Guest Post-- LIMIT YOUR GROUPS

LIMIT YOUR GROUPS

by Hope Clark



I was online recently when a writer said she was starting
a group that would help writers to stay organized in their
profession. I raised both eyebrows, recognizing someone who
most likely enjoyed the feeling of bring a writer, but not
the actual writing. I expressed non-interest, reminding
her that too many groups, while fun, are subtle enemies
of your writing.

A string of memberships does not a writer make. I don't
care if they are MWA, RWA, SFWA, SCBWI, or any other
alphabet organization. When I see someone who belongs to
a long list of groups, I wonder how much time they write.

That's part of the reason that writing conferences rotate
their organizers. Takes a rare breed to annually organize a
conference and still take writing seriously. While we need
those organizers, they are sacrificing their writing in
order to help other writers. Noble, but disabling for the
actual writing effort.

Same goes for Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and so on. Yes,
social networking is a necessity. Yes, they can consume
your writing time. It's a careful balance. You need the
network, but you also need to write. What's a network if
you can't get words on paper, much less polish them
properly.

I've been known to join a group, try it out, and not
renew. If the group benefits me, rejuvenates me, and doesn't
suck the life out of me, I'll stick around. I also will
allow no more than one group to be a priority for me.

FundsforWriters networking is my number one. I hope to
join Mystery Writers of America once my suspense is published.
Thank goodness my publisher is a recognized name in their
ranks. I belong to two critique groups. Past that, I'm a
back-of-the-room member of anything else. No, I'm not
lazy. Quite the contrary. I know myself. I'd be in the thick
of things wanting to be a mover and shaker. So I limit myself.

Watch the reaching out. It's needed for networking, but all
too often you forget to retreat long enough to get your
best writing done.


Hope Clark

THE BLOG - http://www.hopeclark.blogspot.com
TWITTER - http://twitter.com/hopeclark
FACEBOOK - http://www.facebook.com/chopeclark
ABOUT.ME - http://about.me/hopeclark

Post originally appeared in the Writer Circle Yahoo Group Online newsletter
Image from: http://iteachkinderkids.blogspot.com/2010_09_01_archive.html

Play Games, Anyone?

There used to be a saying that, "You can tell a lot about a person by looking at the books they own." When I peruse my own bookshelves I can see this certainly applies.
Today, even more than books, I think a movie or video game collection reveals something about character. Want to sneak a peek at some of the favorites on Sharona's or Frannie's shelves? Or how about Jason's?

Frannie gets absorbed in hypnotic 3-D worlds like "Myst" and "Riven." She's got every edition of the former (Myst III: Exile, Myst IV: Revelation, Myst V: End of Ages, Masterpiece Edition, etc. etc.!) Uru, and more. By getting her head surrounded by sound and wrapped up on the screen, she "forgets" the silent aching way deep inside that's making her unable to eat. And lots of times she won't even hear when her mother knocks on her door or calls her. (On a good day, she remembered to lock her door, earlier.)

Sharona does not, as a rule, play video games. She makes up for it by getting lost online for hours at a time, though. When she's not researching a topic for a book, she's getting side-tracked on sites for writers, email with colleagues and friends, and numerous chat groups such as, "prayer and share," "the Jane Austen list," "daily devotions" and "Fitness Guru." Her only news source is an online digest from a Christian newsgroup that recaps major headlines and directs grassroots lobbying efforts--which she participates in often. She edits and critiques for her online writers' group, as the others in the group do for her. But TV? or Video games?
Sharona would say, "Who's got time for that?"

Well, Frannie does.
Anybody else in the Club?
Stay tuned, and find out next time!