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| Image Courtesy: Goodreads.com |
In his admirable attempt to bring submissions and participation
one final time into Writers Get Together, author and Editor Scott Bury wrote an
article the previous year. The article was published in November 17 and is
titled “Not
farewell, but au revoir”. This article beautifully narrates the grand
message that Writers Get Together (WGT) stands for. He writes that WGT is “a blog
that serves the function in the digital world of the old-fashioned coffee
house, where writers can share new work, experiment with new ideas and get
feedback from colleagues.” What better definition could serve the purpose!
Shortly after the appearance of this article, WGT was shut down.
Although, WGT was “up for grabs” for anyone who could make use of its wide
possibilities, as its owner Siggy Buckley reluctantly suggests in her post that
followed Scott Bury’s, no one else discovered Scott Bury’s vision. Perhaps,
this is one of the drawbacks of the internet era. There is too much noise out
there that the possibility of listening to a conversation has become minimal.
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| Image Courtesy: azevedosreviews.com |
In my personal journey as an author, I have realized that
writing a book is definitely not a subjective affair. It has to involve people.
From cover designing to editing, from proof reading to printing and from
penning the outline to selling or buying, a writer is never alone. Should never
be alone.
In my research, I discovered that most successful writers are
those who have successfully established their connections with the reading
public. This they achieved, in the past era, through print magazines and articles
or serialized version of stories in newspapers. Charles Dickens from nineteenth
century is a good example of this style of writing. It is part of the profile
building procedure for a writer. The more people who love your style of
writing, the more will be the number of your books sold. In reality, this is
true. I have experienced personal success in this same manner. The success with
my second book was greater than that with my first book. My second book, You
Should Know How I Feel
was noticed by a greater number of readers and became a bestseller in Amazon
India.
In our time, the role of print magazines and newspapers are
effectively supplemented by blogs. Using blogs writers can let the world know
about their presence in the literary scene. Write a guest post, or a regular
column. You can make your presence felt.
Also please remember, it is not always about making more money
or marketing your book. By writing about your writing life, books, or any other
affair, you are essentially being connected with another individual, sharing
your life with that person, and receiving their feedbacks and blessings. Scott
Bury’s coffee house analogy is in perfect harmony with what a writer wants in
the current era to perform at the best of one’s abilities. It will give an
opportunity for working in teams as well as nourishing one’s craft with newer
possibilities and suggestions by fellow writers working from different parts of
the world, an idea Mr. Dickens would have died for, in his times.
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| Image Courtesy: Google |
I am a writer from India. If you are reading this article from
the US or Ireland, or Japan, we must realize one thing immediately, without
fail—this could be our best chance of bringing out the best in us. It never was
like this before.
The coffee houses in London during the 19th century
had writers from England or nearby European countries. If you sit in a room in
New York, the US, right now and discuss your work with a writing group, you are
essentially communicating with a few Americans or people who experience similar
cultural, social, and political environments. In other words, if it’s snowing outside,
all those writers in a small writers’ group in the US will have an unbiased say
about the weather of the day. There is monotony, a complete lack of diversity.
On the other hand, be a member of a writers’ blog group and you will have a
person from Rajasthan, India or Texas, USA communicating with you about their
individual experiences, separated spatially but united intellectually. That’s
what diversity is all about. It gives great meaning to group work. Great
writing is always a product of living a meaning-centered life.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Anu Lal is a bestselling author, book reviewer, and blogger. His
recent book, You Should Know How I Feel... has been a bestseller
Contemporary Romance in Amazon e books, and paperback. He is the first Indian
author to write a trilogy in short story collections in English: 'Hope,
Vengeance and History' trilogy. His upcoming book is the second one in this
trilogy.
His works are: Wall of Colours and Other Stories; You Should
Know How I Feel...; Unclassified Intelligence; Prabuddha: The Clear-sighted
Visit his blog: The Indian
Commentator
Visit his author page HERE
