Writing Support Groups

Hi. I'm Michelle, and I'm a writer.

It's been five years since I started writing novels, and only a year since I confessed to my friends and family about it. I was, I don't know, worried what they'd think of me if they knew I was a writer. They'd expect me to become a best-seller immediately. Or maybe they'd hate what I wrote.

So, for a long time I kept it secret, writing in my bedroom with the door closed, never mentioning to anyone that I was clandestinely writing.

And then I stumbled upon a website for writers. Authonomy, it's called, and I found a virtual connection with hundreds, even thousands of people in the same situation I was in. They understood about my writing habit, and they even helped me become a better writer. There are plenty of writing support groups like that, both online and in local groups where people meet up and read each others' work.

After participating on Authonomy for a few months, it felt almost normal to be a writer. There were so many people doing it, I wasn't alone anymore. I established a connection with other writers who understood me and my struggles to write. Then I got up the courage to tell everyone that I was a writer. It was such a relief not to hide it, not to be worried that someone would find out.

Since then, I've finished writing my first book and have even completed another book. It's become part of who I am, and I'm not ashamed of it anymore. Plus, I've made friends with other writers who are amazing people and whose friendship I truly cherish, even if we've never met in person. They offer me support whenever I need it, even if it doesn't deal with writing.

So to all of you listening, I applaud you for taking the first step to coming out about your writing habit. Take the next step and connect with other writers and see how much more enriched your writing and your life will be.

Hare-brained ideas

I have a lot of them. Honestly. But sometimes these ideas turn out to be good in the end. Like when I decided one day that I wanted to study abroad in England. It was one of the most wonderful experiences I've ever had.

So my latest hare-brained idea involves going back to school. I've sworn I wouldn't do that, but then things changed in my mind. I'm actually the kind of person who enjoys the classroom atmosphere. Hate the homework and grades, but I love being in a place where intelligent debate happens. And I love learning new things more than anything.

It was a dream I had the other night, though, that kicked this into gear. Strange, I know, but maybe my subconscious was trying to tell me something. I dreamed I was moving away to go back to school for my masters. Not too complicated, but when I woke up, I instantly decided to look into going back to school for a graduate degree in writing.

I looked into it, and the best solution for me is the low-residency MFA programs that many universities offer. Spend ten days every six months in intensive writing classes, and then the rest of the time you write at home while still working at your day job. And the program I really like is in beautiful Oregon. What could be better?

Now, an MFA is probably not for everyone. I've heard some people tell of it ruining a writer's creativity. But for me, I really think it could focus my writing efforts and take my storytelling to the next level. Besides, having a Masters opens up a lot of doors.

Maybe my hare-brained idea isn't so hare-brained after all.

Chapter next

For the past few days I've been packing everything I own into boxes, taping them, and labeling the contents of my life with a black sharpie. And it makes me feel as the life I've known until now is about to change.

This chapter of my life is closing, but I wonder, how will the next continue the story? Will it be a continuation of the same: work, writing, rinse, repeat. Or will the next chapter introduce a mysterious stranger into my life? How about a message in a bottle (or from an owl). I could do with an inheritance or the arrival of a love interest.

It reminds me of one of my favorite movies, Stranger than Fiction. Is my story a comedy or a tragedy? Romance or chic lit? Literary or genre? (And yes, I'm glad I'm not a golem.)

I'm not sure. I haven't reached my denouement, so it really could be anything. But while this chapter ends, with it comes both sorrow and excitement. I will miss those who've touched my life to this point but welcome new aspects to my life that I have, as yet, not known.

This is far from the end of the story, but I at least hope this next chapter adds excitement and intrigue. I could use some.

Finding my way

Okay, I'll admit it. I'm a follower. I see something I like, and then I try to copy it. Twittering, for instance. There are several people I really admire on there, and I'd love to emulate their humor, spontaneity, and excellence. And then there's this blog. I started it for a number of reasons, a big one to increase my profile as a writer and editor. But the problem is that I've been inconsistent.

So I realized the other day that if I want to accomplish a goal, I actually have to set one. Duh. And then I have to plan out how I'm to go about doing so. These are simple things, but sometimes I look for the complicated and the simple eludes me.

Instead of trying to copy what others have done before, or even to emulate them, I'm going to be myself. I'm going to set some goals, put my thoughts into coherent plans and then accomplish those plans using my intelligence and craft—not anyone else's.

I'm not saying it's wrong to get ideas from what someone else is doing, but really, I need to take an idea and make it my own, not a cheap imitation of someone else's brilliance.

That's what I'm going to do, and I hope you enjoy the efforts.

But now I'm going to relate this to writing. As in just about everything in life, the copycats are never as good as the original. The first. The only one people really think about. (There are obviously exceptions, but we're not dealing with those today.)

Think Harry Potter and all the knockoffs that tried so hard to capture the magic that J.K. Rowling created. They couldn't do it.

Don't think that success will come as a writer by copying the big trend. Be original. Be your self. That's where true success comes. Trust your instincts and mold all of your outside influences into something truly you.

Timing

So, it seems another book project has come to steal the place of another. Jessamine did that a few months ago, but she was written in three weeks, so it wasn't too much of an imposition. This time, it's a new book I'm calling Indomitable. I've already gotten 4,000+ words done in two days, which I think is rather good.

The thing is, writing is really about timing. It has to be the right time to write a certain book. I think a lot of cases of writer's block come because a project needs to sit a bit longer and percolate in your brain just a little while longer.

Yes, there are times to force yourself to write a book and just get the blasted thing done. But then there are those times where, if you haven't written a thing in weeks, maybe it's time to work on something else that sparks your interest. Writing isn't really about forcing the words to come. More, it's about accepting them when they're ready.

So Fractured will have to sit for a time until she's ready to speak to me more. In the meantime, I'm hoping to whip out another story a la Jessamine. I do have to say, writing fantasy teen romance books is just a lot of fun.