writing circles, events and getting to know people

Windcutter · Apr 11, 2014

This question might sound a bit stupid (or more than a bit), but please bear with me. I’ve been reading some stuff and I realized (well, not for the first time ever, but this time it stuck with me) that a lot of published (well-established) authors (especially in the same genre) seem to know each other pretty well and quite often personally. Not just "Bob writes in my genre and I'll probably recognize his face if I randomly meet him somewhere" but something like "Lucy, Bob, Alice, Kim and I are the top five bestselling authors of Genre X and I know each of them well enough to hang out with when I come to town."

The question is, how does it happen? I know… RWA, SFWA and creative writing courses… right here we have different published authors, too, but that doesn’t seem enough. A lot of actors, for example, also know each other, but that kind of occupation requires quite a lot of public exposure. You meet an insane amount of people if you are an actively working professional.

But novelists… apart from book tours, there doesn’t seem to be much of anything in the way of events, especially if one doesn’t live in NY. Are there some secret mingling places where you get to hang once you sign a contract or something?

Torgo · Apr 11, 2014

Windcutter said:
This question might sound a bit stupid (or more than a bit), but please bear with me. I’ve been reading some stuff and I realized (well, not for the first time ever, but this time it stuck with me) that a lot of published (well-established) authors (especially in the same genre) seem to know each other pretty well and quite often personally. Not just "Bob writes in my genre and I'll probably recognize his face if I randomly meet him somewhere" but something like "Lucy, Bob, Alice, Kim and I are the top five bestselling authors of Genre X and I know each of them well enough to hang out with when I come to town."

The question is, how does it happen? I know… RWA, SFWA and creative writing courses… right here we have different published authors, too, but that doesn’t seem enough. A lot of actors, for example, also know each other, but that kind of occupation requires quite a lot of public exposure. You meet an insane amount of people if you are an actively working professional.

But novelists… apart from book tours, there doesn’t seem to be much of anything in the way of events, especially if one doesn’t live in NY. Are there some secret mingling places where you get to hang once you sign a contract or something?

I think it's conventions, and sales conferences, and festivals, events, and the various other ways authors can end up in one place.

a) You are an SF novelist (say) and you meet people in SF fandom at conventions
b) You are published by Megaglobal Publishers Inc, and you meet at Megaglobal's sales conference
c) You are booked at the Edinburgh or Hay festivals, in the UK, or in whatever heathen colonial versions exist overseas
d) You are both shortlisted for $GenreAward and meet at the awards ceremony, seething with unspoken resentment

And increasingly

e) You follow each other on Twitter and eventually contrive some reason to get drunk with each other

juniper · Apr 11, 2014

Windcutter said:
that a lot of published (well-established) authors (especially in the same genre) seem to know each other pretty well and quite often personally. Not just "Bob writes in my genre and I'll probably recognize his face if I randomly meet him somewhere" but something like "Lucy, Bob, Alice, Kim and I are the top five bestselling authors of Genre X and I know each of them well enough to hang out with when I come to town."

I think maybe well-known authors appreciate being in the company of similar other writers. That way they don't deal with the entry-level questions ("Where do you get your ideas?") and can discuss agents, book deals, etc with people who have actual experience.

There are many writing groups in the city where I live, but there's one that's famous for having the, uh, famous authors in it. It's probably by invite only. I've read about it in the local paper and heard some about it at local events.

http://www.oregonlive.com/books/index.ssf/2010/06/chuck_palahniuk_chelsea_cain_a.html

Windcutter said:
there doesn’t seem to be much of anything in the way of events, especially if one doesn’t live in NY.

Unless you live in a small town away from a metro area, I'll bet there are multiple writing related events going on somewhat near you. Bookstores (there are still Real Life bookstores in many places!) have signings and readings, pubs have poetry nights, colleges have writing groups and weekend festivals, many places have regional writers' groups with weekly meetings and annual conferences, MeetUp.com is place to find groups in your area, etc.

They may not have the cache of a book signing at a bookstore in Manhattan or an expensive writers' retreat, but it will help you make some local connections.

But writing is usually a solitary experience. So yeah, you might have to make an effort to meet others.

DeleyanLee · Apr 11, 2014

Don't count internet forums like AW short either. I've met many big name authors on various places on the Internet and got to know them well enough to hang with them when we were at the same convention--and I'm not a big name either. Good real-life friendships can start in places like this.

Michael Davis · Apr 13, 2014

Suggest you join a local writers group. They often announce their presence in local papers. Made a ton of author friends that way. We even do signings together. Also meet writers by joining blogs with an existing cadre. Try it.

Maggie Maxwell · Apr 13, 2014

Michael Davis said:
Suggest you join a local writers group. They often announce their presence in local papers. Made a ton of author friends that way. We even do signings together. Also meet writers by joining blogs with an existing cadre. Try it.

Local papers and Meetup.com. I've joined up with a great local group from there. I've also straight-up contacted a local writer for lunch, but only because she straight-up recommended doing that in a writing book and was open to being contacted herself. She invited me to an RWA meetup from there, and another member of the RWA told me about the local group on Meetup.com.

Lillith1991 · Apr 13, 2014

What section of the paper would you find this in?

Filigree · Apr 14, 2014

Classified pages, if they still have 'em. Meetup and Craigslist may also show writers' groups, if you are willing to slog through the more questionable listings.

Another way is to Google 'Your local area' + writers' groups. Local SFF cons and their websites may host or link to genre groups. So will the local community colleges.

Observe local writing support groups kindly but with skepticism before you jump in and swear eternal loyalty. Of the seven or eight groups I've seen over the years, three were essentially founded as cheerleading fanclubs for one author, one was full of hipsters more in love with the idea of writing than the actual process, one had coalesced around uni creative writing students who couldn't grasp why the world hadn't given them a MacArthur grant yet, and two or three more were professional chapters with high dues but great perks.

Jamesaritchie · Apr 14, 2014

Check your local library. Writers love libraries, and writing groups meet at libraries soften. They also post notes and flyers there. If your library contains no information about local writing groups, there probably are none.

writing circles, events and getting to know people

Windcutter

Torgo

Formerly Phantom of Krankor.

juniper

Always curious.

DeleyanLee

Writing Anarchist

Michael Davis

Maggie Maxwell

Making Einstein cry since 1994

Lillith1991

The Hobbit-Vulcan hybrid

Filigree

Mildly Disturbing

Jamesaritchie