NEA WRITER’S GROUP

NEA WRITER’S GROUP

Last night was the first meeting of the North East Arkansas Writer’s Group.  I was excited and apprehensive at the same time.  I had an idea but was unsure if it would work or others might be interested in what I wanted to do and be a part of it.  I will start by sharing the introduction I wrote for what I hoped this group will be.

NEA Writers’s Group

We hope that by gathering together and sharing we might offer and receive encouragement, support, information and individual growth assisting us to accomplish our goals and make dreams come true  through discussions, readings, critiques, and assistance we may share and receive.   It is my desire that each person find something of interest and benefit from these meetings of friends reaching out to one another while sharing a common interest and goals.  If you love to write, want to write, are published or write for your own pleasure or just have an interest or want to share what you write this might be something you would enjoy.  We hope to form an interesting group that helps and opens doors

To organize and create something this versatile and yet be able to directly provide a program that is beneficial for the needs of the individuals involved is a challenge.  I will not say that I have all of the answers but I will say that I intend to try to the best of my ability to start something special.

I will also try to continue to write about all of this on this blog.  I thought about starting a separate blog specifically for the writers group but started the project of publishing my books as more than just a way to create a book you could hold in your hand.  I wanted it to be a way to reach out to others and this group is the same thing.  I want people to be able to reach out sharing and offering support, assistance and inspiration to one another.

I realize there will be many challenges and things done or not done that could have been done better or differently but I and we will try our best.

 As I write this, it is difficult to decide to use the word I, verses we.  I have a dream or desire for this project.  I want it to be we that is…we that do….we that are the driving factor….but I do understand there will have to be some format of meeting and direction to stay on tract with the objectives of assisting each in their own projects and writing.  

This is a big project even if it is a small group.  I hope to hear from others near and far.  I am no expert on anything but I am inspired and want to try to do something special.  I and we are learning as we go and hopefully learning from one another.  I think that is the key.  If we want to learn, grow, and be able to be and do more.... then we will.  If we believe we can and are willing to work and strive in our chosen objectives, then how can we fail when doing our best is success in its own right?  

We gathered together last night.  Our group was small.  Five individuals with five opinions and hopes for what could be or become.  They took the time to listen to my idea and each joined in sharing their own thoughts and feelings.  I think we have a good start.

One of my concerns is that I would not be able to physically do this.  When I say that I get tired it is a fearsome feeling of more than fatigue.  I did good.  I am getting better all the time and not going to give up.  My husband did go and drive so I did not have to worry if I got too tired.  He is so sweet as he supports my ideas and dreams showing pride and support.  9 PM may not sound late, but for me it can be.  We discussed what time would be best to meet and it still seems that 7 to 9 pm would be the best for the group.  It is difficult to meet earlier for many to get home from work and back for the meeting.  7 to 9 it seems it will be.

The next thing to decide is the day of the week.  Monday is a problem for several people that showed an interest but were unable to attend on that day.  We are going to try changing the day to Thursdays.  I had felt that once a month was all that I would be able to do until we found out how I actually did and what happened after the meeting.  (How tired would I really be?)  I did great.  We are tentatively planning to now meet twice a month on the first and third Thursday of the month and continue at Books A Million.

I came home excited and full of enthusiasm.  I thought if we met for the first meeting to make a definite plan of what the group would be and how we hope to accomplish the task of forming a writers group that could accomplish a more complex agenda of multiple projects and topics it would be plenty for the first meeting.  I actually enjoyed meeting the others and hearing what the interest, projects, backgrounds and expectations were.  We actually had one member who shared his most current project showing a compelling start to a fascinating story waiting to be written.

This will be no easy project to form and direct staying on tract but I think we have more than a chance to make this happen…we can make it real.