled out, one was so huge you felt like you'd never get noticed or respected, one is a local online group that I'm fairly new in and am not sure if I'm going to stay, and the third I helped carve out and create. You'd think the last one would still be solid gold, but it's not. It's kind of existing right now. The writers who originally were a part of it have either reached a measure of success and no longer need a writing group, or they're too busy, or have gone in an entirely new direction. The remainder are still seeking publication or a sense of community, but the hunger isn't there any more.

What do I mean by hunger? That thirst to figure out how the writing/publishing world works and where we stand in it. There's vulnerability and its partner, courage. Eagerness to interact and try new things. A sense of wanting to help make a writing community something to be proud of.

I get it: after so many years, people get burned out or tired, or pretty much have things figured out. Sometimes we're so wrapped up in the writing or revision process that the timing isn't right. Life happens and pulls us away from that sense of community. Writing forum leaders get burned too many times, or find that their writing time has been sucked away into trying to make their forums relevant and fun so they quit. I've come dangerously close to that a time or two. Yet, I like being part of a writing community, and I like the friends I've made who are sticking it out with me.

So I ask myself, what do I want in a writing forum?

Honestly ...
1. Friends who understand the writing journey and can commiserate with me.
2. Conversations about writing and publishing. It's the lifeblood of any good forum.
3. Networking. Helping each other connect with others and expanding our reach.
4. Critique partners that will want to read my work as badly as they want me to read theirs.
5. Mutual respect. Recognizing that not all writing paths are the same, and even though we may like each other as people, it doesn't mean we have to love what each other writes. And that's okay. It's a huge bonus if we love each other's genres and styles, but that shouldn't be the deciding factor of our friendship. We also don't have to follow the same pathway to publication.
6. A forum where I don't have to feel like I have to carry the entire burden of making it a great experience for everyone else. Or where anyone else feels like they have to either. Some people love to dominate conversations and threads, of course, but no one should feel compelled to.
7. Fun. Games, trivia, contests, getting-to-know-you activities. A place where I can enjoy the company of other writers.
8. No fear. Meaning, no one is patronizing or rude or a troll to anyone else. No worries about someone else copying anyone else's work or ideas. No fear that if someone takes that leap of courage and puts their work out there for feedback that everyone else won't descend like a pack of bloodthirsty sharks and rip not only their work, but them as a person, to pieces.

Sounds idyllic, I know.

The most important thing I've learned, as both a participant and a forum leader, is that it takes more than bells and whistles and guests and fun to make a forum work. It takes participation and dedication from the members. A forum dies when people only come to take and never give back. I am grateful for the many people I've known who understand the give and take of a writing community. I wish I could collect them all and stay together.

What do you look for in a writing group/forum? What would make the perfect place for you to be nurtured and/or do the nurturing of other writers? What would make you want to come back to that place for years?

Big News!

(In which my Trefury saga starts to resemble the interstellar phenomenon that connects worlds in the first book ... Virtual brownies to the person who can tell me the name of that phenomenon in the comments below!)

I'm excited to announce that Book 2 will not be released by itself. Book 3 will be right on its heels! In fact, the two of them will be companion novels, happening simultaneously. Which means there will be a Book 4 which brings everything back together for the conclusion.

What sparked this?

As I and my critique partners have been going through the process, I realized that keeping both main storylines together would give everyone a very large, (although not inflated as to content), book to read. It started to make more and more sense to split each storyline into its own novel. I had all of you in mind, dear readers. It will not only keep page counts down, but it will be easier to keep track of what is going on. It also gives me a little more wiggle room to flesh out the characters' journeys so the pacing doesn't seem rushed.

All-in-all, this splintering has alleviated a lot of stress and spurred new excitement into the process. I'll continue to share developments as they come, including the title of Book 3.

Writing Update for April 2018

I know, I've been absent for a long time.

I think everyone reaches a stage as a blogger when you feel like you're only rehashing your own thoughts or the thoughts of others. The main purpose of this blog is to share my discoveries as I aim to be a better writer in the hope that it helps others miss some of my mistakes or gets a lift in the right direction faster than I did.

So what have I learned lately? To chill out mostly, especially when it comes to writing. There are going to be good and bad days, entire chunks of time agonizing because of writer's block, or real life gets in the way of writing. I imagine it's much harder for people who are under contract to get their books done by a certain deadline. I don't want to imagine how stressed I'd be if I had to submit to a deadline like that! I do set my own goals and deadlines, but I've learned that's its okay if I don't meet them exactly - as long as I tried my best to meet them in the first place.

