Writing can be a very solitary profession. Maybe you are the kind of person who can sit alone day after day, and not have it effect you. Maybe you are completely secure with your work and prefer not to have any feedback. I do not fall into either of these categories, nor do most writers I know. Most of us are completely insecure about our work, and crave companionship with others of our writer insecurus species.
Some people are lucky enough to live in an area where they can find a writing group or a local chapter of a writing organization like RWA, SBCWI, MWA, etc. For the rest of us, there's the Internet. There is a virtual group for any kind of writer, you just have to know where to look. I found my first group on Yahoo in 2005 (I think). I truly feel that this group is responsible for my success as an author. I found critique partners, agent and editor info, and networking through this group. If you are interested in writing YA, I highly recommend joining the teenlitauthors group on Yahoo!In just a few weeks, NanoWriMo http://www.nanowrimo.org/ begins. For those of you who don't know what this is, it's National Novel Writing Month. It brings writers together in a forum for one month to inspire everyone to write a 50,000 word novel. There is just something about knowing that thousands of other people are working toward the same goal to motivate you. I am participating in Nano for the first time this year. You can friend other authors and keep track of everyone's word count and offer/receive encouragement.
I also love Verla Kay's blue boards, even though I don't get on as much as I would like. http://www.verlakay.com/boards/index.phpAs with anything, moderation is key. You don't want to spend so much time online that you are sacrificing your writing time. Other writers are some of the most giving, wonderful people I have ever met. I wish you luck finding an online community that supports you and your writing.
xo,
Stephanie
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3 comments:
Great tips on finding more authors. I'm part of a small writer's group and it is such a great boost...when I want to just put a project away, they keep me going. I also did NaNoWriMo last year and plan to participate this year. It's hard, but fun!
Great post!!!--I LOVE this week!!! I just found out about NaNo, so I'm a first-timer, too!
As for writing groups--I definitely miss the sharing and critiquing, and community that I had when I was in college, but just like back then, I'm a little nervous--I keep thinking about how will I know what's the right group, and I don't want to go empty-handed--I have a bunch started, but nothing finished...When's the best time to join a group?--Is there a best time? Am I over-analyzing it?
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