I thought it would be fun to give everyone a report on our writer's meeting today, what each writer is in the process of doing and what we do at these meetings.
It's pretty simple, really. Sherry Hartzler or I usually lead the meeting, I guess, because we were the founders of our group: Writer's Helping Writers.
We meet at the Great Expectations Cafe in the strip mall at the Hocking Hills Flea Market on Rt. 33, near Logan.
We meet monthly and there is usually 5 to 7 of us, give or take one or two.
We each bring something to read and we give feedback. Often we pass out material to the members to take home and read, comment on, and return at the next meeting. We ask for feedback about various projects and use each other to bat ideas off of.
I plan to publish a book of short stories this summer so today I read two of those stories, titled VINNIE and the other MACON FOR GEORGIA. Very short shorts. I got great feedback, and believe me if they don't like something or a story does not work they will share it with you. Which I find helpful.
We usually have lunch in between all the reading and talking.
Today I gave a report on VADA FAITH and was happy to report that I gave away FREE over 10,000 books online. That's great publicity for my novel.
Thanks to all who uploaded VF.
Today Tina shared with us some of her plotting points for the romantic suspense she is writing and which I love and can't wait for her to write the ending so I can finish reading! She's had a number of books published. HER last FAMILY MATTERS. A great read. (JUSTINE WITTICH).
Pam read an essay about a Dashing Dane, very well written and ready to be submitted. She does a lot of travel pieces, because she travels lots. She's leaving for a trip to Italy soon. Lucky girl. She mentioned that she's submitted some of her things to a mag titled SUN. Chapel Hill, NC. She brought in a copy and it's a beautiful magazine. SO we're wishing her good luck. She's published articles in various places and I'm sure she'll be doing lots more.
Luke is just getting his rights from his old publisher and on the way to becoming his own manager with his stories and novels. He read a story based on his house being haunted by the man who killed himself in Luke's living room before Luke bought the house. He swears the house was haunted until his wife did a meeting of some sort with the ghost and asked him to leave. No more house shaking. No more sightings of poor Robert. Fingers crossed that it works as well as Luke's story.
Jill is in the process of putting her stress book titled LOVE YOURSELF MORE: STRESS LESS on Kindle and working with Booknook.biz. It's a tedious process and she's nearly finished. Hurrah Jill. She read the first two chapters of her novel about a social worker titled LOVING CARRIE. We're looking forward to more of that next month.
Plus Sherry was on hiatus for this meeting and we'll be anxious to catch up with her next month to see how her new novel DEVIL'S CHANGE is coming along.
All in all, we are really writer's helping writers. Meandering along life's path, striving to become better writers as we hopefully become better people.
It's what we do. WE do it because we have to. We're writers who are compelled to write. Do you meet with a group of people monthly with common goals? I'd like to hear about your group if you do.
Thanks for reading. Blessings!
It's pretty simple, really. Sherry Hartzler or I usually lead the meeting, I guess, because we were the founders of our group: Writer's Helping Writers.
We meet at the Great Expectations Cafe in the strip mall at the Hocking Hills Flea Market on Rt. 33, near Logan.
We meet monthly and there is usually 5 to 7 of us, give or take one or two.
We each bring something to read and we give feedback. Often we pass out material to the members to take home and read, comment on, and return at the next meeting. We ask for feedback about various projects and use each other to bat ideas off of.
I plan to publish a book of short stories this summer so today I read two of those stories, titled VINNIE and the other MACON FOR GEORGIA. Very short shorts. I got great feedback, and believe me if they don't like something or a story does not work they will share it with you. Which I find helpful.
We usually have lunch in between all the reading and talking.
Today I gave a report on VADA FAITH and was happy to report that I gave away FREE over 10,000 books online. That's great publicity for my novel.
Thanks to all who uploaded VF.
Today Tina shared with us some of her plotting points for the romantic suspense she is writing and which I love and can't wait for her to write the ending so I can finish reading! She's had a number of books published. HER last FAMILY MATTERS. A great read. (JUSTINE WITTICH).
Pam read an essay about a Dashing Dane, very well written and ready to be submitted. She does a lot of travel pieces, because she travels lots. She's leaving for a trip to Italy soon. Lucky girl. She mentioned that she's submitted some of her things to a mag titled SUN. Chapel Hill, NC. She brought in a copy and it's a beautiful magazine. SO we're wishing her good luck. She's published articles in various places and I'm sure she'll be doing lots more.