Book 2 has taken longer to put out than I originally planned. Firstly because I was burned out after publishing Book 1. I strained my eyes badly in the editing process, and when it was all over, I didn't even want to write. It wasn't enjoyable. Plus, I couldn't shake editor mode for the longest time. I hated it, because I had a goal, but I had to have a year off. Then slowly, I got back into writing again. I'm making great progress now. Book 2 is in the final deep revisions stage before heading into those tweaking and copy editing drafts. This time I won't blow my eyes out by staring at a screen too long.

And to support that, I won't announce the release of Book 2 until after copy edits are over. I'm all for a more laid-back release this time. Book 2 is garnering more excitement from critique partners than Book 1 did, which is saying a lot. Mostly, that I have chilled out and am enjoying the writing process, and secondly, I'm a better writer than before. It's progress, and I'm glad.

Along with ramping up my enthusiasm and time on Book 2, big changes have been going on for me in the social side of writing. I created a group for speculative fiction writers on Agent Query Connect a decade ago, and now we've branched out into our own private forum. It took some time to get the new site figured out and to make the move. I have two wonderful co-moderators helping me run things and a loyal core group of writers who wanted to stick together. I expect there will be lots of tweaking for awhile before we get into a strong rhythm. I look forward to continuing the process of improving my writing skills and helping others do the same on the new site.

What words of wisdom or advice can I offer with this post? Have goals and be realistic with them. Know your limits. Writing a story should be an enjoyable process in the long-run. And I still say it's best to take your time to write the best story possible than to rush in order to meet someone else's deadline or try to make a bestseller list. A lot of those best selling books do fade away in time. Books that endure have a better quality to them than meeting a trend. They have something to say or to show. It really depends on what your motivation to write is. Knowing that, can help you with the rest of the picture and knowing what to expect.

Welcome 2018!

Happy New Year!

2017 was a pressure cooker for me and my family, but good things came out of it. Not anything monumental. Small, subtle things. Hardship can either make you hard or it can make you change into something softer yet stronger. I don't know if that makes any sense to you. I don't suppose anyone who hasn't gone through such a metamorphosis is capable of understanding.

Now, looking forward to this next year, I am hoping to make the announcement of my second book's publication date at some point. I'm getting closer and with the long hours and trial and error behind me from book 1, I am able to pull things together faster with book 2. Stay tuned for updates as the year progresses.

On a personal level, I've decided to work on having more hope. Things look so crazy and black sometimes out in the world, and sometimes in my life. In growing upon what I learned last year, trying to increase the perspective of looking on the bright side and hoping for the best in people rather than the worst is my aim.

I'm also hoping to find wonderful new books to read and new authors to discover. My big new (fiction) author discovery last year came through my daughters, who introduced me to Tui T. Sutherland's Wings of Fire series. I also really enjoyed Brandon Mull's latest offering, Dragonwatch (although you should read his Fablehaven series first to understand this second series better), and I look forward to the next installment. Another good book I recommend is The Twistrose Key by Tone Almhjell.

If so inclined, tell me your new book recommendations from last year or what your writing goal for this year is.

Writing Update for October

After a writing hiatus, which included all things writing (like blogposts) I am getting back to work. Health problems have dogged me all year. While the break was a welcome change, I'm not happy for long if I don't write. When I left off I was facing a block, when I returned I smashed through the block.

So what have I been working on?

I eased back into writing by working on two side projects. One is an older story in the MG - YA bracket (over the course of the series). It was very good for me to look at older work and see how much I've improved and learned. It was also very good to realize that way back when I first wrote the story I had a good thing going. Some stories get shoved in a file or shelved, never to be presented to the public eye. But, the good ideas, characters, places, and even events from those can be recycled. I found myself pulling from shelved stories to supplement this older story and I'm very excited about the direction it's going.

The other side project is one I work a bit on every autumn because it's an autumn styled book. Some stories just have a way of feeling like dear friends, and this is one such story. It also has some recycled elements from old ideas, things I knew to be good, original, or fun and I didn't want to let them go.

But now I'm back to work on Trefury Book 2 again. I read through what I'd written this past year, half dreading it would be awful. I was very relieved and happy to see that it was the opposite. This going slower and being more thorough method is working out beautifully! I hope to start getting beta reader feedback on the first chapters soon.

So I'm back on track. I'll be blogging more often again, I hope.

How about you? How is your writing journey going?

And don't forget that National Novel Writing month is days away! I'm looking forward to the concentrated time. It's the one time during the year that my family knows to give me plenty of writing space and time.