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.
02/16/2010 at 5:27 pm
Yay for your Literary Salon group! My favorite thing about publishing as an industry is that it’s such a small world – editors, agents, authors – they all just have such an amazing love of books 🙂
02/17/2010 at 9:24 pm
Hiya, Suzie! I’ve been amazed at how small this world is, too. And friendly. 🙂
02/16/2010 at 7:13 pm
Thanks for the hello! I’m so happy to hear that you’re part of so many groups because yeah, I’ve kind of gone overboard with that. I’m in three critique groups now and that online writing class. Two of my groups meet rarely, though; one is more about food really, but I somehow worked my way into an intense “three chapters every two weeks” group of YA/MG writers/authors. In that group one woman is newly agented, two have published multiple novels and everybody gives great feedback. I don’t know how I got along without them!
02/17/2010 at 9:24 pm
Hi,Lori! Get ready, Beta Lady. It’s coming at you early next week — or even this weekend!!! I finished!!!
02/16/2010 at 8:33 pm
You can call me whatever you want because, of course, I just use you for your homemade soups and critiques. 🙂 You make us sound like such a fabulous, sophisticated group I feel like I better hurry up and accomplish something focused and wonderful before you have to rename our meetings: Nikki’s Soup Kitchen for Wayward Writers.
02/17/2010 at 9:23 pm
Thanks, Shelli. We now have a name.
Can we just call it NSK for short?
hee hee ha ha I finished my novel today…
02/16/2010 at 11:06 pm
I met with my version of your Literary Salon group today, except that it was a critique day, not just a support day. Of course, we are always supportive of each other, even as we rip each others’ hearts and manuscripts to shreds. I can’t wait to get started on the revisions they suggested today. I have another group that has grown quite large, but everyone in it is a wonderful writer. I cherish their input as much as I enjoy reading their work. And oh, the online mentors! Isn’t it amazing how many well-known authors take the time to share their expertise with the rest of us? Kind souls.
02/17/2010 at 9:22 pm
Vonna, I feel the same way about the revisions I have ahead of me! It feels weird, like I’ve turned into one of those exercise nuts who “loves the burn.” It’s kind of sick. Glad you have such a good group to crit with.
02/20/2010 at 4:24 pm
Your literary salon sounds wonderful. My writing buddy lives on the opposite coast. The closest we’ve ever gotten to meeting is Skype. Homemade soup?! Sounds very yummy.
02/20/2010 at 9:57 pm
Hi, Nan! I hope you and your buddy have the chance to meet face-to-face sometime. If you’re ever in Austin, I’ll cook soup for you!
02/24/2010 at 12:39 pm
Me too. I think someday I’ll meet her face-to-face. Thanks for the soup offer. May take you up on that some day. 🙂
If you’re ever in NJ, the offer goes for you too (although I suspect my soup is not as good)
02/24/2010 at 2:47 pm
Nan – I know it would be more polite to say your soup is probably just as good as mine… but I make fabulous soup as a lure for writers to come and visit me, so it’s pretty darn worthy. If you ever get a gig in Austin, you’ve got a place to stay!