A few years ago, my editor at Athens Magazine sent me to interview a new local children's book author, Bettye Stroud. I met Bettye at our local Shoney's in Athens, Georgia, and we had an enjoyable chat about writing and children's literature. Bettye was a retired media specialist for Barnett Shoals Elementary School. At one point in the conversation, Bettye said, "You sure know a lot about children's books and writing. Are you a book writer, too?"
Well, I had to admit to Bettye that yes, I was a children's book writer with several unsold manuscripts in my office file cabinet to prove it. Bettye put me on a list and a few weeks later I received a mysterious postcard inviting me to a gathering of children's writers in a local condo clubhouse. I attended this event and the result was a new children's writer's group.
We were an offshoot of Bettye's writers group, "Four at Five." When one of the four members of "Four at Five" moved away, that left only "Three at Five," a skimpy number for a critique group. So Bettye's group invited my group to merge. And the rest, as they say, is history.
We call this merged group, "POWERSURGE WRITERS." And we are indeed powerful; half of our 10 members are published authors! Our members include Gail Karwoski, Lori Hammer, Bettye Stroud, Muriel Pritchett, Susan Vizurraga, Sharon Wright Mitchell, Lola Finn, Amy Winders, Judy McSpadden, and of course, Donny Bailey Seagraves. Former members include Cindy Crain and Jacqueline Elsner.
Each summer, the Powersurgers go on a field trip to Washington, Georgia, about fifty miles away from the Athens area. We meet up with a writers' group from Augusta, Georgia. The picture to your right is from our latest joint meeting (July 2008). You might notice that I'm missing. I took the picture.
How important is a writers' group to an author? It's priceless. The critiques, support, shared information can make the difference between reaching your goal of publication or not. Becoming a published author is a daunting task. If you're an aspiring author, find yourself a group of "powersurge" writers and plug in!
Click here to read about my newest writing group, Tuesday Children's Writers.
Click here to read about another writing group, Sub Rosa in the Shoals.