Part of the self-publishing journey many authors find themselves on is to join a local writing club. They are great ways to meet like minded people, exchange ideas or just socialise with fellow writers. A few weeks ago, I had the great pleasure of speaking on a live Facebook chat with Burgie Ireland and her Writers 2000 group, speaking about my favourite thing – writing children’s books.
I asked Burgie if she would be so kind as to share her thoughts with me:
- What are the goals of Writers 2000?
The goals of Writers 2000 are mainly to share our passion for writing with like-minded people, and to encourage writers to keep writing – despite rejection. Writing is a thankless task for so much work, time and effort goes into writing that may never be published or even acknowledged by editors or publishers. It’s also an opportunity to learn from experts.
- Where would you like to see the group go in the next year?
I would like to broaden membership to include students from journalism and writing schools to join our Writers 2000, and become affiliated with other writing groups like the Editors Forum, Freelances Forum, SCBWI SA (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, South Africa) and publishing houses. I would also like our media pages to be an opportunity for members to showcase their writing skills and to have the opportunity to advertise e.g. writing press releases, articles and ghost writing.
- What is your one piece of advice for any aspiring writers?
Keep an anthology of good books you’ve read. I always read with a pencil, underline new words and memorable quotes, then write these down. It’s the best way to learn from other writers. Write every day – even if it’s only for your journal. Keep a scrap-book of newspaper cuttings, book reviews and interesting stories that would make a clever plot. Join a writing circle. Don’t let rejection slips discourage you. Think of them as mile-stones.
For more information on this wonderful group, please contact Burgie by email at bireland@iafrica.com.
On my work in progress front, I had another productive morning in my local Spur on Sunday morning. My word count for my current project is nearly 28,000, leaving me with around a chapter and a half to get to my target of 30,000.
If you have any questions on self-publishing, or our mentorship scheme, please contact me here.
