On Apr 12, 2012, at 8:27 PM, Cassie Barlow wrote: > Hi Ray, > > Just a random question: is there much of a writing community? With the sort > of big league writers? Do you know many other best selling writers personally > or do you not have much do with each other? > > Anything like in the TV show Castle where writers get together for poker > games and discuss issues with their characters? (tongue planted firmly in > cheek, I know real life is not much like the TV shows.) > > Just something I was thinking about today. >
There's a bit of a virtual one if you're speaking specific genres. There are several genre organizations: Science Fiction/Fantasy Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, Novelists Inc, Wester Writers of America, Mystery Writers of America, and some others I'm missing. There are writers boards and mailing lists and the like. Back when the computer age was dawning and we used 300 baud modems, there were places like CompuServe which had it's SF Forum, and GEnie with the Science Fiction Round Table, and today there's SFf.net, which have a variety of membership. And there are writers conferences, SF/F conventions, and the like, so over the years you meet people. We don't have a secret handshake, or a clubhouse, or a cool retreat only a few heard of, but we do bump into each other from time to time. Over the years I've met people like Ted Sturgeon, Terry Carr, Poul Anderson, Larry Niven, Stephen King, George R.R. Martin, C.J. Cherryh, etc. And no poker game. And we NEVER talk writing as craft. We're almost always talking writing as business, or anything else of interest. After 30 years I sure do not need to discuss anything with anyone who isn't paying me (i.e. my editors) and the same is true of all other pros. Best, R.E.F. ---- www.crydee.com Never attribute to malice what can satisfactorily be explained away by stupidity.
