Tonight was the inaugural meeting of the Huntsville/Madison County Public Library Downtown Writer’s Group. There were nine people in attendance. We discussed what we expected to get out of the meetings and heard about the planned program for out next meeting. We outlined some ground rules for the critique sessions. Then we sat around and talked informally. It was exhilarating to meet and take with people that had similar interests to me.
I first heard about this group at the “Thank Goodness It’s Over” luncheon that was held by the regional volunteers of the NaNoWriMo organization. The library had hosted “write ins” where participants in NaNoWriMo could come and work on their novels and hang out with other writers. I didn’t make it to any of the write ins but I did make it to the luncheon.
One of the perks of the luncheon was some free books that were donated to the group. Everyone got one and the book that I got was entitled “Imager” by L. E. Modesitt, Jr. It turned out to be a well written fantasy novel. It takes place in a school for wizards and was set in a world that reminded me of nineteenth century Italy with a well thought out system of magic that revolves around the wizard’s ability to manifest matter from matter in the environment through sheer force of will. I plan to read the rest of the novels in the series.
I also heard about several online resources that I hadn’t come across before. One of them, Scribophile, is a source of online support for writers. You read and critique other’s works to earn karma points that can be spent to upload your own works for others to critique.
I am excited about participating in the group. I’m also excited to have met some like minded people. It was a fantastic ending to a rather hectic day.
Sweet dreams, don’t forget to tell the ones you love that you love them, and most important of all, be kind.