Writers' Club - the story so far ...
I’ve looked back in my emails and the first email I sent about the Writers’ Club was February 2019 and it was to my fellow writer, friend and supporter Rachael Hale. I think there’s a famous quotation out there about how if you can’t find what you’re looking for, create it yourself. I network a lot but as a writer, I was looking for other freelance writers – I had questions, challenges that I wanted to discuss and maybe even some successes I wanted to share.
Since that initial email, the group has grown and grown whilst at the same time some people have left to pursue other careers or to move from self-employed to employed. People ask me how you qualify for the group and fundamentally we’re made up of people who write for a living – authors, journalists, editors, bloggers and freelance writers. We tend to discuss common themes such as workload and pricing, managing social media and the work life balance as well as other challenges we’re facing. We did used to meet in person before switching to Zoom calls when COVID struck. One day we’ll return to chatting in coffee shops!
The group is really informal and meetings take place about every six weeks. I love the camaraderie of the group and that feeling when you know members of the group have really benefitted from the meeting. The meetings that seem to generate the greatest buzz are when we act as accountability buddies to each other to spur each other on to overcome a hurdle or achieve an objective.
Photo credit Marcus Winkler
This year I’d like some fresh impetus. Some of us attended a goal setting session at the beginning of 2020 with Emma Jefferys Action Woman which was great: the ‘outside’ influence was really helpful and introduced another dimension. And then COVID struck and so we were all busy and adapting and home schooling and it was a struggle to think of speakers! However, by February this year, I’d finally adapted to the new normal (!) and arranged our first guest speaker over Zoom – poet Kate Phipps of Kate Phipps Writes.
What I love about the group is how supportive we are of each other and how we’re morphing into something resembling a writers’ cooperative. We are at the stage now where we’re sharing work with each other if we don’t have capacity ourselves or if we know that someone else is better suited to the commission. There isn’t a sense of competition between us – sometimes a potential client might approach several of us independently about the same work but I know that there is never any animosity or ill-feeling when one of us is chosen over another.
And with that in mind, we’re going to set up a directory of members which will be listed here, on my website. The directory will include some information on the member, their area of expertise/their industry specialism if applicable and, of course, their contact details. I want to see every single member of the group prosper and this is just one way of helping to achieve that goal.
Photo credit David Travis
"I have been a member of the Writers' Group since the beginning of 2019. Being a part of this group has helped me in so many ways. It is great to chat with other freelance writers and we often help each other out with advice, support and even sharing freelance commissions. I have loved our accountability and goal-setting sessions, as they have given me the push I needed to move my business forward. A lovely, friendly group that welcomes writers from all walks of life and a range of different industries."
Georgina Probert, editor, journalist and founder of @her_hair_my_head on Instagram.
If you’d like to join the group or if you have any questions, please contact me caroline@carolinekings.com or someone you know in the group. We’re a friendly bunch and very welcoming.
Look out for the directory too!
Thumbnail photo credit - NeONBRAND
