writers group

“Once I write the date on a piece of paper,” William Stafford said, “I know I’m okay. I have made it to my writing.”  

I  believe absolutely in the value of a writer’s group.  Writers, published or not, reading, sharing, discussing, one another’s pieces in a supportive, nonjudgmental way.  If it’s not enjoyable, if it feels critical, instructive rather than helpful, it’s not a functional writers group.  That would be what we might call a class, a writing class. Here, we come together as writers who are friends, or friends who are writers, to work constructively on developing whatever piece each is working on. No matter what the individual genre is. For a specified purpose at a set and regular time.  Then there can be tea, coffee, happy hour and endless talk of anything (even of writing and reading.)   I think that one of the things I’m just learning by starting this site is that it can become like a writers group for some writers.  That’s good. 

I started this post with an observation by a writer, William Stafford.  Sometimes I jot down something an author says that makes sense to me as a writer, that is helpful with my craft.  So let’s record this date.  August 21, 2014.