Paying it forward

A couple of weeks ago Havant and District Writers' Circle had its Annual General Meeting.  And I was  elected as Chairwoman - again.  It wasn't hard, as nobody else wanted to stand for election against me. BI'm not complaining, though,  I've been involved with this writers' circle for over thirty years.

I joined back in the days when I was married, with my husband.  We were both youngish, eager writers who didn't know a great deal about the craft of writing.  Eventually we graduated to Chairman and Secretary, positions we held for nearly a decade.  Over the years, absorbing the advice of more experienced and published writers in the Circle, and listening to the speakers we invited to give us their knowledge, I became a better writer.  At its height the Circle had 31 members, and not enough time on manuscript evenings for everyone to read.

Later the Circle entered a period of decline.  It was chaired by someone who loved to talk about writing, but didn't do much of it.  Like so many people I meet, he liked the idea of being called a writer, but didn't like putting in the hard work it entailed.  Eventually I got so frustrated with the way the meetings were run that I stormed out of one.  And then that chairman died.  At his funeral I spoke to the Circle's treasurer, who said she intended to close the Circle down.  But I remembered this group when it was vibrant and useful, and it had been going for over 55 years.  Something in me rose up and I decided I wouldn't let her destroy what was once such a buzzing group.

So I went to the next meeting and staged a hostile takeover,  I walked in armed with a programme for that session (nobody had done one, fully expecting to disband at that meeting).  I took over as Chairwoman, and my friend Carol Westron as Secretary. That was a couple of years ago, and in that time we've built the membership back up to seventeen members and now have a lively and committed group of writers with a great deal of talent in it.

I'm now in the place of having forty years' experience of the craft of writing, attending conferences, and engaging with the publishing industry. And I'm constantly learning new things, most often via social media.  When I was working full time I couldn't give so much time to such things, but now that I no longer have a day job I can.  

It's what Americans call paying it forward, helping the next generation of writers to grow and improve.  And I'm happy to carry on doing that for a good few years yet.