More thoughts about writing & writing groups

Dear all;

Have being putting a bit more thought into my previous
posting about write Out Loud.

Certainly working as a writer now for the past few years
within a few writing groups, it is quite worrying when you
look at some writing groups that have being going for a few
years and the way they start looking at other groups with a
feeling of elitism.

When I was working with 24 Hour Arty People,

(this group http://www.myspace.com/24hourartypeople

NOT this group

http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=17229507415

who I hope to work with soon on a project), The person
who I won’t name who used to run it used to do nothing
but slag Write Out Loud off in particular towards the end off
it when it became little more than a sour joke.

Speaking from a personal perspective, certainly back
then it came close to clouding my judgement even
though I had never had any direct dealings with them
personally.

After I left 24 Hour Arty People at the end off 2007 /
start off 2008, I decided to look at things from a different
angle with the replacement group for 24 Hour arty people,
Trio Writers (which didn’t include that name-less person)
and to broaden my own social horizons, so out of interest
I decided to set up a page on Write Out Loud under my
pen name and I did some really interesting networking
there.

In 2008, although the membership for Trio Writers has
not being large, all members at Trio Writers have expanded
their horizons appearing at other nights, for example
Freed Up Poets which is a monthly poet event in Manchester

That itself I think is a important lesson when you are
A writer – you have to keep networking – something
some writing groups tend not to do and after a while
being elitist and for me that is not the point behind
writing groups. For me a good writing group has to
be prepared to network and keep expanding it’s horizons
with it’s members and it’s work cause if you don’t
you’ll hit the problems that 24 Hour Arty People hit
where at the beginning off 2007, the group had about
eight regular members and another few that were in
and out, and because of bad management and judgement
by the person I ain't going to name, the group was
allowed to fizzle away.

I learnt a lesson from that.

Any reasonable writer should too.

Keep networking!

Andy N

(Photograph taken off me a long time ago doing a
poetry reading)