Lately, I’ve been getting much more heavily involved in the writing community near Rochester, MN. While there are a lot of writers and writing groups in the area, we suffer from several problems:
- Lack of communication between the groups
- Slow propagation of knowledge about events in the area
- Not enough networking events in the area
It seems ironic that writers should have such a hard time communicating with each other.
The problem is that writers tend to be solitary creatures by nature. When we’re practicing our craft, we tend to toil away, tapping at keyboards or scratching at paper. The work doesn’t lend itself well to networking with others.
It isn’t until we’re finished with a particular piece that we tend to seek out others. And then, just as often, we don’t know where to turn.
So what are we doing about it?
A couple of other leaders of groups in the area and I are joining forces to change this. We want to move from having writing groups to creating a vibrant writing community. Currently we’re looking at enhancing an existing writing conference to include more opportunities, and to serve as a catalyst for inspiring success for writers in our area.
I’ll post updates and lessons learned as they happen. Watch this space–I expect to report exciting developments soon!