Looking ahead...

Good day one and all!

I just wanted to take a moment and plan out the next few months of Writer's Block.

Our next get-together is this coming Monday (Aug 24) from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. After that, I've locked down September 14th and 28th as well. I skipped Sept 7th due to Labor Day.

Annie is offering to lock down the months of October, November, and December for us as well. Before I do, I was wondering what would work best for each of you. Here are some options:

October 6th and 20th? October 13th and 27th?
November 2nd and 16th? November 9th and 23rd? Would the 30th work better?
December 7th? 14th? 21st? 28th? It's a crazy month for everyone. Let me know if any Mondays look possible.

Thanks!

Here's A Post From David Farland...

This spring I attended a writers’ conference in Utah. When I walked into the conference center, I noticed their sign said “Welcome to the Tribe.”

Now, I know what a tribe is, but the word used to be limited to aboriginal groups in far-flung eras or countries. I know it’s become a buzz-word in social media though, and seeing it on the conference sign got me thinking, “Why is finding your tribe important?”

Of course it didn’t take me long to figure it out—writers need other writers. They need like-minded people to learn from, to share with, and to relate to.

Bestselling author and blogger Seth Godin says,

“A tribe is a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea. For millions of years, human beings have been part of one tribe or another. A group needs only two things to be a tribe: a shared interest and a way to communicate.”

So what does a tribe of writers look like? How can you find yours, and why should you bother?

Your tribe should consist of writers who have similar goals as you and, hopefully, a similar schedule as you.

Your tribe should be there for you to run word sprints (you can do this online, via Twitter, Facebook or a chatroom). They can provide a group to whom you’re accountable for your daily word goal. They might encourage you and brainstorm with you when you’re stuck, or offer feedback on manuscripts.

Many “tribes” give tips to one another on how to promote their work.

Some tribe members go much further. I know writers who have influential friends in the book industry who help set up book-signing tours. I know some writer who create “writer’s circles,” where the authors gladly help promote one another’s books on Facebook, Twitter, and so on. I recently heard of one group of romance writers, for example, where each woman in the group was making an average of over $200,000 per month this way.

If it’s not obvious already—finding and growing your tribe is worth it. Because having like-minded friends you can share your writing journey with is priceless.

What to expect...

Greetings one and all!

I got back from Gen Con about eight hours ago and have some stuff to pass on from the "What to expect as an author begins their career" seminar. It might be a day or two before I put up the various tidbits, but it WILL happen.

See everyone on the 10th!

-Dave