Gratitude for Writing Groups by Lynn Lovegreen

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it focuses on family, food, and gratitude. What can be better than that?  I am thankful for many things in my life, including my family, my friends, and my home. Today, I’m going to write about something else I am grateful for: my writing groups.

 

I belong to several writing groups, including 49 Writers, the Alaska Writers Guild, RWA (Romance Writers of America), SCBWI (the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators), Rainbow Romance Writers, and local chapters AKRWA and SCBWI-AK. (Full disclosure: I’ve been active in RWA’s reformation toward a more inclusive writing community, and I am the President of AKRWA.) I also take advantage of programs offered by other writing groups; for example, I recently became a finalist in the Hearts Through History Romance Writers “Romance Through the Ages” contest, where I got great feedback on my chapter. (Thanks to HHRW!) 

Writing groups give many benefits to writers. They provide information about the craft and business of writing. They offer programs such as contests, webinars, and conferences. Many host critique groups, which in my experience is one of the best ways writers can enhance their writing process and improve their writing. And I am thankful for the camaraderie—I love to hang out with other people who have characters running around in their heads and understand the highs and lows of the writing life.

 

The Romance Writers of America is having a membership drive until December 21st. If you are referred by a member, you get a $25 discount for joining or rejoining. Learn more about RWA at https://www.rwa.org/referral. Let me know if you’re interested, and I can give you my membership number to give you a referral.

 

Whether you’re just starting out on your writing journey, or you’ve been on the path for years, I encourage you to create your own writing community. Find a writing group that supports you, and you’ll have much to be grateful for.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Do you see how I learn...

by M. L. "Matt" Buchman

I'm not here right now. Seriously, I'm so not. I'm off at a conference learning all of this week, but especially this day, Wednesday 9/25. So, I thought I'd talk a little about how I, as a writer, learn.

CRAFT
I'm not going to talk about craft. The best way to learn craft in the beginning is a class, maybe a few advanced classes (though only from people out way ahead of you and only if you want to learn how they write). To learn how you write, I think you only have to do only two things:

1. Read...a lot.
2. Write...a lot.

Nope. What I am going to talk about is how anyone can learn about their business--in my case, the business of writing.

CONFERENCES

Sure, conferences are great. There are often numerous smart people wandering the halls, leading sessions, or sitting in the bar. The "Bar-con" is about the best conference there is at any time. (Tip: I typically drink ice tea or 7-Up at a Bar-con because the really, really great discussions always seem to start well after my bedtime. If I drink a beer, I fall asleep instead.)

My typical conference day looks like this:

• Up at 6
• On the floor by 7
• Most conferences kick to life by 8:30, by which time I've either gotten writing done or chatted with some other early risers
• Somewhere around midnight, I realize that I've been talking to people all day and night. I'm hoarse, and I plunge into bed by 1.

Did I mention that I don't sleep much at conferences? At my last 4-day conference, I made it to 4 sessions, one of which I was the speaker at, but my shortest day on the floor was 17 hours. A lot of networking and learning.

My inner introvert (I have a very shy inner introvert) is mostly cast aside for a conference. Instead, I wear a conference persona that is much more social than me (almost all the way up to a normal human). Why? I'm there to learn and that happens by walking up to a group of strangers, asking if I can join them, and talking about whatever they're talking about. It's hard, but it's amazing.

But I'm not wanting to talk about conferences either.

MATT'S PERSONAL SCHOOL

I didn't even realize that I did this until I was explaining it to my daughter yesterday to help her in her business. I began to realize how structured my unstructured learning had become. And that with little change, that structure could address autism treatment as easily as writing.

I've developed a number of groups that I meet with. I built each one myself, to serve myself. So how did I do it and make it work? Because it also serves others.

What I did was put together groups who are like different aspects of me. And I think of them in levels.

Level One: Craft

I don't have a craft "how to" group anymore. I'm confident enough in my writing voice (except when I'm actually trying to write, of course) to know that I'm discovering my own path. But early on, this was my most important level of group.

Level Two: Basics

I meet with writers who are at or maybe a little below my level. In some ways I'm a mentor to the group but in other ways they force me to organize my thoughts by asking hard questions. In turn, it organizes my thoughts on each topic and every now and then they push me in some new direction.

