Our Year-Round Writing Group: the Journey! (Updated 4 January 2012)

Update: 4 January 2012
I've processed all of the folks who have sent me their e-mail addresses, adding them to our Journey e-mail list and sending them information about our websites and secret handshakes ;-).

Those who haven't responded yet

• slrphebos
  


• Black-Betty54
  


• Vix
  

.

Those who have established their initial Journey presence on the wiki

• AmaranthMuse
  


• Bessie Spot
  


• NewMexicoKid
  


• WritingStudent
  


• RobinM
  


• scrapacat
  


• ThePiratess
  


• askeladd
  


• ziplizard
  


• TipTappity
  


• CJEGV
  


• sheeva
  


• Larkk
  


• pmbutler
  


• TeenWriter
  


• KatherineWriting
  


• Cee-Bee
  


• Roger Lubeck
  


• pink ink 12
  


• Tomster
  


• TypesetJez
  


• Grayraven
  


• Amy33
  


• AdventurousDreamer666
  


• Corrupted Flame
  


• Fancieshmancie
  


• Squiddish
  


• CD0189
  


• MarthaJoy
  


• Whitey
  

.
Those interested in the Journey (2012)

• NewMexicoKid (existing member)


• scrapacat


• Tairisanders


• Corrupted Flame (existing member)


• Bessie Spot


• Squiddish (existing member)


• Pazuzu


• askeladd (existing member)


• Writingstudent


• clearly_insane_87


• ThePiratess


• AmaranthMuse (existing member)


• Qberty


• cableshaft (existing member)


• TypesetJez


• KatherineWriting (existing member)


• pmbutler


• Amy33


• catatone1 (existing member)


• TipTappity


• pink ink 12


• slrphebos


• Larkk (existing member)


• thegrinch (existing member)


• Black-Betty54


• SeikaTakaKanata


• Ywilson


• tiredadx3 (existing member)


• WriterPete


• AdventurousDreamer666


• madsommer


• Cee-Bee (existing member)


• TeenWriter (existing member)


• ChicagoWriter33


• Sapphire


• Vix


• FinbarrMcG (existing member)


• J.A. Kosse


• Me - n - Jesus


• Roger Lubeck


• Marthajoy


• ziplizard


• Onyxwolfie

.

About the Journey

Our region of Illinois::Naperville has a year-round writing group called the Journey. This group, first created in 2007 as the Pledge-to-Publish (and then later shortened to the Pledge) is intended to help people pursue their writing interests throughout the year and to allow us to continue our social circle through various events.

Each version of the Journey is different; at the start of the year (January) we meet to determine our goals for that year. And we work together to make those goals happen.

We have many possible goals that we can undertake as a group; and it isn't necessary for a Journey participant to sign onto every goal the group undertakes (think of it as a cafeteria selection).

• Write, edit and self-publish a short story anthology (in 2009 we published Infinite Monkeys; in 2010 and 2011, we worked on and hope to finish two other short story anthologies)
  


• edit our NaNo novels. Katherine hosted an editing workshop in 2011; and we can do more along this line.
  


• hold our own writing workshops. In 2011 and 2010, I hosted workshops on finding your writing voice
  


• go on a writer's retreat (we've talked about doing this but haven't yet made it happen)
  


• organize social outings (e.g., meet for lunch, go to a movie and dinner, hold a picnic, go to the Wheaton College Wade Center)
  


• meet weekly in the jabber room for chit chat, writing exercises, etc.
  

Everything is possible, though I should note that critiquing each other's novels did not work so well the one time we tried it (much better to get critiquing help through critiquecircle.com; we can, however, do short story critiquing).

If you are a past or current Journey member and are interested in rejoining or continuing on in 2012, please post in this thread. Especially note your candid opinions of how things went before and what ideas you have for 2012.

If you are new to the Journey and want to join, please post here; and also share your ideas of what you are interested in (don't feel bound by the list above).

Thanks! I know together, we will have a great 2012 Journey.

--Tim

P.S. We have rooms reserved at the Naperville Municipal Center for monthly meetings January through June (and another one in September):
January 14 - 11:45 - 2:00 p.m. - Meeting Room A
February 11 - 11:45 - 2:00 pm - Meeting Room A
March 10 - 11:45 - 2:00 pm - Lunchroom
April 14 - 11:45 - 2:00 pm - Meeting Room A
May 12 - 11:45 - 2:00 pm - Meeting Room A
June 9 - 11:45 - 2:00 pm - Lunchroom
Sept. 15 - 11:45 - 2:00 pm - Meeting Room A

Thanks to Katherine for the suggestion to do this.

I'm all in for 2012, and open to all ideas. I especially like the idea of anthologies, although the group may be tired of that vein of work? We could always work on plot critters, etc., for the next nano, or more ways to torture ourselves at write ins.

>^..^<

I'd certainly like to participate again. And I promise I'll try to do better about sticking with it this time. =/

I'm interested... and I know I joined way back when it was the pledge, but I don't know if my information is still around. I know I still get Journey emails. xD But, yes... I think this would be beneficial for me. Indeed!

I think I'd like to join, too. It's been really nice to have other writers to talk to, and I don't want to lose that just because November is over.

I will re-up, but I'm afraid my involvement in the spring will have to be strictly limited to online - I shall be out of the area for a spell.

I would Love. Love. Love to join! :)

I'd like to be a part of this! I was afraid I'd have to wait until next November to have writing support!

Every year I say I'm going to take part, and then I never do. So keep me to task, you guys! Don't let me just pull back and stop writing. Harass me if you have to to get me to meetings. XD

I'm a member and if I can do it from 250+ miles away, you can too, Piratess. ;)

I would love to join! Mainly to keep in touch with this great group of folks I have met in our region, but also to keep working on writing throughout the year. While I reached my word count goal, I am no where near finished with this book so anything to keep my feet to the fire is welcome. Outings sound great, workshops on character and plot development, etc.

I would love to join, but Saturday mornings don't work very well for me, as I always work from 6:30-1. If I could just do the online portion for awhile, until I find a new job (i've been looking for months), then sign me up. The editing is what I really need help with at the moment, but it would certainly be nice to be held accountable to writing after November.

This sounds like a great idea. We may be on opposite sides of a challenge at the moment, but I'd like more info on this. My Maryland group meets along the Rt. 270 corridor (Frederick, Germantown, Gaithersburg, Rockville, Bethesda) and we keep a year-round mailing list, meet regularly, and have grown in size over the years. However, the idea of setting goals and holding each other accountable to them is one that we should pursue.

Vickie -- MD ML Vix and founding member of the 270 Corridor Writers

Tim,
Sorry I had to leave the write-in early. Please add me to the list for the Journey.
Thanks!

I would love to join. I may have to do some of the online portion due to multiple kids in sports all over the place. They seem to outnumber us! I have to say this experience has been amazing and I definitely want to continue it as well as being around other writers.

I would love to join. I may have to do some of the online portion due to multiple kids in sports all over the place. They seem to outnumber us! I have to say this experience has been amazing and I definitely want to continue it as well as being around other writers.

I'm up for giving it another try!

I would like to give the Journey a try this year to keep writing after NaNo

I am definitely interested in the Journey. I will finish my novel and edit it in 2012, and the supportive Naper Wri Mo community has been wonderful so far. It's good that there will be an online component to the Journey though, because the time slot will be difficult for me to make.

I be up for this. I need a way to get a kick in the pants to keep writing more of my series outside of Nano.