Online Writing Groups

 I haven't posted in a while.

I have been a little discouraged since the rejections from Frank and Gala, I think, and recent stresses from life have been keeping me from writing.  Unfortunately, writing is probably the thing that keeps me most sane.

Nick and I are hiking this weekend, and this time invigorates me.  Our conversations range from the silly to the serious, and the scenery is lovely.  Here's a shot from The Garden of the Gods.

Anyway, I have been staying active in the Fiction Writing Group through the Indiana Writers Center--the same writing group I have attended for nearly 12 years now.  Although the members of this group have changed over the years, a few members (Randy, Tom, Kristen) have been strong, wise, lovely leaders who I am glad to know and call friends.

In the last year, we have changed our format to an online writing group.

Let me back up for a moment.  During my MFA (yes, some years ago, from 2009 to 2011), I did many online workshops, but these classes were not through a virtual-meeting based workshop.  These workshops were writing intensive, with threads and comments, branching from the main comments that each person posted.  Each member would post a critique, and the readers would respond to each others' critiques, sometimes with long, involved threads.  The writer could read but was not allowed into the discussion until at the end.

In our current online format with the Fiction Writing Group, this has worked extraordinarily well to meet in a Zoom meeting for two hours.  But there have been some bumps along the way.

I hope we will begin to meet in person again soon.  Part of the appeal and attraction with this group is the camaraderie we have developed, and this is difficult to develop in a two-hour Zoom meeting.

One reason for this: in person, we chat about our lives and get to know each other.  We catch up on what is going on.  Several conversations may be going on, inside the room, or even coming and going to the room.  In the Zoom meeting, only one conversation can happen, and while I may want to catch up with Randy or Tom or Kristen, this may seem excluding to newcomers.  

I find the online writing group phenomena very interesting.  I may explore this more in upcoming blogs.