Writers' Circle

Our local writers' circle has been estabilshed for 58 years. It is run in a very professional manner. A committee that consists of chairman, vice chairman, marketing, secretary etc. Minutes of every meeting are recorded.It is every fortnight.
I didn't go tonight as I was a tad knackered but I began to wonder why I go. The members are great company and nice to be with and a lot of us go to the bar afterwards (I love that) but I was wondering, is it just ego? Only one person in 58 years has had a book published and that happens to be my husband.
Are these circles just mutual admiration societies? Why do we all read our work week after week, knowing that it hasn't a cat in hells chance of being published/televised? My husband got annoyed with me tonight when I brought up this subject. He said it's a nice hobby and with nice people but I wonder why we all read out our stuff each time, knowing it aint getting us anywhere. What do you think of writers' circles?

I'm not part of one apart from BSG!

I guess that if it's something that interests you and can enjoy with likeminded people, then its well worth going to.

theres one near me i used to go to but theyre all a lot older (yes)and more serious but they do have a good record.

I know what you mean about them seemingly being a mutual appreciation society at times. A while back I started doing a weekly creative writing class, however the feedback was unremittingly positive.

For example, we had to write a story from a perspective entirely different from our own. I did one on a pensioner just released from prison adjusting to the world. it was a bit of a steal from Shawshank Redemption. One of my course mates wrote from the perspective of a five-year-old girl, but he used language that was throughly out of keeping. Five-year-old girls, and I know a few, rarely use words like reticence or unique. I pointed this out in amongst a couple of bits of positive feedback and told that offering any negative opinions, however constructive, only stifles creativity.

I ended up leaving the course pdq.

I reckon it depends what you want from the group. Maybe see it as seperate from an ambition of getting a book published as it sounds unlikely that the group can help facilitate that ambition. If you enjoy it socially it's worth it and, also, it might be a healthy source of inspiration. Could you even write about the writers group and the irony of a group of unpublished people discussing how to get published? There sounds like a good, perhaps whimsical conflict there that could lead to something.

There was another thread about getting books published and I stand by what i said in that. Everyone will tell you that you have to write the whole thing before anyway will take a chance, but i don't believe that's true. If a couple of chapters, a few thousand words are good enough they might take a punt or will at least express some interest. And, with that motivation, it's easy to complete the project.

Its probably good from a discipline point of view and they do vary.

I joined a new Scriptwriting Group a couple of years ago which in turn got me onto here and now I;m involved in several projects.

Quote: bushbaby @ February 23, 2008, 12:21 AM

Our local writers' circle has been estabilshed for 58 years. It is run in a very professional manner. A committee that consists of chairman, vice chairman, marketing, secretary etc. Minutes of every meeting are recorded.It is every fortnight.
I didn't go tonight as I was a tad knackered but I began to wonder why I go. The members are great company and nice to be with and a lot of us go to the bar afterwards (I love that) but I was wondering, is it just ego? Only one person in 58 years has had a book published and that happens to be my husband.
Are these circles just mutual admiration societies? Why do we all read our work week after week, knowing that it hasn't a cat in hells chance of being published/televised? My husband got annoyed with me tonight when I brought up this subject. He said it's a nice hobby and with nice people but I wonder why we all read out our stuff each time, knowing it aint getting us anywhere. What do you think of writers' circles?

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I think they are a fab idea BB

Quote: David Chapman @ February 23, 2008, 12:49 AM

I joined a new Scriptwriting Group a couple of years ago which in turn got me onto here and now I;m involved in several projects.

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Do they take sluts?

All critics are failed authors, but then so are most authors.

Statistically most people who try and write will fail, doesn't matter if you meet them at a writers, circle, or Morrisons.

It's a hugely luck thing, and the only thing you can do is keep improving, and keep persisting.

I'm sure there's a lot of professional writers who do degrees, and then write Mills and Boons, slash horror, or other mechanised rot for fixed fees, but would you want to?

If the group help stick with it, if it keeps you writing stick with it. Personally I've found that if you track down a person who is willing to be fairly critical of your stuff, and knows what they're talking about, hold onto them they are rare.

I'm thinking of sending my NaNo to Mills & Boon

Quote: David Chapman @ February 23, 2008, 1:09 AM

I'm thinking of sending my NaNo to Mills & Boon

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They do take any old shit.

Dooo it!!

I wanna do that, for some reason. I think it's something about having a pseudonym. (Which of couse you would have to do.)

You don't think this is my real name do you?

Are you really Esmerelda Fiddleglove?

You guessed it.

Actually watch out for Charlotte David. But that's just in my spare time.

I tried a writers circle once and it was shite. A woman read out this dire story (and I mean... it was goddamn awful) and everyone praised her up. I couldn't work out if they were scared to hurt her feelings, or were happy that she was a terrible writer and that they looked good next to her. I would have told her she was shit, only it was my first(and only) session and I didn't want to come across as a total bitch. The whole experience seemed like a huge mutual ego massage.

That said, I suppose each group is different, so if yours is a good'un enjoy it BB!

I was in a writers circle once. We all sat around-in a circle- and told each other how long we hadn't had a drink for. That's a writers circle right?