Associations

In a previous blog post (Why do I write) I said that writers in the same genre tend to be the best help for writers. I have found this to be true, though I first started meeting other writers in a more open genre group first.

When it came to writing Last Job, I knew from my experience with Sem’se that Buck and I would need the help of others to really produce something that was more than just enjoyable for us to write. I had no experience in a writing group, but knew the value of an association from back in my sales days, so I went looking for writing groups (preferably in-person).

I was already part of meetup.com since I was looking for groups of people who shared my same interests in a hope to find my Mrs. (Sem’se really did help with my healing and at that time I was ready to try again. Never give up!). On meetup.com I found a group called “Shut Up & Write” which I found hilarious and joined up.

The in-person meetings were enjoyable with an introduction to the group and some chatting at the beginning of every session followed by shutting up and writing. Months went on like this and the sessions definitely helped me with writing my chapters of Last Job on some of the more difficult weeks. The group was and is welcoming, but for those months it seemed this association would only be for writing, not networking or finding my Mrs.

And that is fair, some associations will not give you everything you’re looking for in one place. Though that wasn’t the case with SU&W, there was a facebook page for my local group and when I found it there was an advert for Indie Author Day at the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. Simply put, I wasn’t utilizing SU&W to its full potential for myself. An association that isn’t fully understood will not provide all that it has to offer.

The Indie Author Day was a revelation to me; the group of local self-published authors and soon-to-be was over a hundred, the individual speakers had experience that ran the whole definition of “successful”, and the authors’ panel gave insight on the back-end scenes. There was also time for networking before and after, and from that I met another just-forming group.

I squeezed my way into their conversation by physically adding myself to their group’s circle, introduced myself when everyone looked at me, and asked what was going on.

I did that.

Some will tell you it’s rude, some will say that’s how you network, all I know is that it worked for me. I consider the most important thing to do, is to take action and introduce myself. If the group is already set and not welcoming of others, I’ll immediately find out and excuse myself. This has yet to happen to me.

Not all writers are social butterflies (I’m one of the larvae myself), so the word “networking” fills us with trepidation in that we want to connect but fear what may happen. The only thing I have to help with that is the Three Second Rule where you count down and then take action. I’ve done this a few times and when I have used it, it does help (may need a few warm ups with simple things first).

Be at the event, and see the group you want to talk with. In your head count down; Three, Two, One. Then walk over and visibly be part of the group and look at the person across from you. When they look back at you, introduce yourself (also a good idea to do introductions in the mirror until you’ve memorized them). Good luck!

I joined that group and have been to several meetings in which a lot of work was done in a comfortable environment and atmosphere. The group has individuals across the range of experience writing and promoting their work, with some who are starting their journey. This group is absolutely welcoming, and each meeting is set to have progress made for everyone there and a group text is set up to keep those who couldn’t make it up to date on what’s going on.

SU&W is more laid back in that each person is doing their own thing, but everyone is writing. Doing the work in a group is easier than doing it alone at home. The other group I’m a part of is more dedicated to working as a group toward our individual goals with each meeting having a set goal for each person to work toward their version of that goal (examples, works in progress, social media promotion - more on what I know on that in a different blog post).

Both associations are helpful to me, and in different ways. I was fortunate to already be a part of meetup.com and found SU&W in short order because that association was already set up in Buffalo. You, the reader, may not have that connection. There may not even be a SU&W group local to you. Thankfully google does exist and you can lookup writing groups in your area, and also the local library will be a great resource to connect with other authors too (just like with myself and the Indie Author Day).

It’s highly likely there are multiple groups local to you, and you will need to put in some work to find out which ones work best for you, and the groups you feel most at ease with. If you don’t like in-person meetings then you have even more options as now you have access to all the online meetings possible.

There is an association, a small group, an online group, and wonderful friends out there for you to find and grow together with. You got this!

Photo by Helena Lopes