posted
I joined one locally that advertised as part of a nearby writer's centre. I attended for a few weeks, but decided that it was a little frustrating - most of the writers were writing their biographies, were thirty years older than me (and I'm no spring chicken) and/or were at a very early stage in learning the craft.
From talking to the facilitator (who is a university creative writing lecturer) I think I'd have gotten more joy from uni courses - and the groups that tend to form out them.
I'm slightly jealous of those that do find great in-person groups as a result
posted
I have never belonged to a real live group but I have seriously considered it. An organization here, that used to form such groups, seems to have gone out of business...they also had a killer writing conference every year but the price was a killer. Editors and publishers were there and they wanted you to bring your manuscript. Even though they seemed to be heavy on romance, David Brin was the last main speaker.
Anyway, like I said they seem to have gone out of business just when I had the money to go. So I'm not sure where to find a writing group or now if I would want to take the time to join one. It would depend on how far along the other writers were.
posted
The title of your post and Ben's response has given me an idea for a story called *The Unspeakable Club*, in which a group of aspiring undead writers form a workshop. The protagonist is frustrated because of the lack of creativity of the members. The newbies (newdies?) think their recent death is the most important thing that ever happened, and want to write their memoirs. The ancients are old fogies who are trying to show they can move with the times (but are failing).
The club has a rule: anybody who starts a sentence with "When I was alive..." is banished until he writes a thirteen line epitaph, sends it to an agent, and gets a request to see more. Mesmerism isn't allowed, but of course everyone cheats.
Yeah matt. I agree write it. I recall one story I read with kinda that idea, it was a newly dead guy lamenting on how difficult it was to date. But yours sounds deeper.
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