I formed the Bahamas Writers Group (BWG) in January 2003, thinking it would just be a few writers meeting monthly over coffee.
The group was a spin-off from my former writers’ website bahamaswriter.com – the link now goes to my blog. You can find a lot of information from this in my writer’s guide, “How to Be the Best Writer Ever!”, available as an e-book and in paperback at Amazon and other online retailers. I cover Writers’ Groups in Chapter 6.
The BWG was born out of a little lunch in Caffé Caribe, Harbour Bay, Nassau, when four local BahamasWriter.com forum members got together for the first time, along with two vacationing forum members from Canada.
The first actual meeting, consisting of nine members, was in the former Le Pasion café opposite Hoffer’s Shopping Centre, Cable Beach. But the BWG grew so much, eventually reaching about forty members (not all of the members attended each time, however), that I relocated our meetings to the former premises of New Providence Community Church, Cable Beach.
The writing goals that I established were:
To have fun writing; enjoy the camaraderie of fellow writers; motivate and inform each other as writers; improve the quality of our writing; have our work recognized locally and internationally; and to get published!
I did structure the meetings though. Prior to each meeting, I would put together an agenda, along with materials to be handed out. And I provided light refreshments at the meetings!
Here are two of
the agendas (click each one to read):
By July 2003, I had become very busy with my family real estate business. The group was going so well, I decided they didn’t really need me to run it anymore and I let the members know. They were disappointed, but understood. During the July meeting, members voted that a team should take over. Eight members volunteered to be part of the new team! The group also voted to maintain the goals and policies of the BWG that I had set up.
We took a break in August and the BWG met again in September, with the new team in place.
I regret to say that the group eventually floundered after this, but nothing can ever replace the camaraderie, encouragement and fellowship from our meetings. I am sure other members, a few of whom sadly have since left this earth, felt the same.
So, if you would
like to start a Writers’ Group, go for it! Although it can be hard work, it’s
most satisfying and can motivate you to write more and get published.
Please note: None of my posts, articles, short stories or books are written by AI! They are written solely by me!
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