Level Three: Advanced

I organized a group of advanced writers. Mind you, all I did was organize them. We get together every six weeks and talk business. Even with 25 years and sixty novels, I'm one of the beginning writers in the group, but I earned my place by bringing them together and then having no ego or agenda about the meetings. I learn advanced business and marketing techniques from this group and try to bring new ideas when I can. 

Level Four: Madness

At a major conference that I attend each year (NINC, where I am right now as you read this), a question came up about the shape of the industry to come--and creating a space for writers to have a voice in that shape. (Yes, it started in a bar one year on the final night of the conference.) I grabbed onto the idea, and over the next 6 months a friend and I pushed and shoved at it until we had created a pre-conference invite-only session on Brainstorming the Future of Publishing. That I'm the first speaker in a room filled with industry professionals and a group of amazing authors is a very humbling place to be. This year is the second annual...happening the day you read this.

Level Five: Fun

In all of this networking, spread over years, I also came across a like-minded individual who loves thinking about the industry trends and the implications over the next two to three years. We're both similar and different. He and I have a conference call once a month and spend two hours just taking ideas and giving them a hard stir to see what we come up with. 

BASIC RULES

I've learned a lot of things as I've built these groups over the last three years (and all the groups before that back to the first Legal Computer Systems Managers users group where I brought the top 20 Seattle law firms together into a monthly meeting--and law firms are not entities that get along with each other. Last time I checked, it was still going 30 years after I started it).

So here are my basic rules for making these types of groups work:

1. Almost no one thinks to organize a group to any advantage. Sorry, they do think of it, they don't take action. Every one of these groups was formed after a massive battle with my inner introvert (sometimes creating months of procrastination) before making the first call or e-mail. But each one I started, the members of the resultant group went, "Now why didn't I think of doing this."
2. I start small. Four attendees is plenty for a trial run of almost any group.
3. I invite them to just sit down and talk about...my chosen topic: business, marketing, craft, etc. (For my kid's autism therapy business it will be three groups that she'll be forming: treatment methodologies, business operations, and future vision.)
4. My role is only First Speaker (which I stole from Asimov's Second Foundation). I start the first topic. I rarely moderate or facilitate. Instead, I listen and I participate. No ego allowed, from anyone. I make that clear in my initial setup: safe place, only looking forward.
5. At the end of each meeting I ask if it was useful and would they like to do it again? This gives them all ownership. Also, "How's the group size? Are there people we'd like to add?" 
6. And then I schedule the next one. That's it.

THE ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

I always ask (and keep asking in case the answer changes over time): 

• Does this help me? 
• And, if so,  does this help others? 

If the honest answer to both is yes, then I've got a winning idea on my hand.

The amount I've learned about every aspect of the business I've chosen has been enormous. And I am so grateful to the people who meet and work with me.

FINDING THE FOLKS

Often it's simply a matter of asking. Ask on a membership loop, "Is there anyone in my area who would like to meet for a lunch to talk about...?" The responses and the excitement are always a welcome surprise. 

I make the first meeting a one-time event. If it is an awkward group that I don't think will work, I just don't ask the "Would we like to meet again?" question. I may even cherry pick from that first meeting to start a new group (though this is a tactic to use with great care).

The key is, Is it helpful? I've dissolved or left any number of groups when they no longer meet my needs. I'm not the person who wants to be president of an organization or the conference coordinator. I'm the person who wants to learn how to be the best I can at my craft and my business. I've built it one step at a time over the last years. And who knows what the next incarnation will look like.

Whatever it is, it's bound to be fun.

I'd love to hear about ways you feel you've built successful groups...though I may be slow to respond because, as I mentioned, I'm not here.

M.L. "Matt" Buchman has over 60 novels, 100 short stories, and a fast-growing pile of audiobooks out in the world. M.L. writes romance, thrillers, and SF&F…so far. Recently named as one of “The 20 Best Romantic Suspense Novels: Modern Masterpieces” by ALA’s Booklist, he has also been selected three times as "Top-10 Romance Novel of the Year." NPR and B&N listed other works as "Best 5 Romance of the Year." As a 30-year project manager with a geophysics degree who has: designed and built houses, flown and jumped out of planes, and bicycled solo around the world, he is awed by what's possible. More at: www.mlbuchman.com. 

