I’m a huge fan of lit circles. Love love love them! Glam aside, being a writer can be very solitary. We writers spend a great deal of time in our heads sorting out storylines, plots, dialogue, and characters so alone time is vital.

However, this solitude is a double edged sword. Without social interaction, we become mired in the same old same old--our creativity vanishes and catching small problems easily found by others become difficult to detect.


This is why lit circles are brilliant: You can share your work, bounce ideas off one another, pick up critique partner, and meet scribblers outside your genre. I belong to a few circles and let me tell you, it’s awesome. I’ve met wonderfully talented writers from all walks of life and hearing their stories really gives you a sense of community.


Four years, ago I attended a Romance Writers Association (RWA) conference. Even with a few friends in attendance, I felt two very distinct emotions: Small and star struck. Joining lit circles washed all of that away! In smaller groups you to form friendships with the individual NOT the writer. Now conferences, conventions, and social gatherings are more like “Writers Gone Wild”.


There still, not all circles are created equally—that is, not all participants are created equally.

Example: At today’s meeting, I announced that my next story will be based in Sweden because I haven’t written a European tale in awhile. A fellow scribblers insisted Sweden wasn’t a European country.

After I stopped foaming at the mouth, I kindly (yes kindly) informed her that, not only is Sweden the largest Scandinavian country, it's also part of the freakin' EU!!!! I shouldn’t have expect anything more, though. This is the same person who swore ‘incommoded’ wasn’t a word.
 


Anyway, I’ll be updating the Writer’s Resource page with new links and information. Today’s pic is courtesy of Antonio. Thanks!