Nikki Loftin

Archive for February 16th, 2010

Literary Salon Chez Moi

Well, I have a thousand things to do — revisions to plan, manuscripts to finish, lunches to pack, and many, many glasses of wine to drink — so it must be time for a blog post.

I promised a post on writing groups, but I’m mostly planning on telling you what I’ve got going on right now. This morning, a small group of women I call my Literary Salon (because it SOUNDS cool) arrived at my house for a few hours of fabulous food (why, yes, I *did *cook), industry gossip, and chatting about our manuscript-babies. No critiquing allowed, just support, advice, loans of some resources/books, homemade soup and chocolate-dipped strawberries. (Thanks, Erin!)

I don’t know why, but having a group that comes together in person to chat is important to me. Maybe it’s because I am such a terrible typist, so the online thing doesn’t work as well s it does for the typing-unimpaired. It jut takes too darn long to type all those comments. I end up leaving the funny stuff out. Bleah. Of course, this group’s members have to be geographically-linked, and it helps if they write the same genre, which we do (mostly) — MG and YA. Some of these gals are my Trusted Betas, Whom I Love Above All Others. (I privately refer to them as my personal Belles Dames Sans Merci, but don’t tell them.)

I also connived my way into an established online critique group with mostly published authors, some quite well-known. They are invaluable to me for working on picture books and short pieces, but I still feel too new to send great chunks of work their way. Don’t want to make a nuisance of myself. Yet.

I’m the newest member of a group of writers that meets in San Marcos every other Friday for fabulous coffee, some critique, conversation about our lives/health/anything else, and the VERY latest in markets/editors/agents for the various types of things we write. One of these authors writes Western romance, one writes contemporary thrillers, one writes Christian fic/non-fic. And then there’s me, the children’s writer/poet/literary fiction/puppet play/anthology/essayist. These gals are all amazingly supportive. It always feels like they have my back, no matter what I aim for. I love them. They are also all grandmas. I want to be them when I grow up.

Then there’s Suzie, L’Agent Extraordinaire, and her team of underpaid, underfed Minion-Interns, who live to revise my deathless prose. Bwa ha ha ha ha! Kidding, of course. I only send my most gorgeously polished and perfected exampled of Craft to them. Also, fart jokes.

BTW, I’ve only been actively writing novels and networking for a year. (It’s been almost one year to the day since I finished my first MG manuscript! Yes, that one, the Story That Must Not Be Named.) And I also have writer friends on Twitter, Facebook, Verla Kay’s, SCBWI, and the Austin SCBWI group. Even one or two from contest wins like Backspace. (Hi, Lori!)  So, where will I be in a year?
At this rate, probably in a critique/support/lunch group with YOU!

So, share already. Who keeps you honest, writing-wise?

Write Well, Friends.