-Okay, I’ll bite the bullet. I’m thinking about starting my own writers’ group. To be located here in Downtown Riverside, CA. I’ve been a member of several groups, and am still involved in at least one local. My biggest problems with these groups are:
- No matter how badly someone wants to “write”, the teacher/ professor/ leader/ etc. always turns it into their private soapbox. I don’t want to deal with infighting and politics when all I came to do was write!
- Then there are those with a strict agenda of “we will only write-” fill in the blank. Poetry, prose, etc. or on a specific theme. Not everyone feels comfortable writing in the same style/ genre/ theme. We are all different, that’s why there are more than three books being sold at your local bookstore. I’m not saying that experimenting in another style is bad, I just don’t want it shoved down my throat every week.
- And when I want (and ask for) criticism, I want something more than “that was nice.” Or heaven forbid you get the jaded ex-professor who thinks that everyone’s writing should be a cookie cutter clone from one of the “Big Universities” of creative writing. Then nothing you ever write is ever going to be good, because “there are no original ideas”. Which is bull….
What I want to see:
- I miss the groups which met at my local library, where we could get together, write in short bursts with given prompts (and sometimes no prompts at all). If you wanted to share -that’s great. If you didn’t, it was okay. And if you wanted criticism, you asked for it.
- I miss “the group” being in charge of what we wanted to explore that night, instead of being herded like sheeple.
- I miss getting to know my fellow writers by name instead of yelling across the room at one of forty people squished into a room too crowded for anyone to hear themselves think, much less hold a proper conversation.
- I miss everyone being equal, instead of dealing with “the teacher’s pet can do no wrong.”
- I want the participants to write in whatever genre/ fashion/ whatever that they are comfortable with. If all you want to do is write haiku poetry with a purple crayon on toilet paper -then more power to you. I want to make the writing prompts accessible to any and all who participate -no matter what you write!
- I want a comfortable environment where you can be yourself, relax and -OMG!- Actually write!
- I want everyone to be able to come to a meeting, have fun, write something and be proud of their work.
- I want to meet here in Riverside. In a place that’s easily accessible. My thoughts so far include Riverside Public Library (Downtown/ Main branch) or Back to the Grind.
-If you can't meet in the physical, no problem. We can keep you in touch via e-mail with what projects we are working on, view any work that you want to send our way and respond for critiques.
-My hope is that we can publish some of our work to this blog itself and perhaps purchase a domain of our own. Self publishing in book and electronic form via Amazon and other professional retailers? Yeah, that’s a dream of mine as well. Let’s make it a reality!
Keep an eye here for our first meeting or e-mail me at: noexcuseswritinggroup@yahoo.comAre you ready to join me?
