Women’s Daily Post writer’s group
Women’s Daily Post has several groups of women who meet monthly: the Writer’s Group, Transitions Group and the Women Business Owners Group. We get questions about what the groups are like, what their purpose is, and how the meetings are run, so we are using this morning’s Writer’s Group to give you a better idea.
The Writer’s Group has such a dedicated core of members, it has earned the nickname the O. G. (Original Gangsta!) Writer’s Group. It meets monthly on a Friday morning at Taylor Royall, 6247 Falls Road. The group is limited to 10 participants, so everyone has a chance to share and learn. As always, today’s group was a blend – published and not-yet published fiction and non-fiction book authors, and a screenwriter.
The meeting began with 5-minute updates from everyone about where their projects stand – hopefully sharing some great news, and telling the group what they need from the group.
today, bridget Pearce had the most exciting news.
Bridget brought the galley of her first book, Detached, which is coming out in June. Detached is a memoir about Bridget’s childhood growing up with a crack-addicted mother, and finding her way out of an abusive home. She’s done everything right and has scheduled interviews, book signings and talks about her book when it comes out.
Shannon has an idea about a book she would like to write about a critical period in her daughter’s illness. She hasn’t started to put it on paper yet, but she did work on something that every writer needs. She has turned an attic space into her writing room – fresh coat of paint!
Marlene Trestman always impresses with her thoroughness and organization. She brought her very thick working binder for her next book – a history of the orphanage in New Orleans where she and the subject of her first book, Fair Labor Lawyer, grew up. Since it must be 100% historically accurate, the amount of detail she has to include in her notes to back up every fact in the book is astonishing. Her first book, Fair Labor Lawyer, will come out in a paperback edition this fall.
Debra Diamond is the best-selling author of Diary of a Death Doula. She is contemplating ideas for her third book and got some feedback from the group members.
Kimberly Skyrme has worked in the TV and film industry as a casting director, an acting teacher, and in production. The Writer’s Group was her impetus to create a course for actors to learn more about storytelling. And she is considering writing a book about communication skills from the perspective of an acting teacher.
Susan Weis-Bohlen’s first book, Ayurvedic Beginner’s Guide, has sold 20,000 copies! She is writing a new book, Seasonal Self-Care Rituals, coming out in June. Susan shared a lot about a fabulous writers retreat that she just attended, The Gateless Writers Retreat in Florida. Hmm, has us thinking about a retreat.
Tina Marie Palmer hasn’t quite decided how she wants to approach the idea she has for a book. But coming to the Writer’s Group is helping her put it together.
A women’s daily post book is in the works!
And Hannah Rodewald and Betsy Goodhue are starting on a book that combines the practice of bullet journaling with journaling life lessons and life coaching. Only six pages in, but it’s a start.
After everyone talked about where they are and got some good suggestions and advice, we used the next hour to answer each other’s questions about writing devices, advances and grants, cottage industries that are servicing self-publishing, and where each of us prefers to write. One topic that interests most of the members is what outside help to get. A developmental editor? A publicist, and if so, do you pay for a whole project or just hourly mentoring? What software is best to help structure your writing? Susan got some advice on adding call-out boxes or highlighting color boxes to emphasize important points in her book. And Marlene gave a great analogy for pulling a manuscript together: she describes it as starting with a watery soup and turning it into a thick gumbo!
The time flew by and left all of us with a lot to digest.
As we said, the Writer’s Group is kept small enough to be of genuine help to the ones who come – like all our groups, reserve your spot asap. A new group is forming to meet once a month at a Baltimore County location in Timonium or Hunt Valley (TBD). If you are interested in joining that group, email hannahkeys@msn.com, and we will make sure to keep you in the loop as we finalize the details.
