Writer's Groups Times Two

Get thee to a writer's group...

Do you tend to lock yourself away inside your house, hideout, treehouse, hovel - where ever - and not come out?

Are you like David Blaine and you put yourself in a watertight sphere and live in it for weeks at a time - you skin slowly sloughing off your body as you live in a vat of your own sweat and urine - taking nourishment only from a tube - holding your breath - hoping against hope that this is the perfect script - only to have your ass pulled out by the rescue divers who tell you you didn't make it?

And that your script sucks?

Well - get thee to a writer's group. And if you can't find one - I'd say you are a liar.

I live in a tiny tiny tiny tiny town - less than 4000 people - and I still somehow found my way into two writers groups. So they are out there are you can find them - you lazy asses.

Ryan - the only member of my main group - and I get together twice a week. He goes to my church and was the video guy. He has been writing for a while - but now is seriously pursuing his craft. We sit - talk - unload on each other - and eventually when all conversation and complaining have stopped - start to talk about writing and story. And we help each other from embarrassing ourselves by sending out anything less than mediocre - our current standard level...

But for the last three months - I have been going to another group. A writer's group - of sorts. They meet once a month at my local library. The first time I went - I took my daughter. There were 6 people there - but only two of them wrote anything. It was mostly older housewives and I was the only guy. The next time I went - The theme was Haiku - and there were 6 people - this time with 4 of them being over 65.

Tonight we meet again. The theme is something to do with your mother.

While I don't learn a lot about writing from this group - I sure do learn a lot about life.

It might be a result of growing up in Asia - or it might be that I have spent 12 years traveling around the country filming people for documentaries - but I love to listen to people's stories. Especially old people.

In Asia - as you probably know from Kill Bill or old Karate films - the elderly are actually respected. They aren't treated badly or made fun of - usually cause they can kick your ass. But from a young age - I have always been interested in perspective and story - and I loved nothing more than to sit at the feet of my grandparents and hear about when they were young - or what they were thinking about this or that.

And in Asia - in my broken Chinese - I would sit and listen and quiz people about the way things used to be. How it was when they were growing up. How the world was changing.

And the great thing about old people. They love to tell their stories. Most people don't take the time to listen - and they have so much to say. If you like to listen - there is so much wisdom to be gained - even if it is all about how and when to take a dump.

Last month - Haiku month - where only 2 of us wrote anything (another great thing about this group - no one writes! But they do come...) the only person there besides me under 65 started talking about some trouble with her daughter. I felt like I was in the Joy Luck Club...

You think you're daughter is giving you trouble... Let me tell you.....

You call that trouble? Your daughter is a Saint compared to mine...

When I kicked that little slut outta my house again...

And on and on...

The best part of this group is not the writing - it's the characters. I can just show up, make copious notes, and write my way to profit...

So again...

Get thee to a writer's group...

I'll let you know how it goes tonight...