Luke is just getting his rights from his old publisher and on the way to becoming his own manager with his stories and novels. He read a story based on his house being haunted by the man who killed himself in Luke's living room before Luke bought the house. He swears the house was haunted until his wife did a meeting of some sort with the ghost and asked him to leave. No more house shaking. No more sightings of poor Robert. Fingers crossed that it works as well as Luke's story.
Jill is in the process of putting her stress book titled LOVE YOURSELF MORE: STRESS LESS on Kindle and working with Booknook.biz. It's a tedious process and she's nearly finished. Hurrah Jill. She read the first two chapters of her novel about a social worker titled LOVING CARRIE. We're looking forward to more of that next month.
Plus Sherry was on hiatus for this meeting and we'll be anxious to catch up with her next month to see how her new novel DEVIL'S CHANGE is coming along.
All in all, we are really writer's helping writers. Meandering along life's path, striving to become better writers as we hopefully become better people.
It's what we do. WE do it because we have to. We're writers who are compelled to write. Do you meet with a group of people monthly with common goals? I'd like to hear about your group if you do.
Thanks for reading. Blessings!
I loved reading this report, thanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. We do not have a writers gathering in our town. For sometime there were young people gathering for NANO. that too now has faded.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could be there -- how fun. I miss the Appalachian Writers -- OH! Lovely. I've been thinking of Joy all day -- and yesterday, it was my brother, Delbert, I was thinking of. Today, reading poems my kids and Joy and all the other writers wrote. We'd meet every month in Joy's lovely kitchen and write and read and they were the loveliest writer's meetings I was ever in because no one ever tried to tell anyone else how to write -- we just wrote and read and listened with our hearts. I bet that's what you do. Lovely!
ReplyDeleteBarb, so nice to see the meeting report. I so missed the meeting today. Everyone seems busy. What a wonderful group we have. Been together what? five years? Six years? Thanks again for the report.
ReplyDeleteSherry
We did have a good meeting. We do write and listen with our hearts. Sometimes we get too zealous and loud but it's with love.
ReplyDeleteWe are all in different places and can help each other.
We're blessed to have each other.
Wish you could be there too, Kate. That would be a gift.
Blessings.
How I miss a writers group! You are so lucky–-a group is such an inspiration and something to look forward to every month. I'm in an online group, and I love it, but it's not the same as getting together. I loved "meeting" your writing friends. Good luck to all in your projects.
ReplyDeleteI do not have a writer's group here in Cyprus. I have found an author in the next major town who is an ex nurse like myself, and we plan to meet this summer. I can't wait to sit and chat the day away.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the yoga!
Sounds like you have a great writing group full of lots of talented and successful writers. I belong to the Appalachian Wordsmiths, we meet at the library each week. We have poets (Max and Susanna), a storyteller (Susanna), a novelist (Lois), and me (childrens stories and poems). A few other people have started coming lately, too. We read and critique our work.
ReplyDeleteI like how you all are so invested in the others in the group and have the common goals of having success and wishing the best for each other. A wonderful thing.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you have a great writing group, Barb. I'd like to find one that gives such excellent feedback, the kind we all need -- honest and helpful. (I did get this experience, though, about 25 years ago when I was in graduate school. A good and helpful experience. I wrote the thesis then that became the basis of my full-length memoir, so it was all good!)
ReplyDeleteThis is what you wrote on my blogger blog post yesterday: "Ann, I bought and just finished IMPRISIONED. Very well written. I have a Russian friend who had a similar experience with a man she men online. She came here. Happily she's away from him and a big success on her own as a classical pianist. She also brought with her a son. The end of her story is a happy one. Thanks for sharing this story. Love and blessings, Barb"
Blessings to you too, Barb! And I'm glad you liked the story. And then there's YOUR Russian friend... I'm always amazed and yet not amazed at such amazing coincidences. Clarissa Draper, one of my favorite bloggers, who read Svetlana's story told me that this sort of thing happens all the time in Mexico where she lives: women taken in by men and then "imprisoned." Fortunately for your friend and mine, the ending was very happy.
I know I've seen you around the blogosphere, but I must not have come by as I don't see myself as a follower. My loss. But now I'm here, and very impressed with all you've written. I'm going to take a look at your Vada Faith. It is SO difficult to market one's books, and I try to support as many authors I can whose works I like.
We must be about the same age. I too have eight grandchildren, well, almost eight -- the 8th one due in July. Isn't it wonderful being a grandmother?!
Ann Best, Author of In the Mirror & Other Memoirs
What a great group of writers. I'd love to meet them and read what they've written. I miss our old writer's group. We were together for about eight years. I'd love to be in a writer's group again -- as long as I didn't have to run it.
ReplyDelete