You have coffee. You have quiet time. And you have an idea that haunts you like a Shakespearean ghost. But then, you come up against it: the blank screen, the blinking cursor, and the sound of the clock as it ticks.
Anyone who has ever set out to author the great American novel, epic poem or piece of business prose knows that writing can be fraught with highs and lows that bring both pleasure and pain. Often isolating and more than occasionally excruciating, the art of writing keeps the writer coming back to reap the rewards of a story well told.
Despite popular belief, the road to writing doesn't always have to be paved with pain, neglect and rejection, particularly when others are taking the same journey.
"There's a misperception that writers are introverts or loners or that writing is a very isolating activity," says Louise Knott Ahern, a Lansing-based journalist and author. "Certainly it's you and the computer screen, but any professional writer will say they are driven by their support network just as much as someone would in any other career."
Knott Ahern is among the community of people who start, join or seek out writer groups. Two groups—one recently formed and one established—provide resources, structured camaraderie and gentle deadlines that can help their members put words on the page.
Capital City Writers
About a year ago when winter was just kicking in, Knott Ahern began reminiscing on her previous life in California. She had moved back to Lansing after living several years on the West Coast. And while she didn't miss everything about California, she did miss the writing circles and conferences common along the Pacific coastline.
Hopping on Facebook, Knott Ahern shouted out to her online friends. Did anyone know of a writer's conference she could attend? Was anyone else yearning to fine-tune his or her writing skills in the dead of winter? Did anyone want to form a writer's group and talk writing?
Her invitation got likes. And more likes. Soon she was making plans to meet at Schuler's in Okemos with a group of writer-type friends. Within a couple months, the group of about a half dozen writers was thinking bigger. Taking the name Capital City Writers and appointing a four-member board, the group envisioned workshops, laid out plans for conferences, and started a wish list of guest speakers.
In April 2013, the group held an open membership meeting at Troppo in downtown Lansing. They reserved the restaurant's fire pit area and began mixing and mingling. Within an hour of starting, prospective members were crowding the tiny space and lining up to learn more.
"We didn't expect it to grow so quickly," says Knott Ahern who serves as the group's president. "We really thought we would just limp along with 10 members. But that meeting showed exactly what we were hoping: that the Lansing area is full of really creative and successful people that we could tap into."
Within a year, Capital City Writers consisted of a core group of 25 members, including Knott Ahern and board members Lindsay VanHulle, Allison Monroe, Jodie Solari and Kelly Bungee Rogers. An annual membership fee of $40 supports various programs including speakers like Detroit thriller writer Karen Dionne and the first annual "Write on the Red Cedar" writer's retreat held in mid-January. The two-day retreat featured workshops and talks with headliner Chuck Sambuchino of Writer's Digest magazine, literary agent April Eberhardt, and several bestselling authors on topics such as indie publishing and the modern fantasy market.
The group holds monthly meetings and occasional writing blitzes at places like Espresso Royale and the Michigan State University Museum, while writing challenges like "Finish the Damn Book" encourage members to commit to their craft. Some activities like "1H1K"—or the "One-hour, 1,000-words" challenge—are facilitated on-line, with writers visiting a private Facebook page at a designated start time and reporting back 60 minutes later on what they achieved.
"The camaraderie of the group is great," says member Lori Nelson Spielman. "It's great to be surrounded by others who share the love of writing. Only another writer can understand the angst involved in pouring yourself into a story that you don't know will ever sell."
Nelson Spielman joined Capital Area Writers after Knott Ahern had invited her to talk about the process and success of "The Life List." Nelson Spielman's book charts a young woman's journey as she discovers she must complete the "life list" of goals she made when she was 14 before she can receive a family inheritance. Recently published by Bantam Random House, the book been so successful that Nelson Spielman is being prompted for a second by her agent.
"There's a lot more pressure this time," says Nelson Spielman. "So it's wonderful to be part of a writer's group who will always embrace me."
Peninsula Writers of Lansing
At least once a month, Everybody Reads, a bookstore on Lansing's East Side, provides a place where people can share what they write through an informal writer's group.
About a half dozen core members meet twice a month, finding a clearing between the stacks to discuss their creative works. Members take turns sharing individual short stories, novels, poetry, and other types of fiction, and then listen to feedback and critique from other writers in the group.
"When someone is done reading, they step back for a while as the group talks about what they just heard," says group member Matt Bliton. "We focus more on the response to the writing, rather than on grammatical editing."
Bliton came to the group several years ago after attending a retreat through the Peninsula Writers Group—a statewide organization that facilitates conferences and workshops for writers and writing educators.
"This group is basically an off-shoot of the Peninsula Writers," he explains. "I met some people there, and they said 'Hey, do you want to keep doing this in Lansing?' So we did."
Bliton says he primarily writes historical fiction, poetry and lyrics. He says the group offers him structure, support and inspiration, as well as deadlines.
Group member Bill Koons agrees.
"If I don't have anything to show at one of the meetings it looks bad," says Koons who taught creative writing at Lansing Community College for about 25 years. "You know the term synergy? With this group, the sum is more than the parts, and that's one of the things that keeps me writing."
Koons also participates in several other informal writing groups in the area, and values the feedback he gets from the cross-section of members.
"Writing is usually a solitary task where you don't get to speak with other writers a lot," he says. "At home, you show things to family members, and they'll say 'oh, that's nice.' Here, we critique writing very carefully. It's very constructive. That's the whole idea."
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Ann Kammerer is the development news editor for Capital Gains.
Photos ©
Dave Trumpie and Khalid Ibrahim -
Eat Pomegranate Photography