Master Mind Group Starting in Cumming

One element of writing is the need to have works poured over, critiqued, and then returned with appropriate doses of encouragement and guidance. There are many resources for this, including Writing.com, Critters, and NaNoWriMo. But I have also been searching for writing groups which would meet locally. I am a believer that we need to interact with each other and additionally need to have face-to-face time with other authors.

Why do I think the face time is important?

I think it is invaluable to watch people's expressions and reactions. Did they laugh at the parts I thought they would? Did they reread a section several time to understand it? Did their forehead crinkle up in frustration? Were they looking up from my story because they had a hard time following it?

All of these questions and more can be answered by watching others while they read. Add to this the fact that I can get a lot of milage out of seeing people's faces while they critique my work. It makes a big difference in how I understand their comments.

Therefore I am excited about a 'Master Mind Group' forming in the Cumming area. For a complete list of the dates and times, look HERE.
Mapquest directions follow:
Map of Atlanta Bread Co:770-888-9921 908 Buford Rd Cumming, GA 30041, US

So what are the other resources I listed up there?

Writing.com is a web site where people can post pretty much any writing they want to. There is everything from self-help and personal rants to science fiction and fantasy. The groups span the ages from pre-teen and teen to retirees with a corresponding range of abilities and interests. I personally like some of the 'contests' which they run. Three to check out are:
The Writer's Cramp: A contest run daily to help get people out of writer's cramp.
I like this one because it makes you write concisely on a set subject. Good exercise.
A Picture is Worth 1000 Words: Weekly contest where you look at a picture and
then write a short story to explain the image. Another good exercise.
Dialogue 500: Weekly contest where you are given a prompt and must tell a story
just by using dialogue. I love the exercise, although it is extremely challenging to
me personally. I want to give too many descriptions.
The major drawback to writing.com is that getting critiques becomes harder after you have been on there for a while. I might get one critique a week now. So I mostly use this to keep the creative juices flowing and to keep from getting lazy or dull.

Critters: Critters is a group of science fiction, fantasy, and horror writers who review each other's works and offer advice for improvement. You are required to perform at least one review a month AND keep your review ratio over 75% (ratio is critiques/weeks in group.) This is a great group of people who have helped me a lot. Be aware though, this group is for SERIOUS aspiring authors. Feedback is tactful, but blunt. If your story stinks, you will know it. If you can't handle that honesty, look somewhere else. I must admit that I was a little wounded by some of the comments my first couple of times. A good idea to help yourself would be to put the story aside for a little while and then send it in. Stories that you just wrote are usually tougher to accept criticism on.

NaNoWriMo: NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. I have not done this one yet, although I am participating in the Scriptfrenzy this month. It makes this list because I have heard a lot of good things about the organization and the people it attracts. The people tend to be very supportive and helpful. The challenge is a lofty one, write a 50,000 word Novel in 30 days (November.) The emphasis is on meeting this goal and I'm told the people are wonderful about supporting that endeavor. Unfortunately, they only try this feat once a year, so outside of that time frame you are on your own.

One note here is that many of the participants have little or no aspiration to be professionals, so if that is your goal be aware of the differences. Most of the encouragement from this group looks at getting the word count, not necessarily getting a QUALITY manuscript. I also feel that you should know that most editors that I have read about are looking for novels in the 80,000 to 120,000 word range.

The guy who started NaNoWriMo has brought out a book and a novel writing kit as well, you can check them out below.



Until next time, keep writing.