Writers, feedback and readers

Last night I went to the meeting of a local group of women wanna be writers.  My intent is to connect with a writers group as I have been so advised by successful published writers and since these women are right here in my backyard and invited me, my curiosity got the better of me.  There are only five in the group, I made the sixth; they have been meeting for many years and are all familiar or more distinctly settled in with each other.  I was told last night's venue would be silent reading of each other's work and commenting.

I printed out two of my blog posts about my Uncle John Irwin, the recent Sepia Saturday camel and the older Red Dragon.  Since I prefer to not waste my color print cartridges, I stopped in at my local friendly office copy service in town, Charlie's, to get another copy to share.  They know me there as I have been a good customer over the last two  years, copying all the numerous estate papers and documents.  While copying, she commented, "Oh now what is this you are doing?"  When I explained, she asked if she could not have a copy too to read as she found the titles of interest.  So I agreed but with the caveat that she had to provide me some honest feed back.   If you are curious or merely wish to refresh yourself here are the links on this blog to  both  posts.

 http://patonlinenewtime.blogspot.com/2011/04/sepia-saturday-week-70-camel-click-here.html
http://patonlinenewtime.blogspot.com/2010/03/our-red-dragon.html

So was it mission accomplished or time wasted?  I am still pondering.  These  women are too familiar with each other and may not be able to share real perspective, if they have it at least not what I want.  I am not sure that any of them are established readers or well read which I believe is a prerequisite to writing.  One needs to understand language and words, else output is merely drivel or ranting.    It seems to me that aspiring writers must seek out readers and editors.  These women are intent on being kind to each other which, while an  admirable Midwestern trait may not be time well spent if one is seriously considering publication.  At least one, is a retired English teacher and concerns herself with editing for commas, punctuation and the like trivia.  Well when I blog, I don't pay such attention to those details, so my articles kept her busy.  Her comments really do resemble Mrs.Klinke who was one of my high school teachers, complete with the red pen check marks.  I wondered what grade she had given me.

One woman  is a self published writer, an earthy type who wonders why her recent trivia self published book has not yet achieved best seller status.  She would know if she realized who really cares about building their own brick or stone oven in their  yard to spend a day building a wood fire and baking 20 loaves of bread?  When I'd  heard her speaking at the library lecture when I met this group, I was bored and thinking, "well good for you, but I'll stick with my occasional use of my bread maker." 

The teacher and the earth mother discussed their attendance last week  at a writers' conference in Madison, WI and both expressed  disappointment.  They commented on the exorbitant  cost which seemed nominal to me at $200 for a couple days plus additional  fees for certain workshops.  They also commented on hearing that the writing world is full of rejections.  Most of all they dissed the  many workshops which emphasized the necessity to be technology savy and to have a web presence, a blog,  as well as be linked to social media.  None of them do this, one  uses a self correcting electric typewriter, one an ancient computer, the earth mother writes in a spiral notebook then types it on her PC.  I sat wondering where these women had been all their lives and knew the answer,. right here, out of touch.  I surmised  things might  go down hill from there for me.  In my introduction I told them about my blog and computer use.  They listened politely, one was amazed at my having a blog as she knew they were very difficult to set up.  How she knew this, I wonder, but I people can  retreat happily  to denial when they lack knowledge and familiarity.   Only one understood what I said about weekly contributions to Sepia Saturday.  The others could not comprehend writing with a prompt as Magpie posts.

 Earth mother was devastated and admitted to spending all the past  week  in tears because although she was one of the 25% selected to email her manuscript to an editor  after she "made her pitch" she received a rejection the very next  day, emailed with the mere comment, "not for me."  She inundated us with pages of her journal last night which  she proposes to publish as a travelogue of Ireland.  I was bored senseless reading it.  Besides we had been told to limit ourselves to 10 pages, but evidently she was an exception.  The others raved about her pages as I remained silent.  When she asked me why I had been silent, I had to be me and say that "it was not my cup of tea."  I was thinking that puts me in the same space as the editor who rejected her.  She could not understand any of my writings where I referenced Life as a Muse and left me with a ?"what is that?"  She spent quite sometime lamenting how she was going to give up writing which elicited sympathy  and encouragement from the group.  Her comments seemed to focus on movement.  I asked for clarity about who or what  should move.  And she merely waved her hand, "Aahh the writing must move."   I am thinking this group may be absolutely ineffective for feedback. 

One woman who has a published book Deborah, the Biblical prophetess is primarily now concerned with selling her book, I can appreciate that as she has  an investment in the copies. Her feedback to me on my articles was acclamations of niceties, but also  a bewildered, "but who is that riding on the camel?  And why doesn't he have any clothes on?"   Maybe this is a different take on the Irwin camel, but I was amazed.  Still no one ever talked about the camel rider, only the Irwin camel.  Is that worth my time? 

 One woman is working on a book about two sisters which is part mystery and part saga and shared her chapter "Red Lace Thong".  It was ok, unlikely something I'd purchase but not badly written neither  great language, it offered some suspense as to how these girls will settle their inheritance.  I was lost as to who was whom, and why she'd chosen that title for the chapter but she assured me that answer is coming in a few more pages which are not completed.  

The other woman is dabbling as well but forgot to bring  along her recent fixes to her story, which I found odd as the purpose of the group is to get feedback on writings, I  presumed.  Why would one go without the material? 

Overall they were intrigued with Uncle John and asked if I had more about him.  They kept trying to place him in MN despite my background about where and when.   They laughed on how he must have been a character and they could see my grandparent's consternation at him as a son in law. One suggested I write more about that.  One took issue with me returning the camel to the Irwins eventually.  Another said, "no she is right to do so, he never knew his grandson."  There followed a conversations among themselves, consensus being it is ok for me to do so.  I don and the 't recall asking for an opinion on that.   Earth mother had just returned from Ireland where he father lives and said John would have liked it there because at each home one is offered a glass of whiskey.  Yes, indeed that would have been right up John's alley or down his throat and I do believe he had Irish ancestry.  

The gist is they meet here at my local library, but I think if I want meaningful feedback I will need to seek another venue. When I came home and described the evening to Jerry, he smirked and said, "what can you expect, it's La Crescent and likely their monthly social gathering?"  Sometimes I leave these gatherings feeling like a snob or stranger in a strange land.  But I have lived a far different life professionally and socially than any of these women and cannot relate to much of what they do.  Where have these women been that they do not fathom the difficulty in writing and the massive rejections that await?   How can I expect useful feedback from women who do not read because they are busy writing?  Or any comprehension from women who barely use email, let alone blogs or social media?  How can women who know nothing beyond MN, WI or IA have any frame of reference?  That I would write about PA mystified them. That I came from CA was  something they could not fathom.   Still I suppose if one is confined to this or any small area and look nowhere beyond in the country or the world, this is what happens.  They are nice cordial  women who will likely continue to meet and amuse themselves this way.