Starting a local writing group

Here it is, almost three months of 2015 gone and I haven't done much blogging here other than my regularly scheduled posts. Wow! So sorry, not sure what happened but time sure got away from me.

My biggest accomplishment has been starting a local support group for writers. There has been one or two active groups but they were strictly critique groups. I attended a couple of meetings before deciding that wasn't what I was looking for.

I chose a meeting place, picked a regular schedule (1st and 3rd Wed of every month) and posted a notice in two of the local email newsletters as well as several local Facebook groups. I got a surprising number of responses. We currently have over 30 newsletter subscribers and close to 2/3 of that number have been to one of the first two meetings.

We have quite a diverse group of members, several from scientific backgrounds, PhD's, memoir writers, mystery, science fiction and children's books are all represented as well as other more spiritual areas.

We now have a website and a Facebook group and so far everyone seems positive. We open with brief introductions, move to either a speaker on a specific topic or open Q&A. Then we move to a writing hour (or more if no speaker or short Q&A).

I have heard from one member who was thrilled that her writer's block was gone, she hadn't written since the untimely death of her grandson last July. Another almost finished up a column he needed to get written. I managed almost 2000 words on my middle school short story that has been languishing.

All in all, the experience has been quite positive.

Oh, and I will try to post more often...honest!