Monday, April 16, 2012

N-COUNTER


The alphabet is a journey of 26 letters...
Each letter begins a story. 
I walked into my first meeting of MVRWA…
(Maumee Valley Romance Writers of America)

Of course I was nervous…
But also excited…
All these people were writers…
Many already published.
And then…
Like all guests must do…
No matter where you go or what meeting… 

You're asked to stand up...
And tell the group about yourself
"Be sure to tell us what category you write, Leigh."
Category? I had never heard this term before.
I leaned over to the woman next to me.
“Is category like genre?”
“No, it’s like Harlequin Blaze, Presents, Silhouette Desire.”
What? Was? She? Talking about?
I’d never seen these terms in all my researching.
And then it was showtime…
Time to stand up.
My mind raced!
I felt like a phony. A fraud!
“Hi, I’m Leigh and, um, I uh, well…
I don’t write what you call category.
I write, blah, blah, blah.”
And for the next few seconds…
I blathered on, and on, and on.
Smiles broke out on everyone’s face.
Yes, go ahead. Laugh at the fool.
And then one kind soul stopped my misery…
“Nice to meet you Leigh. Hope you’ll join our group.”
“Really?”
“We’re all here to help each other no matter what genre.
And especially if you’re a Newbie.”
A newbie? Yes, I’m a newbie and…
Oh darn... “O”’ will have to continue the story tomorrow.

Always, Em-Musing


21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, how I remember my first meeting going very much the same way! :) So nerve wracking and so much fun all at the same time.

Jennifer Shirk said...

Aww...great story. So nice that your chapter was/is so supportive too. :)

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Category? I would've been at a loss as well.

Lydia Kang said...

Category? Yeah, I would have been confused too. I'm glad they welcomed you warmly. Hopefully it'll be a great group for you!

Pat Hatt said...

haha yeah category would have gotten a big huh from me. Always nice when they are welcoming though.

Hart Johnson said...

Aw! So nice to be welcomed and included. My first couple books really didn't have even genres, let alone something more specific, but MAN, those romance writers are nuts about that stuff, eh?

Betty Alark said...

Hi, Leigh!

Hope you're enjoying the A-Z challenge! I'am! First time visiting your blog - im your newest follower!

Hope you will be one of mine!

http://bettyalark.blogspot.com/


Sounds like getting up in front of all those people was a real challenge! You survived it and I'm sure you will go forth to meet many more challenges!

I'm sure I will enjoy your blog!

Barbara Watson said...

Hhaaaa! I identify with you here! Even when I look at genre classifications my head starts throbbing. I always want to answer, "I just write. For kids."

Arlee Bird said...

Now following-- thought I was already--Thanks for the follow on my blogs.

It's good to get the help and support of those in the know when you're a "newbie". Even if you've been around for awhile, there's always something you can learn from others.

Lee
An A to Z Co-Host
Tossing It Out
Try my networking experiment

Ron Easton for Dads UnLimited said...

I'm following now too. What a great thing you've got going here, so um-musing.

Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader said...

What?! They now have categories AND Genres? Like there weren't enough "genres" to go around with YA, sci-fi, fantasy, dark fantasy, contemporary, chick-lit, horror, historical non-fiction, spec-fic, etc.??? That's ridiculous. I refuse to be categorized further.

Dawn Embers said...

Ah yes, categories and subgenres, fun times. I remember my second conference and was faced with the "what do you write" question. It's a challenge not to list of an answer that would be paragraphs long on paper.

Anonymous said...

Ha category
I love writers we give categories to things
Have fun Leigh and teach them a few things

glad to meet some fine people during A to Z

The Hopeful Romantic said...

Ha! I always wonder what my category is...I still not sure I know.

EvalinaMaria said...

Can't wait to read more. Is it tomorrow yet?

Tracy said...

hah, love the word Newbie...what a cool sound it has!

Shay Lacy said...

Leigh: And we were so lucky to get you!!

Crazy Life of a Writing Mom said...

I would've been so stumped. I love this :)

Jessica L. Celaya said...

What a cliffhanger! Attending your first writer's group or conference can be intimidating, I can't imagine having to announce a category!

Stephanie said...

Oh, I remember the first writer's group I went to. And I was so terrified about talking about my work, and felt so silly trying to explain my stories. Everyone was very warm and encouraging, and I learned so much. Since, I've joined many other groups, and I always learn something new.

The Brown Recluse (TBR) said...

OK, there's definitely more to writing a book than I realized. I love how this story is unwinding!