writer friends

Please welcome guest Judy Fogarty who lives, writes, reads, and runs on the historic Isle of Hope in her native Savannah, Georgia. She holds a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance and Literature from the University of Illinois and has served as marketing director for private golf and tennis communities in the Savannah/Hilton Head area, including The Landings on Skidaway Island, Berkeley Hall, and Callawassie Island. She is a devoted—even rowdy—tennis fan, as anyone who has had the pleasure—or displeasure—of watching a professional match with her will attest. Breaking and Holding is Judy’s debut novel. She is happily at work on her second, enjoying as always the invaluable support of her husband, Mike, and children, Colin and Sara Jane.

Breaking and Holding traveled a long, tedious road to publication with too many revisions and disappointments to count. The novel wouldn’t be in print today were it not for the wisdom, encouragement, and camaraderie of my writing group, The Savannah Scribes. Every serious writer deserves the same kind of unfailing support, and I’d love to help others find it.

Connect with Judy on Twitter and on Facebook.

A Writing Group that Works

One writing group. Four years together. Six women working in different genres. And since August 2016: three novels sold (two already published and the third scheduled for June); a non-fiction book deal signed with a major university press; an extensive essay published; and a memoir currently in submission to agents.

What factors have contributed to the success of the Savannah Scribes? Perhaps it’s one of our mascots: Penny Lane, a Pomeranian; Gussie, a Boston Terrier; or even Gus, a pig. Perhaps it’s brain-food: the homemade chicken and dumplings we love. Maybe it’s the mornings after our meetings and the emails we write, in which we sound like we’re gushing but are totally sincere in thanking each other for wisdom and feedback.

Though all of those are possibilities, here are a dozen other criteria that you may find helpful in sustaining, improving or establishing a writing group. [Read more…]

Tomorrow at 9:45 a.m. my phone will ring. I’ll know without looking that it’s “Writer J,” one of my writing accountability partners. We talk every week at the same time. She’s been through the hard times with me when my words wouldn’t come. So two weeks ago when I typed THE END, we celebrated.

Rewind to last year. Summer of 2016. I was in a rocky place with the same work in progress. Not only was I considering abandoning the novel, I was thinking of giving up writing altogether. I muddled through the daily act. Most days I wrote something. On the others, I either lied to myself. It’s not that bad. Or I despaired. I will never finish another book.

I was signed up to go to the Writer Unboxed Unconference last November, but I felt like an imposter, embarrassed to let on that I was in the middle of a novel I hated. But I went because Writer J and “Writer L” held me accountable, encouraging me to go since I was already signed up.

They were right. To say the UnCon was writing-changing is an understatement. More like life changing.

I met a group of like-minded writers with whom I became close friends. And I met an invaluable writing coach—WU’s own Cathy Yardley. I set goals with Cathy, but she also told me, “All writers write alone, but no writer succeeds that way.” Reach out, she said. We need support as writers or simply as creative people.

We All Need Support

I took her advice to heart. (I take all her advice to heart.)

One of the writers I met at the UnCon (I’ll call her “Writer D”) started a private critique group on Facebook and invited me to join. This is a safe place to talk about writing, to encourage one another, to check in and elicit feedback. To talk about our fears and dreams.

Writer D is now a close friend and new accountability partner. We text almost every day: first thing in the morning and at the end of the day. I’m not sure how I ever got through the day without her, to be honest. She’s supportive but she also challenges me to be my best. Through good and not so good days, we hash it out. “Onward,” Writer D texts me at the beginning of the day. “Onward,” I text back. [Read more…]

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