Networking in a new time zone...

[Mevrouw Bee]

So back in 2020, after 16 years living in Holland with my Dutch husband, I returned to Canada with great plans to re-establish myself, then sponsor him.

And we know what happened in 2020!

I ended up not working and being a caregiver for my parents. Mom died in 2020 and Dad last weekend.

During this time, thanks to Dad offering me a "room of one's own" and the financial support, I wrote a novel and started querying in exchange for keeping him company, then caregiving as cancer weakened him. Connected to a huge network of North American writers online including the WFWA...

...and now? Being 61 with a huger employment gap than when I arrived almost 3 years ago, I've decided to go back to Holland and keep writing.

That means I'll be six hours ahead of where I am now and living in a non-English country. I host Zoom writing sprints for a mentor of mine that I can still do as they occur earlier in the day, but some Zoom connections will be tricky to maintain as they occur at 1 or 2 in the morning Dutch time.

So I'm seeking a new European writing network! My Dutch is dodgy at best (Enough to pass the mandatory exams but...I'll have to resume lessons upon my return) so I'm seeking out English writing groups (online or local in-person) on the mainland or UK & Ireland. I've seen a few on the Meetup website, but can anybody across the pond recommend some? I write women's historical fiction more on the commercial side, but I'm open to general writing groups or even romance writers. Pure SFF groups are probably not for me...but beggars can't be choosers, I realize...

Thank you! Bedankt!

 

[Janine R]

So back in 2020, after 16 years living in Holland with my Dutch husband, I returned to Canada with great plans to re-establish myself, then sponsor him.

And we know what happened in 2020!

I ended up not working and being a caregiver for my parents. Mom died in 2020 and Dad last weekend.

During this time, thanks to Dad offering me a "room of one's own" and the financial support, I wrote a novel and started querying in exchange for keeping him company, then caregiving as cancer weakened him. Connected to a huge network of North American writers online including the WFWA...

...and now? Being 61 with a huger employment gap than when I arrived almost 3 years ago, I've decided to go back to Holland and keep writing.

That means I'll be six hours ahead of where I am now and living in a non-English country. I host Zoom writing sprints for a mentor of mine that I can still do as they occur earlier in the day, but some Zoom connections will be tricky to maintain as they occur at 1 or 2 in the morning Dutch time.

So I'm seeking a new European writing network! My Dutch is dodgy at best (Enough to pass the mandatory exams but...I'll have to resume lessons upon my return) so I'm seeking out English writing groups (online or local in-person) on the mainland or UK & Ireland. I've seen a few on the Meetup website, but can anybody across the pond recommend some? I write women's historical fiction more on the commercial side, but I'm open to general writing groups or even romance writers. Pure SFF groups are probably not for me...but beggars can't be choosers, I realize...

Thank you! Bedankt!

Sorry to hear that your dad has died. Hugs

 

[Elenitsa]

My condolences! Have you thought about trying NaNoWriMo? They have writers groups in all countries, and both NL and UK are present.

 

[dickson]

I ended up not working and being a caregiver for my parents. Mom died in 2020 and Dad last weekend.
…
So I'm seeking a new European writing network! My Dutch is dodgy at best (Enough to pass the mandatory exams but...I'll have to resume lessons upon my return) so I'm seeking out English writing groups (online or local in-person) on the mainland or UK & Ireland. I've seen a few on the Meetup website, but can anybody across the pond recommend some? I write women's historical fiction more on the commercial side, but I'm open to general writing groups or even romance writers. Pure SFF groups are probably not for me...but beggars can't be choosers, I realize...

I am sorry for your losses.

The best of luck to you in finding a new writing network. I hope we still hear from you from time to time.

 

[Mevrouw Bee]

My condolences! Have you thought about trying NaNoWriMo? They have writers groups in all countries, and both NL and UK are present.

I've done (and won!) NaNo three years in a row. This is the first year I've had to say no...the estate has to be settled...the house sold...I have to ship my life back to Holland. Pretty much by myself as retired Big Brother, the Executor, who lives one province over, told me today he can only fly to town for four days because he's flying to Cancun for vacation!

Yay! Whee! Yahoo!

 

[Mevrouw Bee]

I am sorry for your losses.

The best of luck to you in finding a new writing network. I hope we still hear from you from time to time.

I'll still be here! Forums are a lifeline when you're in a wonky time zone!

 

[Helix]

I'll still be here! Forums are a lifeline when you're in a wonky time zone!

"nods in Australian*

 

[Mevrouw Bee]

Aaaaaaaaaahhhh...I leave Canada for Rotterdam today after spending three weeks in Toronto with my adult son.

See you on the other side of pond in a week (not travel time but jetlag recovery time!)...

 

[TMarsh]

Hi @Mevrouw Bee. I'm also looking for a new writing group. I'm from Ireland but recently moved to the UK. I'm looking for a writing group here, but I'm also searching for online groups in case I don't find any in my city. It's hard - I've been mainly checking MeetUp but all the events have limited spaces and they fill up quick. I'll let you know if I find something during my search!

 

[Mevrouw Bee]

Hi @Mevrouw Bee. I'm also looking for a new writing group. I'm from Ireland but recently moved to the UK. I'm looking for a writing group here, but I'm also searching for online groups in case I don't find any in my city. It's hard - I've been mainly checking MeetUp but all the events have limited spaces and they fill up quick. I'll let you know if I find something during my search!

Writers HQ does regular weekend retreats in select UK cities that I might look into. And I have a couple of writer friends in Wales that want to do a meetup this year. I met them through the Writers Flow Studio (and the First Book Finish program) run my a mentor of mine, Rhonda Douglas. She's based in Ottawa but our writing sprints (of which I host three) attract members from all over the world. Worth checking out in lieu of in-person events!

 

[TMarsh]

Writers HQ does regular weekend retreats in select UK cities that I might look into. And I have a couple of writer friends in Wales that want to do a meetup this year. I met them through the Writers Flow Studio (and the First Book Finish program) run my a mentor of mine, Rhonda Douglas. She's based in Ottawa but our writing sprints (of which I host three) attract members from all over the world. Worth checking out in lieu of in-person events!

Amazing, thanks for all the info!