On Writing

I enjoy writing, and obviously I have an interest in doing it or I wouldn't be blogging, but I am always looking to learn more about the craft of writing. I attend a writer's workshop that meets monthly nearby to where I live. The teacher is a published author and a college professor, Barbara Novack. She is very supportive of all of the members of the group and extremely helpful and informative. Barbara is wonderful at helping you when you feel stuck, editing when you need it and pointing you to places you might not have thought about to submit your work for publication. The other writers are a very talented group of people with diverse interests. I find everyone to be so supportive of one another, which is really lovely. Even if the genre I write in isn't what interests someone else, they are always thoughtful and helpful in response to my work.

In addition to the workshop, I enjoy reading books about writing. Someone from the writer's workshop had recommended Stephen King's 'On Writing' and I have been reading that the past few days. I have to say that Stephen King is not the type of author I usually read, but he makes some very interesting points about writing itself, and of course he is an enormously successful author, so he has a lot of valuable experience to share.

Another book I really enjoyed was written by a local author, Carol Hoenig, who came to speak to our writer's group about how to market your writing. She has written a beautiful novel, 'Without Grace' as well as a non-fiction book for writer's trying to get their book into reader's hands, 'The Author's Guide to Planning Book Events'. It has some of the most creative ways I have seen to target your audience and plan events that will get your book noticed and purchased.

Lastly, I read on a whim a tiny book by Scholastic titled, 'Conversations With J.K. Rowling' thinking it would be interesting to learn more about the author of the Harry Potter series. Although the book is clearly aimed at a young audience, it too had some useful information for fledgling writers. I read and loved the Harry Potter series, so I enjoyed learning more about Ms. Rowling and her experience with writing and becoming published.

Of course the very best thing for anyone who writes to do, beyond the actual writing, is to read! I love to read and find so many authors inspirational. If you are lucky enough to have a writer's group nearby, I encourage you to take part. If you can't find a group in your area, you can probably find one on-line, although I am partial to meeting in person with flesh and blood individuals myself!