Writing is a Community Effort

For centuries it's been said writing is a lonely occupation. I agree when a writer sits down and writes the actual story, the writing is easier if you're alone.

But now and then a story needs a bit of brainstorming before it can fully form in my mind. This is when I turn to my writing friends and start a brainstorming session. Sometimes it can be as simple as writing my thoughts for my story down in an email and as I write ideas come to me. Some sessions are in person, or on the phone, or online in private messages. Having someone ask me question helps to open up possibilities and add dimension to my characters.

If I'm in the middle of a story and feel stuck or the story is slogging, I contact a friend and sift through the conflict, plot, and characters to see where I might have strayed.

Having critique partners and beta readers to use as collaborators in my book writing process allows me to put out a quality story.

Also having groups like RWA(Romance Writers of America) COWG (Central Oregon Writers Guild) and other online groups and FB groups and the author cooperative, Windtree Press, that help with questions, promotion, and support, makes writing and publishing a book these days not such a lonely occupation.

I also enjoy when I can meet face to face with other writers to talk about the business side of writing as well as what has been happening in the industry. A group of writers in my area meet monthly for lunch and discuss many things, but mostly writing.

It takes a community of like-minded individuals to help support a writer.

www.patyjager.net
Writing into the Sunset

Authors: Unorganized Labor

Unions—organized labor—championed the creation of Labor Day and its celebration of workers. While authors are workers, too, we’re a pretty unorganized labor force. We spend most of our days staring at computer screens in self-imposed solitary confinement—a definite hurdle to organizing fellow wordsmiths to bargain for improved pay (advances and royalties) or contract terms. As a result, we either sign with an agent or become our own negotiators or publishers, for better or worse. 

Yet we do join professional organizations, often flocking with other authors who share our interests. We become members to network, improve craft, gain/share publishing industry information, and, to a limited degree, to use our organizations’ clout to impact the marketplace. For instance, the founding of Sisters in Crime was driven, in large part, by the desire of women mystery authors to ban together and push for book review equality and visibility.  

Here are just a few of the dozens of genre-oriented organizations available to authors. Where I could find current membership statistics, I included them:

·        Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI): 22,000 members worldwide

·        Romance Writers of America^® (RWA^®): 10,250 members worldwide

·        Sisters in Crime (SinC): 3,000 members worldwide

·        Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA): 1,800 members worldwide

·        International Thriller Writers (ITW): 1,300 members worldwide

·        Historical Novel Society (HNS): 985 members

·        Mystery Writers of America (MWA): couldn’t find membership stats

·        Association of Christian Writers (ACW): couldn’t find membership stats

I’ve been a member of SinC since 2003 and RWA since 2005. I just joined ITW. While I have no first-hand knowledge of the other groups listed, it’s probably fair to say the Boards of all these organizations are struggling to adapt to dramatic industry changes—e-books, new distribution channels, self-publishing options, small press growth, and bookstore declines to name a few. In addition, a trend toward genre blending makes it difficult to say whether someone writes romance, mystery, paranormal, suspense or thriller novels.  

Some organizations have long based membership eligibility (or status within the group) on traditional publishing criteria, e.g. the author had to sell to a “recognized” publisher and needed to earn a set dollar amount as an advance and/or in combination with royalties for full “professional” membership status. Selection by a “recognized” publisher implied the work met professional standards. Many groups are backing away from such criteria as more and more talented authors choose to self-publish or sign with e-book or niche publishers to reach their goals. I’m all for this move toward more egalitarian membership standards. In fact, I love the fact that SinC membership is open to readers as well as authors. Our local SinC chapter certainly benefits from this membership mix.

Then there’s the matter of defining genre. A current controversy within RWA relates to a decision to eliminate the Novel with Strong Romantic Elements (NSRE) from its two premiere contests—the Golden Heart^® for unpublished authors and the RITA^® for published authors. Many members of RWA’s Kiss of Death chapter (to which I belong) have expressed dismay at this decision, especially given that so many of today’s best-selling novels combine romance with other genres from paranormal and mystery to inspirational and young adult. Why exclude members from key recognition opportunities if romance is an important element in their craft and their novels might encourage others to read books with romance?

Do you belong to a genre-oriented writing organization? If so, what kind of membership standards do you want it to adopt? What kind of support do you look for from your writing groups--craft, marketing, legal/contract expertise, other?