Join the Club

Update: NaNo is kicking my butt. I've put out a few very nice scenes, but the story is going off in a direction that changes my ending a bit, and I'm not sure how to reconcile them yet. I have 24 days to figure things out - or at least reach 50k and worry about it later.

On to other things . . .

Recently I was told that an ex-member of my writing group would be starting her own group. I was pleased to hear about it. Due to her own busy schedule - and a slightly personal distaste for how I operate things - she moved on and is now doing her own thing. Another writers group in the area is great: it allows for more feedback in different areas. I must admit I can be a bit draconian when it comes to my group and at times we go through spells of one type of fiction, but I like the rigidity of it, and some people don't. It's good to have other options, though, and I think it's wonderful that we have someone new to promote.

She is a writing teacher at the moment and does very well at it - and has a strong eye for good writing. You can contact her here.

Here is a list of other groups in the area, though, that I think everyone should at least look into if you're hoping to get your work looked at. (If you're on this list, and you'd like some info changed, please email me and let me know).

1. Milwaukee Writers Workshop, James Boone Dryden
2. Milwaukee Writer's Group, Liz or Trevor, contact available on the site
3. Redbird Studio, contact: jb@redbirdstudio.com
4. Woodland Pattern Bookstore, topical workshops, Julie Strand, contact: woodlandpattern@sbcglobal.net
5. Writer's Ink, Gail Toerpe
6. Broad Vocabulary, contact: info@broadvocabulary.com (they have a nice calendar of events to check out)
7. Hotcakes Art Gallery, Mike Brenner
8. Barnes & Noble Bayshore workshop, fourth Monday of each month at 7:30. You can email me for more information

If you're not on the list and would like to be, please contact me. If you have questions about any of the above places, don't hesitate to call them and ask about their programs; I'm sure they would love to hear from you and tell you about what they offer. Most of them are free; some of them are not.

I have said it before, and I will continue to say it: writers groups - no matter which one you choose - are beneficial. Unless you're in school, where you're surrounded by your colleagues, you don't always have the opportunity to get feedback on your creative ventures. Writers groups help foster that feedback and allow for a range of input.