How to get figured out

[SpAm]

Ok ive meat a author before at a feild trip...my english teacher loves me to death n loves that i write so she fould a trip to calvin collage for a writers workshop...and graham saulsbury (sp) was there and he liked me alot i have a class with him and asked alot of questions...and he told me to get into writing groups etc...but ive stayed in tough with him by email...and he says almot the same thing...but ive tried real hard ive searched the internet a million times looking for writing groups in wyoming michigan but there arnt any...its hard to find them is there any other way people can help me with my writing in person (other then teachers in school) and how do i get people to notice me for my writing i also write poetry witch people like alot..so yes i need help in this area.:-D thanx allllot i have many questions and i hope i dont get annoing in this message board...im 16 love to write and alos confused about everything so tell me if i ask too much thanx

[Cathy C]

No, you're not asking too many questions, SpAm. These are all pretty common questions. It appears that you live near Grand Rapids. I'd be very surprised if there weren't quite a few writer's groups in a city that size. What you might consider is to contact bookstores and ask if they know of any. Very often, writing groups will advertise on bulletin boards in the lobby or at the desk of bookstores. Smaller, independent bookstores (ones that aren't chain stores like Waldenbooks) sometimes have the group meetings at the store after hours.

Now does the group HAVE to be in person? I ask because there are a lot of internet based writing groups -- including this one. I belong to a Yahoo group called New_Writers (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/New_Writers/). They post things for others to critique and there are several published authors (myself included) who are happy to answer questions about the writing process. Another one I like is Writers BBS (http://www.writersbbs.com/forums/#chat), which is a bulletin board format, rather than an email loop or forum like this one at AbsoluteWrite. Writers BBS is nice because they have weekly challenges and flash fiction assignments that help you develop your voice. Again, there are all levels of writers there to help you learn the craft.

You should also spend some time reading the posts over on Uncle Jim's "Learn Writing (http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6710)" thread. Pretty much anything that you can think to ask has probably been answered over there in the nearly 5,000 posts.

Good luck with your search for a group! I think with a bit of effort, you will be able to find one. :)

[veinglory]

There are writers' groups in your area, depend on that. But you can start online, e.g. critiquecircle.com or critters.org. I also suggest making a slightly stronger stab at writing in sentences even online. I am the queen of typoes myself but there is a point at which it becomes hard to work out what you are saying.


what sort of thing are you writing? Give me genre and length and I will see if i can find a group for you.

[PeeDee]

*mumbles* Yessir, sorrysir, won'thappenagain...

SpAm, if you do post something here, it doesn't even have to be all that self contained. I would recommend tidying up the spelling/grammar a bit, but if it's got a few mistakes, it won't hurt anything.

Certainly, if I see it appear in the Share Your Work section, I'll read it and post my thoughts on it.

(And those thoughts will be sane, cognizant, and on-topic. Honest.)

[Sage]

:cry: I had a very long, involved, & informative (I thought) post that was answering SpAm's question & it got erased. There was no snark involved. Please bring it back, if possible! I had a long day, where I had to work, even though it's Sunday, my car spun out of control today & freaked me out, & I've done nothing but try to be nice & give helpful suggestions. So I'd really appreciate it if my post was returned.

[Perks]

Sage, did you get logged out as you sent it? This happens to me from time to time and it's miserable. I've learned the hard way that if I put any amount of time and effort into a post, I highlight and copy it before I hit 'submit.'

Sorry that your post got lost. That stinks.

[Sage]

Sage, did you get logged out as you sent it? This happens to me from time to time and it's miserable. I've learned the hard way that if I put any amount of time and effort into a post, I highlight and copy it before I hit 'submit.'

Sorry that your post got lost. That stinks.

No, it was removed w/ the calculator talk & snarky stuff. But it was far from snarky.

[Dawno]

:cry: I had a very long, involved, & informative (I thought) post that was answering SpAm's question & it got erased. There was no snark involved. Please bring it back, if possible! I had a long day, where I had to work, even though it's Sunday, my car spun out of control today & freaked me out, & I've done nothing but try to be nice & give helpful suggestions. So I'd really appreciate it if my post was returned.

It ended up here (http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showpost.php?p=418926&postcount=33). You could just go there, copy and paste it back here :)

[Sage]

Thanks, Dawno.

You can also share a small portion of your writing (the first few pages of your first finished novel, for example) in the Share Your Work section. The password is listed under the link. Then people will give you critique, which will vary from content to grammar.

If you'd prefer an in-person critique... um, I don't know, since I have never had anybody but my friends read mine b4 this site. But I think there were some suggestions from a couple of people here.

If you're looking for help networking ('cuz you mentioned getting people to notice your work), there's a networking section here as well (I haven't used it yet so I don't know if they'll be exactly what you're looking for). For a short story or poetry, you might try submitting it to contests or magazines for recognition. For novels, I think getting beta-readers is an excellent plan (well, for the short stories too), & then you could try submitting it to agents or publishers.

Hope this answers some of your questions.

[emeraldcite]

my fault. sorry 'bout that.

[PeeDee]

Sage, your original sad post broke myne heart. So, here's a cookie.

http://www.isd77.k12.mn.us/schools/dakota/mystery/mystery2004/cookie.gif

There. Life is now better.

[PeeDee]

Ack! I forgot the all important:

http://www.daytonamagic.com/General%20Magic%20Items2/wonderglass.JPG

Sorry!

[Sage]

Thanks, PeeDee. I feel much better today. Needless to say I was a little tired yesterday & probably overreacted, but still, cookies & milk are always appreciated :D