A Tale of WAG

I'm off this afternoon to attend the second meeting of Writer's Alliance of Gainesville, or "WAG," as it is already known. This meeting will be great - a presentation by local poet and teacher Lola Haskins, author of "Not Feathers Yet." I'm looking forward to it.

WAG is also launching the start of several writing "pods" - small genre-specific critique groups that will begin meeting soon at various spots around the area at the convenience of the pod members. I plan to join a pod. I need to join a pod. Critique, as painful as it sometimes can be, is the forge that tempers our writing. My natural tendency is to write in isolation, re-read several times, and decide I'm "done." Without feedback, however, I'm missing the opportunity of making my work better. Writing that is intended for the consumption of others ought to be "market-tested."

I'm approaching this part of WAG with mixed feelings. I've belonged to groups before, and actually had good experiences. But each time I venture forth anew, I wonder if I'm too much of a wimp to bare my soul in front of others, and wonder, too, if I can make a valuable contribution to the other writers' work through my feedback. The only way to find out is to jump in, so I will. I'll report back.