Janice Olson

We have all heard the expression, join the club. That’s not bad advice if you’re serious about writing. There are great benefits in belonging to writers’ groups, clubs, critiques, and organizations (collectively referred to as ORG.).

I am acquainted with many writers: seasoned, multi-published authors, authors with several books published, writers that are on the brink of becoming published, and newbies. Every one of them belong to one or more writing ORGs.

Writers’ ORGs benefit in many ways. In an ORG you will learn the tools for the craft, grow as a writer, and network with other published authors, writers, agents, and editors. All of these are essential, especially if you want to see your work somewhere in print besides on your computer.

Although writing is a solitary job, from time to time it is necessary and good to be with other fellow writers. My journey (and it’s a on-going journey as with any writer) in writing has been fraught with obstacles I knew nothing about before I began to write.

There are rules in writing. Rules of dos and don’ts, rights and wrongs, and what to watch for. Most of these rules come from the grammar lessons we learned in elementary through high school or even college. Some come from the powers that be (whoever they are). And others, you learn by listening to seasoned orators on writing, mentors, and fellow writers.

Fortunate for me, I realized early on that I needed help if I were to succeed in my goal of becoming an accomplished writer.

The U.S. Army commercial on TV “Be all that you can be” is a great slogan and one we should apply to writing. For us to become all that we can be as a writer, it takes hard work, tenacity, and knowledge, just like anything else that we want to accomplish in life and do it well.

To produce books, stories, and articles that will have the potential of being published, we must know the basics and the not so obvious basics of writing. This necessary knowledge can only be found in books, at workshops, conferences, writers’ critiques, groups, organizations, and other writers.

The best way I know of gaining the information for success is to join these Orgs and rub elbows with other writers and authors. They are a treasure trove of information and I have yet to see a writer that isn’t eager to share their knowledge with anyone willing to learn. I think you will find that their wisdom is shared in abundance when you attend these functions and meet with them.

If it were not for the help I received from other writers, I would have quit long ago. However, my writer friends and colleagues encourage, instruct, gently lead, and are passionate about writing. And their enthusiasm is contagious. Without their help and zeal for writing, I would have still been struggling and not much further along than when I began.

During one of the regular monthly meetings at the Society of Children Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), one of the authors (she has over 85 books published) testified to the importance of attending conferences, workshops, and meetings. You would think someone of her caliber doesn’t need to attend writers’ functions any longer, but she does. A writer is never finished learning and should always be open to new ideas, concepts, approaches, and suggestions.

While attending the workshop she heard concepts she was well familiar with, but the speaker drove home points that made them fresh in her mind once again. And this same author rarely misses one of the SCBWI meetings. Why?

As I mentioned before, though writing is a solitary thing we do in the confines of our offices or home, we all need others to give us encouragement, strength, knowledge, input, and advice. One of the best places to find others willing to share their knowledge and advice is in writers’ Orgs.

1. Research the writers’ organizations to join, but make sure they fit with the type writing you wish to do. (Such as, fiction and non-fiction are worlds apart and are approached in a different manner. The same applies with children’s and adult literature, and so forth.)

2. Find a local writers’ group and join. (Quite a few of the U.S. writers’ organizations have chapters in larger cities.) If none is available in your area follow Step 3. (Step 2. could also be in addition to joining an area group. But don’t allow joining too many groups interfere with your writing.)

3. Join an online workshop and/or critique group, especially if no writers’ groups are available in your area. But do your research and maybe ask other writers what they know of the organization or individuals offering on-line courses.

4. Join a writer’s organization. There are quite a few excellent national organizations that have wonderful writers’ conferences each year. Plus the larger organizations will have helpful writing information, articles, publisher’s market information, even local chapters in the larger cities around the U.S. and many other things to further the writer’s career listed on their Website.

5. Attend writing conferences. The more knowledge, the better writer. Conferences offer in-depth studies and classes to the craft of writing. Another plus for attending national conferences, as a rule, publishing editors and agents attend and you are allotted a small increment of time to present your MS. Many unpublished writers have received publishing contracts as a direct result of attending a conference.

6. Writing workshops or mentoring classes is another avenue to pursue. Whenever a visiting author is in your area offering a workshop, if at all possible, you need to take advantage of it. They are relatively inexpensive because you have no long distance travel or motel to pay, just the drive to and from, sometimes lunch, and cost of the workshop. Also, the authors have been there done that. The knowledge you gain is invaluable. Generally, you are able to ask questions about the course being presented and sometimes they offer hands-on writing or exercises or personal critiques of your work.

The more writer’s meetings you attend, the more you learn, the more you get connected. And if you apply what has been taught to your writing, you can’t help but become a better writer.

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