Exploring the joy of writing with others

Hi neighbors. The Creative Writers group will meet Monday, Aug. 31, in the Nevada Public Library meeting room at 10:30 a.m. Although we usually meet the first Monday of each month, Labor Day holiday forced a change for this month only. The group is growing, although membership changes month to month.

If you write at all, you should join us. We celebrate the creative process of writing, the joy that comes with the flow of words as new characters and new places are created in fiction. Other forms of writing are savored as well; even though not as much "fun" as fiction in my opinion. All forms of writing are shared and experienced by all who wish to participate. And we all talk about writing! Any writer knows the joy in that!

Currently we are working on each member creating their own flash fiction story, step by step as a group. This is a way to experience creating characters and plot.

Recently I've had the fun of writing some short "fan fiction" for some friends. This particular form of fiction is more a way to share in the creativity of another group of people. In fan fiction the characters, scenes and time period are already made for you. The story line can be followed or, more often, branched off of to explore backstories not yet explored on the actual show.

Fan-fiction is most often shared with a group of fans of the same show, movie, characters, etc., and is usually very short stories or more often, simple scenes that seem to fill the gap when waiting on a fave show to return.

There are writers who actually get published with this genre of writing. There are legalities that you need to know about before you try longer works for publication. Copyright infringement can be a big thorn in your side, and an expensive side trip.

But, that all said, it can be a fun distraction from one's professional writing. And a distraction from your regular writing is one of the problems with fan-fiction!

Still, if you have a favorite show, movie, character, etc., that you want to create a new story about, do a search for that one interest and fan-fiction about it. I'm sure you'll find lots of reading. Be aware though that some fan-fiction is not only poorly written, but can be X-rated. That's one of the reasons people have disdained fan-fiction in the past because it was a platform for fans' fantasies.

But there is still a lot of good fan-fiction out there; well written, with respect for the characters and original writers. It's a good and easy way for beginning writers to try their hand at plot and dialogue with familiar characters.

Another good thing about fan-fiction for beginners: there is no need to describe well-known characters. A mention of their name and readers already know who you are writing about, what they look like, and can anticipate the genre.

For most of us, one or two requested fan-fiction stories are quite enough and the new wears off quickly. But in my opinion it is an experience all writers should try at some point.

Of course, with the nice weather we've been having staying inside to write just feels wrong. Outside! Go outside! There is a lot to see and do that has nothing to do with movies or television shows. If you are a writer, beginning or otherwise, go outside and listen.

What birds do you hear? Can you identify them? Do you know what they look like, why they are singing? Little bits of detail make a big difference in scene impact. For instance, "we heard birds singing outside after the rain" improved by "we could hear jays gossiping at the now full bird bath."

If you want to be a writer, you have to know details about the places you are writing about. And if you are not writing fan-fiction, you need to know how to bring those places to life for your readers.

Until the next time friends, if you want to be a writer be aware of your world, the people, the places, and all of the inhabitants of it. Don't forget to come to the Creative Writers group meetings -- they are free and open to the public. And if you don't want to be a writer, enjoy your world!