Gaining Traction
Efforts to join/create a local writer's group in my area through the GBW Meetup group hasn't panned out so far. I had suggested and prodded for a listing of members by location to encourage smaller, area based groups, but getting that list from the organizers of the group was taking time. Since I was the one who suggested the idea, and I was the one who wanted the list, why wait for busy people to get around to it when I could do it?
There are close to 200 members of GBW, and with no search feature for location, I had to manually check each member's profile for the information. It was a bit time consuming, but simple enough to put together. Sally was very happy to get the list, and I got an enthusiastic thank you. Hopefully the list may inspire members to create their own localized writing groups.
As for the South Bay area where I live, there were only two other members, which would make for a pretty small group. Still, it was worth contacting them to see if there was interest. So far, there is none.
If not a group in my area, why not cast the net a bit farther? There is another group that meets in El Cajon, which is a bit of a drive, but doable. The group is called the East County Writer's Group, and I am a member. They appear to have more regular, attended meetings, than the GBR. I had to miss their first meeting after I joined, but planned to attend their next one, on July 11th.
And then sometimes fate intervenes. Last night we went to The Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park. Balboa Park is the center of culture in San Diego, with numerous museums, parks, a fabulous zoo, and gardens. A friend of ours was taking a course in play writing, and we came to see the performance of her ten minute play, along with the plays of the other students of the class.
I have to admit that I was very impressed with the production and the plays. There were about ten actors who performed the plays, taking many roles over the course of the evening. Most of the student playwrights did not act in their play, but our friend did. We loved her play, and her acting was quite good as well. It will surely be something she'll treasure, and we, of course, had a great time.
Our friend, knowing that I was writer, introduced me to another writer in her class. He was in a writer's group for fantasy and science fiction writers. Really? What a coincidence, that is the genre I write in. Where do you meet? Are you in one of the online meetup groups? Well, the group he was in didn't use the online groups since, he explained, they tended to get too large and unwieldy, with poor participation. I had to agree with that. Up until now, though, I hadn't been able to find a better solution.
He invited me to come and meet the group at their next meeting. Where do they meet? They meet at the local library in the area, less than ten minutes from home.
Not only did I get an invitation, I got my first lesson as well. I mentioned that I was looking for help with my novel. He asked me to describe what the novel was about - in one sentence. Having read many tips about pitching a story/book, I knew I should have such as sentence ready. I have one, too. But I panicked and made a mess of it.
I believe I'm really going to like this group. I also think I'm going to have to work even harder to make this "writing thing" work. At least it appears that I may finally be getting some help with that.
Oh, and my one sentence description of the novel? Here it is:
"The story is about twin worlds bonded together by Song, one dying from a world consuming disease of magical making, the other so frightened of contagion it shamefully severs that bond, abandoning their twin, and the desperate journey of young adventurers sent by a mysterious goddess to restore the bond and heal both worlds."
Ok, I'll keep working on it.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Monday, June 10, 2013
Looking For Help
Looking For Help
"I would like to get a small writing group together in the South Bay area. I know there was some interest at the Upstart Crow reading a couple of weeks ago. I have never been part of a writing group before, so this is all new to me. I know I need help and advice, particularly for the novel I recently finished.
I don't have much in the way of credentials, but I gained a little experience reviewing and critiquing stories when I worked with the small press magazine Neophyte. I've also published an eBook and can talk to many of the issues involved with that kind of project.
Charlie Bell"
I posted this on the GBW discussion forum today. I'm not sure how many will read it. The forum had only one entry when I first joined GBW. Now it has three, the last two being posted by me. I had also previously sent the organizer, Sally, a message reminding her that she had intended to send out a list of member locations to help us organize our own internal groups. She returned a thanks for reminding her note, but nothing more happened.
Two more friends of mine are helping me out by reading the first draft of my novel, which I really appreciate. I got some early feedback from one of them. He had read about a third of it so far. He liked the quick pace and said that everything was very well explained, which was an important element for him. That's very encouraging to me.
One of the "tricks" to keep from backsliding on my writing came from the Upstart Crow reading. Sally suggested that we go to the section of books where our book would be and imagine it on the shelves. Take a picture of that shelf, and put it where it can always be seen when you write. I did that. Unfortunately, it hasn't worked well, at least not yet. I'm so invested in the first book right now, it's hard for me to focus on the second book, which I should be writing! I haven't been a complete slug, however. The first chapter is about half done. I've also started compiling a rough draft of future chapters. If I can forecast the characters and plot further out than the current chapter, I can probably increase the pace of my writing. The chapter outlines will only be a guide, however. My way of writing is to give my characters a lot of elbow room to be themselves. I set the environment, but their own actions directly influence what happens. That probably sounds strange, but when I write I very much believe in my characters and that they in some way have their own say in what happens to them.
"I would like to get a small writing group together in the South Bay area. I know there was some interest at the Upstart Crow reading a couple of weeks ago. I have never been part of a writing group before, so this is all new to me. I know I need help and advice, particularly for the novel I recently finished.
I don't have much in the way of credentials, but I gained a little experience reviewing and critiquing stories when I worked with the small press magazine Neophyte. I've also published an eBook and can talk to many of the issues involved with that kind of project.
Charlie Bell"
I posted this on the GBW discussion forum today. I'm not sure how many will read it. The forum had only one entry when I first joined GBW. Now it has three, the last two being posted by me. I had also previously sent the organizer, Sally, a message reminding her that she had intended to send out a list of member locations to help us organize our own internal groups. She returned a thanks for reminding her note, but nothing more happened.
Two more friends of mine are helping me out by reading the first draft of my novel, which I really appreciate. I got some early feedback from one of them. He had read about a third of it so far. He liked the quick pace and said that everything was very well explained, which was an important element for him. That's very encouraging to me.
One of the "tricks" to keep from backsliding on my writing came from the Upstart Crow reading. Sally suggested that we go to the section of books where our book would be and imagine it on the shelves. Take a picture of that shelf, and put it where it can always be seen when you write. I did that. Unfortunately, it hasn't worked well, at least not yet. I'm so invested in the first book right now, it's hard for me to focus on the second book, which I should be writing! I haven't been a complete slug, however. The first chapter is about half done. I've also started compiling a rough draft of future chapters. If I can forecast the characters and plot further out than the current chapter, I can probably increase the pace of my writing. The chapter outlines will only be a guide, however. My way of writing is to give my characters a lot of elbow room to be themselves. I set the environment, but their own actions directly influence what happens. That probably sounds strange, but when I write I very much believe in my characters and that they in some way have their own say in what happens to them.
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