I belong to a whole bunch of writing organizations. I’m also considering the possibility of joining at least one other.
Yikes!
Am I an addict? Not to joining things, but I’ll admit addiction to the camaraderie, networking and information I glean from each of them.
Which am I talking about? Well, I currently belong to the Romance Writers of America, and to two local chapters: Los Angeles Romance Authors and the Orange County Chapter. I belong to the Mystery Writers of America and its Southern California Chapter. I belong to Sisters in Crime, and to its Southern California Chapter. And, I belong to the Thriller Writers of America.
I’m definitely not addicted to paying dues, but I do so anyway for most of the organizations--and additionally for most of their chapters to which I belong.
I’m also a lawyer and pay bar dues. That’s different from my writing but is a necessity for my other career.
I attend meetings, too. Time consuming? Yes, especially since, as I mentioned, I belong to four local chapters of various organizations. But I don’t go to every meeting, only those where I think I’ll get helpful information from the speaker. Although I do sometimes attend just because I want to meet with fellow writers, compare experiences, get out and about with friends.
Is it all worth it? It is to me. For one thing, I owe my first book sale, indirectly, to Romance Writers of America and my attendance at one of its national conventions. I still go to many RWA National annual conferences and always find them great for networking and more.
I spend a lot of time in front of my computer, so seeing flesh-and-blood people now and then, besides family, is a good thing.
There are plenty of other writing organizations that intrigue me, too. But some restraint is necessary here. Maybe.
What about you--do you belong to any professional organizations, writing or otherwise? What do you like about them most? Any dislikes?
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7 comments:
I was a member of MWA for some years (until that recent brouhaha) and am a member of Sisters in Crime. I was a founding member of their Oahu, HI, chapter and can’t wait to move back to rejoin that group of awesome writers. I love the camaraderie and the creative energy. It was easy to feel isolated on Hawaii; joining SinC was a great way of meeting like-minded folks. Not only did I make friends, but we had some really fantastic guest speakers.
Nadja
I really enjoy SinC too, Nadja. In fact, I was at the most recent meeting of the L.A. chapter on Sunday--and learned a lot!
MWA, SinC, two quilt guilds, San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles. I think that's it. My groups are invaluable. Having peers who 'get' me is the best.
They all sound like great groups, wonderful resources, Terri!
I belong to MWA, SinC, RWA and the California Writers Club. I didn't renew my membership to SCWBI this year.
I also belong to the Crochet Guild of America.
Hi,
I belong to SCBWI, RWA & LARA. And then several online writing loops. I've made great friends throughout the years.
Oh, and I'm a member of a fabulous critique group!
I agree that your critique group is the greatest, Janie!
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