Writers' Societies - What a Wonderful Invention!

Posted by Claire Cowling Sep 8, 2008

You have caught me in one of the happiest moods I have been in for a long time. The reason for the smile across my face today is that I have just returned from a fantastic experience at the NAWG (National Association of Writers’ Groups) Annual Festival of Writing, held at Durham University.

Not only was the company warm and extremely entertaining, particularly at the Gala Evening Awards Ceremony on the Saturday evening, but I happened to scoop the award for “Best Colour Short Story”, which was the icing on the cake to a great weekend. The organisers have my most sincere thanks.

It has made me wonder, though, how many writers there are who do not take advantage of the societies available to them. The NAWG, for instance, take associate members (those who do not belong to a writers’ group and work on their own, for whatever reason). Associates have the same benefits as the writers’ groups on a daily basis, and the NAWG website is a mine of information for competitions and submissions.

And there are other societies out there which specialise in particular genres of fiction, such as the Romantic Novelists’ Association in England or the Romance Writers of America, to namedrop just a couple. The benefits of meeting likeminded people who actually want to talk about writing without yawning discreetly – or worse, directly in your face – as you discuss your latest masterpiece far outweighs the cost of joining. You never know who you might meet at the functions!

I would heartily recommend actively searching for a writing society which meets your needs. What do you think? Are you a member of a writers’ society? Why not start a discussion in the Discussion Forum and let everyone know about it?