Happy To See Member Activity on the Blog

I was happy to find posts by Wayne and Bill on the blog. This is what I want to find, that members are communicating with one another. Although the group hasn't officially been launched yet, there are 11 members. Kelly has diligently added bios for each member on the members page. To view the members page members have to go into the blog like members of the public do by typing the URL in the browser on their computer. This should bring up the blog with the blue background (hard to miss!). You should be able to click on the members page and view the biographies that way. Changes or additions as your experiences and successes occur over time can be emailed to Kelly and she will update your bio.

Members have restricted access to the blog which means you can write a post and you can edit your own posts and make changes (remember to hit the Update button on the top right side after you make changes or edits!) To respond to a post you can write a comment, or write a new post in response. Please be respectful of one another.

Kelly and I are administrators of the blog. If you find something disrespectful, distasteful, improper, offensive, derogatory, inflammatory (I'll stop here as I'm sure you get the idea!) please contact Kelly or me and we will look at it and remove it if it is inappropriate for the group. This is a writer's group so please stay on topic.

In response to Bill's concern that he is not a writer per se I will say this- he is a book reviewer and writes book reviews. Authors live in dread of reviews- a good review can make an author ecstatic while a bad review can plunge them into the pit of despair where they can wallow in that mire of self doubt we all deal with at one time or another, and sometime quite often. Maybe Bill can discuss how he got into reviewing books on goodreads and what he looks for and what he hates seeing in books (I have a whole list of stuff that turns me off when I'm reading a book and, like Kelly, I read with a pen in hand making corrections as I go.) I'm hoping Bill can give us some insights from his experience as a book reviewer. And maybe we can get him writing something other than dry forms!

As I've said before- we've all got something to bring to the table and share. Variety is the spice of life. Listening to other writers can open windows and doors in your own imagination and lead to places you haven't explored or even known existed. Also, if you have any problems or writing woes there will be a chance to obtain advice, insights, guidance, and do some brainstorming and problem solving. Slogging through writer's block? Let's kick around crazy ideas and maybe something will spark.

This group will be a net, a trampoline, a launching pad, a platform, a base, a diving board...it will be whatever you want it to be because all members have a voice and a hand in molding the group.

Like Mike Walsh often says to me- have fun!

The best teachers I ever had were not afraid to show their passion for their subjects. They made learning interesting and fun. They drew the students in and we all carried something away with us at the end of class. I want everyone to carry something away with them each time we meet, and even from the blogs we share here.

Therefore- I'm happy to see members beginning to post!