Writers groups
Tabby cat. He doesn't know as much as he thinks he does.
I heard somewhere that Stephen King never joined a writers group. Correct me if I’m wrong. There has been a lot written about writers groups, or writing groups, and I’m not going to shed any new light here. Writers groups have advantages and disadvantages. If you want information about them, or are looking for one in your area, search the internet. I’m sure you will find one.
I haven’t joined a writers group and I’m not sure I will. I contacted a local group here in our area via email. The man who runs the group returned my email. He seemed very nice, friendly and welcoming. He laid out the ground rules and gave me the schedule of meetings. He emailed updates to me on a regular basis as well as reminders about the meetings and other events.
At first I thought this was a good idea to have other potential authors read, edit and critique my work. Rejection from these people didn’t worry me. I thought it might give me additional motivation to write. Now, I don’t believe I need motivation. I am inspired by my own work and the support of family for the time being. Several friends have offered to be critics when our manuscript is ready. Some have even offered to read excerpts and chapters as we go, which sounds like a good thing.
Sometimes I remind myself of the lazy cat, kicking back and checking out the passersby. He kind of sits around, apparently all-knowing, smug in his knowledge. In reality, he’s still learning; he doesn’t know as much as he thinks he does.
After several months, the nice man from the local writers group stopped emailing me. Guess he figured I wasn’t going to show up. He’s right, for now. But you never know. I’m still learning, too.