I have never been much of a joiner, whether it be social, professional, or fraternal organizations. Many beginning writers I’ve known, however, were just the opposite. They attended every conference and joined every writers club or professional guild they could find. There is nothing wrong with this, except that it takes up time that might be better spent writing.
Legend has it that writers are a lonely bunch. And, for the most part, that legend is true. Because our profession requires intense concentration, we often work in isolation, unable to regularly enjoy the comradeship of our peers. It is for this reason, I believe, that many writers become group-oriented when there are groups to join. I once joined a small fiction writers group, and found the experience to be worthwhile. The four of us would gather once every two weeks and read our fiction to the others for criticism. This worked out fine until I found that the obligation to come up with fiction to read every two weeks was interfering with my ability to meet editorial deadlines.
I have since retired from journalism and now write only fiction, so I no longer have to deal with strict deadlines. And, today, were I able to find other local writers as talented and knowledgeable as the ones in that early group, I would jump at the chance to resume those biweekly gatherings. Unfortunately, although I know many who would qualify, they are spread all over the country, making physical meetings impossible.
I still enjoy the company of other writers and editors, but having become somewhat geographically isolated in my old age, those relationships are, of necessity, carried on by phone, e-mail, or through social media. There are a few I communicate with sporadically, plus a small group of critical readers (you know who you are) that provide invaluable commentary and advice on my novels as they evolve. And there is an even smaller group of old writer friends, from whom I occasionally seek advice on story ideas, the ever-evolving rules of writing, or the complexities of publishing and marketing. But when it comes to large writers clubs or associations, I don’t indulge.
Early in my journalistic career, I attended a few meetings of such clubs, and found that the majority of their members tended to do a lot more talking than writing. One thing that amazed me was that so many of the attendees of such meetings had never submitted their work to an editor, or even attempted to self-publish. Instead, they were content with complaining about how tough the publishing world was for new writers. I don’t dispute that fact; far from it. With the proliferation of free or low-cost electronic publishing, the competition is far greater than it has ever been. However, complaining about it and commiserating with others is of little or no value to anyone who aspires to become a professional writer. Occasionally, if a club or association brought in a guest speaker that I believed might be interesting or helpful, I would attend a meeting, but I did not have the extra time to stand around discussing the pains of writing or the idiocy of editors.
Informal writing courses, conducted outside a traditional college or university setting, are another thing I see as borderline when it comes to aiding a writer’s career. Before I became a professional journalist, I took a couple of these courses at local community colleges and found them to be little more than ego-support groups (something that is not all that bad for severely rejected writers in the early stages of their careers). The instructors can be anyone from a published author or journalist who happens to live nearby, to someone who has placed three articles in non-paying publications and is trying to supplement their income. In the latter case, you may be subjected to a lot of misinformation, as these ‘teachers’ no doubt get most of their material from conjecture, not experience. If they are gleaning information from books on how to write, those books are available to you as well, and a newcomer to the profession will have little practical experience to add.
If your goal is more social than professional, then by all means, join as many writers groups as you can find. If, on the other hand, your goal is to learn from true, critical evaluation, I recommend you stick mainly to small groups of writers whose intelligence you admire and whose opinions about your own writing are expressed honestly and without reservation.
Legend has it that writers are a lonely bunch. And, for the most part, that legend is true. Because our profession requires intense concentration, we often work in isolation, unable to regularly enjoy the comradeship of our peers. It is for this reason, I believe, that many writers become group-oriented when there are groups to join. I once joined a small fiction writers group, and found the experience to be worthwhile. The four of us would gather once every two weeks and read our fiction to the others for criticism. This worked out fine until I found that the obligation to come up with fiction to read every two weeks was interfering with my ability to meet editorial deadlines.
I have since retired from journalism and now write only fiction, so I no longer have to deal with strict deadlines. And, today, were I able to find other local writers as talented and knowledgeable as the ones in that early group, I would jump at the chance to resume those biweekly gatherings. Unfortunately, although I know many who would qualify, they are spread all over the country, making physical meetings impossible.
I still enjoy the company of other writers and editors, but having become somewhat geographically isolated in my old age, those relationships are, of necessity, carried on by phone, e-mail, or through social media. There are a few I communicate with sporadically, plus a small group of critical readers (you know who you are) that provide invaluable commentary and advice on my novels as they evolve. And there is an even smaller group of old writer friends, from whom I occasionally seek advice on story ideas, the ever-evolving rules of writing, or the complexities of publishing and marketing. But when it comes to large writers clubs or associations, I don’t indulge.
Early in my journalistic career, I attended a few meetings of such clubs, and found that the majority of their members tended to do a lot more talking than writing. One thing that amazed me was that so many of the attendees of such meetings had never submitted their work to an editor, or even attempted to self-publish. Instead, they were content with complaining about how tough the publishing world was for new writers. I don’t dispute that fact; far from it. With the proliferation of free or low-cost electronic publishing, the competition is far greater than it has ever been. However, complaining about it and commiserating with others is of little or no value to anyone who aspires to become a professional writer. Occasionally, if a club or association brought in a guest speaker that I believed might be interesting or helpful, I would attend a meeting, but I did not have the extra time to stand around discussing the pains of writing or the idiocy of editors.
Informal writing courses, conducted outside a traditional college or university setting, are another thing I see as borderline when it comes to aiding a writer’s career. Before I became a professional journalist, I took a couple of these courses at local community colleges and found them to be little more than ego-support groups (something that is not all that bad for severely rejected writers in the early stages of their careers). The instructors can be anyone from a published author or journalist who happens to live nearby, to someone who has placed three articles in non-paying publications and is trying to supplement their income. In the latter case, you may be subjected to a lot of misinformation, as these ‘teachers’ no doubt get most of their material from conjecture, not experience. If they are gleaning information from books on how to write, those books are available to you as well, and a newcomer to the profession will have little practical experience to add.
If your goal is more social than professional, then by all means, join as many writers groups as you can find. If, on the other hand, your goal is to learn from true, critical evaluation, I recommend you stick mainly to small groups of writers whose intelligence you admire and whose opinions about your own writing are expressed honestly and without reservation.
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