Dispatch from the People's Republic of Boulder

[caitri]

So I'm finally starting to settle in, more or less. I've been developing a daily routine, and getting into the habit of it--right before I more or less take a week "off" to go to a wedding. I'm working on dividing up my day between reading and writing, and hopefully will have it down solidly by the end of the month. As it is, I've made fair game of my reading list so far, and feel pretty optimistic about the pace I've set myself.

Let's see. Our apartment is livable now. I'm on my search to find my perfect coffeeshop--so far there's the choice between the quiet one with mediocre coffee and the loud one with great coffee, but I'm pretty sure that I just have to find the exact right time to visit one or the other to be in a happy median.

I've been searching meetups.com looking for likely groups so I can meet people. I'm rather thwarted so far; there are several creative writing groups and for some reason they want to charge entrance--just to meet at coffeeshops and bars and such! If it was an academic style workshop, I might could see that, but just to inhabit the same space as others balks me. On the other hand, I'm suffering from a lack of human interaction, so I might break down. We'll see.

Left to my own so often I'm regressing a bit, feeling shyer. I need to work on that. Bah.

Anyways, I'm starting writing again (slowly). One of my friends just got her novel accepted, and so I'm promising myself that this is the year, and I'm going to have a serious go at finishing my own. Fingers crossed, eh?

That's all that comes to mind at the moment; like everything else, hopefully I can post more regularly. I have missed my online friends!

Comments

[avictoriangirl]

Good luck with finding the perfect coffeeshop and drink some coffee for me. :)

Wha? Charging entrance to meet at public places? That ... seems odd.

YAY writing! :DDD

♥ you!

[caitri.livejournal.com]

Okay, so it's not just me that thinks it's really weird? That's good to know. I've seen it multiple times on that site and was starting to wonder if I'm just uncosmopolitan or what.

Anyways. *squishes* I'm trying to aim for a few hundred words a day to get back into the rhythm of it. I look back on how I used to pump out the words and it's just like, asdfghjk, I used to could do that? Dang.

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

*hugs you warmly an encouragingly*

[caitri.livejournal.com]

**hugs back snuggly*

Huh

[tn-tiger.livejournal.com]

I can tell you that none of the critique groups within the Nashville Writer's Meetup charge admission. Those usually meet at a Panera or someplace similar. Sometimes there are workshops and stuff where they will charge, and I think there's a requested donation to cover the cost of the meetup group itself, but not for the critique groups.

Re: Huh

[caitri.livejournal.com]

There are multiple critique groups here that will charge (believe it or not, from $25-$125 depending on the group!), and since those can represent time and effort I find it somewhat understandable. Charging to meet at a coffeeshop just to get to know people befuddles me tho.

Re: Huh

[tn-tiger.livejournal.com]

Okay, I may be using the wrong vocabulary. By "critique group", I don't really mean formal, ongoing groups of people who send each other their work and exchange notes on it. Most of the NWM meetups are themed meetups (like "speculative fiction" or "crime") where people get together and read a bit from their WIP and get feedback. And socialize, of course, like you said. No charge for that, beyond whatever you spend at the place.

Re: Huh

[caitri.livejournal.com]

No, our vocabulary is the same, I'm just saying that these groups charge and it confuses me. It's not a class, it's a bunch of people who sign-up online to meet somewhere and look at some writing.

[amine-eyes.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear you're settling in well :D And whut charging for entrance? o_O

*hugs* Glad to hear you're starting writing again :))))