Writers groups?

It seems a lot of different writers have a lot of different opinions about working together with each other. Some genre writers tend to bond together quite naturally, while others... don't.

I've yet to meet a more supportive bunch than the lovely down under romance writers (RWAus/RWNZ). I have yet to see a bitching match or sk\lugfest or even a single troll on either of their e-loops. Even the critique group (where I've been woefully inactive lately) is always friendly and supportive (which is not to say easy-going and happy-happy we-love-yous).
It's a very mature mindset in a lot of ways and the support is genuine and helpful.

In contrast, all chick lit groups I belong to have a much higher level of snark and pettiness to them. maybe it's the writing that draws a certain kind of character, but it seems that amongst chick lit writers, bad emotions are more rampant. there is more jealousy, cat fighting and name calling. Advice and arguments get taken out of context and get out of hand, with basically one woman telling another to just shut up/stop putting in her opinion. It makes me wonder.

Do you belong to a group of writers (not a pesonal small group but, say, a special interest e-loop/mailing list/etc)? What's the overall vibe there? How are discussions held? How are other people's successes received? is there a difference between successes from within the group in contrast to outside? is there a lot of lively discussion? How snarky/cynical does it get?

If you belong to more than one group, how do they compare?

Migrating Journals

I've finally gotten around to setting this baby up properly. Form now on until I get sick of one or the other, I'll post my bloggings both on Livejournal and here. I've also added some backlog to this journal so it's not too lonely and empty-looking. Yay!

Editing is going slowly

I'm only editing at the moment, and it's been slow going. But the good news is that I'm getting used to the process. in the beginning, it took me a good 3 pages to get back into what I was doing (and not just slash and burn). Now I can almost get into it straight away. Which could be because the story is better here than at the start or because I'm getting better at editing.
Either way, I'm making headway. I'm halfway through the chicklit. once I'm through and have typed up/written the changes, I'm going to work on making it a Podiobook. I'm very excited about this.

In other news, I've finished the first draft of Category #2 and am already itching to write the next project. but only after the editing for the chicklit is finished. Then I'll start writing and will be ina nice rhythm between writing, rsting and editing my MSes. And hopefully, I'll have two pieces to take to the conference in August. if I can afford to go.
I sooooo want to go! I've got the money for the conference and the flight, so all I have to save up for is the room and food. Doable, I think. I hope.

Progress

Editing and typing up make me long to write. I suppose that's a good sign, but editing is important. The chicklit MS needs so much work though. it's been resting for too long, and I feel like just abandoning it and starting over. maybe with the same characters and situation, but a huge rewrite. but I'm sticking to it. I need to learn editing, and the worse the draft, the more I can learn.

At leasty having more red than black on the page means I've improved as a writer since the last time I looked at the thing. Hopefully.

Writing Future

Due to more PR delays, I find myself with much more writing time than expected. But it's drawing to a close, and it's time to knuckle down before Real Life (tm) tries to invade.
I failed Everyday Life at uni. Says so much, doesn't it?

So here's my plan:

End of this week (aka my birthday):

* first draft of Category MS2 typed up

* Chicklit MS1 edited on paper

* new project outlined (Category MS3)



End of next week (aka Anzac Day):

* type up changes for Chicklit MS1

* write query letter for said Chicklit & compile list of agents

* print Cat MS2 for editing

* start Cat MS3



End of the following week (aka End of the Month):

* send out Chicklit MS1 to agents

* edit Cat MS2 on paper

* finish first draft of Cat MS3



tentative plan for May (depending how everything develops visa-wise etc):

* start Chicklit MS2

* run Cat MS2 through crit group

* edit CatMS3

* find new project (Category MS4)



Hey, at least you can't call me lazy with a plan like that! And if you work hard, the rewards will come. I need to get as much stuff as far into editability as possible. Without pages written, there's nothing to edit. Without an edited MS, you can't shop your work around. Without shopping around, you can't get published. if you can't get published, you have to work for a living!
There's motivation.

Creative Machine

I've written two short stories I was going to enter in the RWNZ Autumn Short Stories competition. I think one of them is probably quite suitable for them. unfortunately, there just isn't enough money to send it out. I can jsutify spending money on contests if it could in theory further my writing career by getting parts of my MSes in front of editors or agents, but I don't intend to make a living off short stories (especially since I'm not a huge fan of theirs, either reading or writing), so there really isn't much point. I would also only have a very limited interest in feedback. So I'm not entering it. Too bad, its' sort of sweet.

Instead, i focused on typing up my latest MS today, which I had finished in longhand last week (or was it the week before that?). i've only typed up 8 MS pages so far, but hey, it's still good. I'm using my voice recognition softare, and it's still a bit of an uphill battle. Buuut what can you do?
I'm also editing Book 1, and that's sweating blood at a stronger than usual rate. Whenever I really feel like giving up (again), I figure out some small thin or read one salvagable paragraph that makes me keep going. I love the story, and I lvoe the heroine. i'm not ready to give up on the book quite yet. I've canned the first two chapters (again, so that's the first four chapters in the scrap pile), and I think I finally have something that might be able to beocme a strong opening. openings are hard. i spend probably as long on the first three chapters as I do on all the rest of the book combined, and on the first page almost the same time again. nothing is as important as a good first page.

And with that, I'm back to my not-first-page part of editing.

Short Stories are hard

I don't know how people do it, but I find short stories insanely difficult. Or rather, I find the ideas for short stories hard. I have about half a million ideas suitable to chapters, people, novels, series, you name it. But a succinct, poignant short story idea that captures some moment of ... something? Nope. Got nothing. Which doesn't stop me from entering the Romance Writers of New Zealand Short Stories competitions. If you never write outside your comfort zone, you don't get anywhere, and I'm sort of between books at the moment anyway (meaning I don't feel like editing much, and it's slooooooooooow going).

Now, to find that little gem...