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About three weeks ago I had a taste for Dreamland BBQ after work and drove home the "long" way so I'd be able to go there. After dinner, I realized that I was in the perfect position to pick up Scott Sigler's new book Infected , so I drove caddy-corner across the street from Dreamland over to The Forum where there is a rather large Barnes & Noble. (Not, mind you, a WalDaltonBorder's & Noble-a-Million; an actual Barnes & Noble.)
I found Infected forthwith, and then looked around for other interesting publications. I found a writing magazine with a few articles that looked interesting, so I tossed it in the "pile" (of two) and went to check out.
When the woman at the register noticed the writing magazine, she opened her mouth and I just knew that the next words out of her mouth were going to be, "Oh, are you a writer?" but she surprised me. What she actually said was, "Did you know that we have a writers group that meets here every Tuesday at 7:00?"
"No, I didn't," I replied. I paid for my purchases and she wrote down the time and place for me so I wouldn't forget.
Well, last night I bit the bullet. I sent email to the group moderator yesterday afternoon and asked a few questions, but he basically said, "Just drop in. We don't mind."
So...I did. The "rules" are that you bring about 15 copies of your work. It should be about three pages, double-spaced, and you pass it out and then read it aloud, giving any set-up that is needed.
These guys have been meeting together for several years, so I know it's a stable group. I'm nowhere near the oldest; I'm nowhere near the youngest. Three of the group write for the Young Adult or Children markets. One woman is a poet who came in second (they bring this up at every opportunity, apparently) in a poetry contest sponsored by the AJC; another guy is working on his apocalyptic climate-change disaster novel; another woman is working on a novel about a young mother who has lost her baby and is now in danger of losing her husband, too; one of the Young Adult/Children women is writing a humorous novel about a sixth-grade girl who is distressed because her best friend converted to Christianity while at summer camp, and she's not the same, anymore; one guy claimed to be writing in the romance genre; and I think two other people in the group write something that would be considered sci-fi or fantasy. So the genres are all over the place. When they asked me what mine was, I honestly said that no matter how I try to start it, it always comes around to dark fantasy, and they sort of laughed. I'm not sure how to take that. :)
They critiqued openly, directly, and without rancor. They were very outspoken about what they didn't like or what didn't work for them, but also very appreciative of what they did like. The surreal part was that while they were all reading their stuff, people are milling about, children are crying, and PA system in the store is announcing stuff...very weird.
They all appear to be working on longer pieces, because everything that was read, last night, was chapter 3 or part 7 or 3 scenes from the end or something like that. So I was a tad lost since they didn't bother trying to bring me (and a couple of others who were either fairly new or who had come back after a long hiatus) up to speed, but just leapt in with both feet.
I'll give it a week or two or three before I bring anything of my own. That seems...courteous, yes?
So...ta-dah. I'm in a local(ish) critique group.
Yes, I'm still at home. I massively overslept because when I thought I hit "sleep" this morning, I hit the other button that turns off the alarm. <sigh>
I found Infected forthwith, and then looked around for other interesting publications. I found a writing magazine with a few articles that looked interesting, so I tossed it in the "pile" (of two) and went to check out.
When the woman at the register noticed the writing magazine, she opened her mouth and I just knew that the next words out of her mouth were going to be, "Oh, are you a writer?" but she surprised me. What she actually said was, "Did you know that we have a writers group that meets here every Tuesday at 7:00?"
"No, I didn't," I replied. I paid for my purchases and she wrote down the time and place for me so I wouldn't forget.
Well, last night I bit the bullet. I sent email to the group moderator yesterday afternoon and asked a few questions, but he basically said, "Just drop in. We don't mind."
So...I did. The "rules" are that you bring about 15 copies of your work. It should be about three pages, double-spaced, and you pass it out and then read it aloud, giving any set-up that is needed.
These guys have been meeting together for several years, so I know it's a stable group. I'm nowhere near the oldest; I'm nowhere near the youngest. Three of the group write for the Young Adult or Children markets. One woman is a poet who came in second (they bring this up at every opportunity, apparently) in a poetry contest sponsored by the AJC; another guy is working on his apocalyptic climate-change disaster novel; another woman is working on a novel about a young mother who has lost her baby and is now in danger of losing her husband, too; one of the Young Adult/Children women is writing a humorous novel about a sixth-grade girl who is distressed because her best friend converted to Christianity while at summer camp, and she's not the same, anymore; one guy claimed to be writing in the romance genre; and I think two other people in the group write something that would be considered sci-fi or fantasy. So the genres are all over the place. When they asked me what mine was, I honestly said that no matter how I try to start it, it always comes around to dark fantasy, and they sort of laughed. I'm not sure how to take that. :)
They critiqued openly, directly, and without rancor. They were very outspoken about what they didn't like or what didn't work for them, but also very appreciative of what they did like. The surreal part was that while they were all reading their stuff, people are milling about, children are crying, and PA system in the store is announcing stuff...very weird.
They all appear to be working on longer pieces, because everything that was read, last night, was chapter 3 or part 7 or 3 scenes from the end or something like that. So I was a tad lost since they didn't bother trying to bring me (and a couple of others who were either fairly new or who had come back after a long hiatus) up to speed, but just leapt in with both feet.
I'll give it a week or two or three before I bring anything of my own. That seems...courteous, yes?
So...ta-dah. I'm in a local(ish) critique group.
Yes, I'm still at home. I massively overslept because when I thought I hit "sleep" this morning, I hit the other button that turns off the alarm. <sigh>
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You are a wonderful writer; I reallllly hope this group gives you what you need to take it to the next level, whatever that may be for you.
*hugs*
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I think someday you should let Skippy write a book.
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But he's made a good start here and on my other web site in the Rants section. A good bit of those come directly from the then-as-yet-unnamed Skippy part of my psyche. :)
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Yay!