Writing Groups

Because I live much of my life painting pictures that interpret the words of others and because I read thousands of words in books every day, it is difficult to stay away from playing with words and writing myself. I can't help it. The more I read, draw, and paint, the more I need to write. 

When I wrote Winter is the Warmest Season, I wrote it in five days! I had just returned home from my first writer’s group meeting and went through my files of story ideas. I found a quote from my son about winter being warmer than summer and was entranced by his logic. I made lists of “warm” things in winter to get me started. I kept playing with different rhythms and phrases until they sang for me. It was fun, fast, and exciting. Especially when I knew I had a great ending-- whether you are writing or illustrating a picture book, endings are most important! And when I wrote the ending for Winter is the Warmest Season, I laughed out loud!  Those five days of writing were magical and unforgettable, but since then, stories come slower; a more normal pace. My wish for you is that a perfect story will suddenly whoosh into your imagination and when it does, be ready to write it down!

One of my favorite writing games to play with a group or all by myself is the word-bucket. To play all you have to do is become a collector of words. I collect my words in a small metal bucket. Every time I come across a word I love, I write it on a piece of paper and throw it in the bucket. When I play Word Bucket with a group, we each draw a word and make a list of the words drawn. The rules are to write a sentence, a poem, a story, or a novel using at least one of the words from the word bucket. You can do the writing altogether or you can take the words home and bring the writing back to the next meeting with you! When I play word bucket by myself, it is usually in the morning. I choose a word and start writing-- just following along where that word takes me. It is always surprising!

I began to take my writing seriously when I joined a writer’s group several years ago. My first group called themselves the Inkslingers, LTQ. We met every two weeks for three years, to share our writing and the ups and downs of being a writer. If I was feeling uncertain about my writing, an Inkslinger meeting was good medicine. Reading my writing out loud, constructive feedback, word games like The Word Bucket,(see below), envisioning the weeks ahead and reflecting on the weeks behind, and fantastic food were all a part of the Inkslingers!

I now have a writers’ group in Grand Marais, MN. We meet once a month early in the morning and have a delicious breakfast together. We share whatever we are working on, whether it is a story, an article, a novel, or early sketches from a picture book, good feed-back and good food are always welcome.

I also have a couple of online friends with whom I share my work and thoughts on writing. We try to get together face to face at least once a year. And when we do, good writing and good food are in abundance!

If you want to write, I recommend meeting with other writers from time to time for writing support and fun. I also recommend having good food to start your meeting. It brings great comfort and trust-- a must before sharing your work! Try starting your own writers’ group. When I started with my first writer’s group, the Inkslingers, my daughter and her friends were so inspired that they began their own writer’s group. They called themselves the Inklings.

What would you name your writer’s group if you started one?

Words are found everywhere and there are certain ones I love, like luminous, porcelain, humdrum, bellow, and tapioca. Sometimes it is an expression or a number of words together that I love, like will-o’-the-wisp, learn by heart, fly by night, and make-believe. Once that word or phrase is in my bucket, it feels safe. I will never lose it!