Hi everyone, I'm Bridgid!
I recently dropped out of grad school and moved from New York back to Ohio because of family circumstances. While I'd have to admit that I don't miss being told what to read and what to write (and, worse, by when), I do miss having friends nearby who were interested in reading and writing. We'd meet at least twice a month for "writing group," where we'd work on writing exercises and activities and then share our work with each other.
Since I moved, I've been trying out different ways to recreate the sort of camaraderie we had (or rather, have - the only difference being that I'm not physically there to appreciate it anymore). It's one thing to be able to submit work and get feedback, but it matters more if you know who you're dealing with. I didn't like reviewfuse and I didn't have success with craigslist to organize actual writing meetings, but this forum seems like it's worth a shot. I've been lurking for a little while, so I hope I know what's going on by now.
I've written several short stories, (very few) poems, a few personal essays, two or three nonfiction pieces and several false-starts to at least two different novels. I have two main goals: to be published beyond school-affiliated literary magazines, and to produce a portfolio in order to apply to an MFA program, hopefully for next spring or fall.
I also really enjoy reading other writer's work as it develops. I think it might be an aftereffect of working five years at a college writing center (that also might account for my love of correct grammar, spelling, and word usage).
I recently dropped out of grad school and moved from New York back to Ohio because of family circumstances. While I'd have to admit that I don't miss being told what to read and what to write (and, worse, by when), I do miss having friends nearby who were interested in reading and writing. We'd meet at least twice a month for "writing group," where we'd work on writing exercises and activities and then share our work with each other.
Since I moved, I've been trying out different ways to recreate the sort of camaraderie we had (or rather, have - the only difference being that I'm not physically there to appreciate it anymore). It's one thing to be able to submit work and get feedback, but it matters more if you know who you're dealing with. I didn't like reviewfuse and I didn't have success with craigslist to organize actual writing meetings, but this forum seems like it's worth a shot. I've been lurking for a little while, so I hope I know what's going on by now.
I've written several short stories, (very few) poems, a few personal essays, two or three nonfiction pieces and several false-starts to at least two different novels. I have two main goals: to be published beyond school-affiliated literary magazines, and to produce a portfolio in order to apply to an MFA program, hopefully for next spring or fall.
I also really enjoy reading other writer's work as it develops. I think it might be an aftereffect of working five years at a college writing center (that also might account for my love of correct grammar, spelling, and word usage).
