"I draw in the margins, or on my 3 X 5 cards. If I'm going to focus on drawing, I prefer watercolor, colored pencils, or markers, depending on the design. And I like the softer colored pencils better than the hard.
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The Salonniere: Where To, She Writes?
In my Salonniere column (an homage to my role in the salon of women writers that gave rise to She Writes), I will be talking about the growing intersection between creativity and community. How do social media tools impact writers? And what are the challenges and opportunities these intersections present?But before I do that, I am going to do a series of posts focused on this community right here: our growing community of women writers. It's been about eight months since Debbie and I flipped the "on" switch for this network, and our approach up to now has mostly consisted of observing the activity here (sometimes with delighted incredulity, sometimes with concern) and responding to questions and issues as they've come up. By now, however, certain clear themes have emerged, and it is high-time that I invited all of you to participate in the conversation I'm starting today—Where To, She Writes?
To kick things off, I am going to list what Debbie and I see as the primary issues/topics at hand. Please comment, add, or otherwise weigh in, and next week (or maybe sooner, not sure I will adhere to the once-a-week thing, founder's privilege), I will refer to your feedback as I formulate my take on the matter.
ONE: The Great Self-Promotion Debate. What constitutes "good behavior" on She Writes, and where does promoting one's writing fit in here? What is the line between self-promotion and sharing good news? What do we mean by "self-promotion" exactly, and—very important, I think, as I care deeply about the success of the writers assembled here—does it work, and if not, what does? Finally, what should the "rules of the road" be for our community when it comes to comments, e-mail, "friending" and otherwise participating in the site?
TWO: The Man Question. How do you feel about the presence of men on She Writes? I am all for it, for the reasons I gave in our "About" section, but I know not everyone agrees. Why not? What do you think our policy should be about having male members on She Writes? And why the "She" in She Writes in the first place? (If I had a nickel for every journalist who's asked me that I would have...about fifty cents. I have not been interviewed by that many journalists.) And to the men who are here: what do you think? What drew you to She Writes?
THREE: "Emerging" and "Established" Writers—Do We All Belong In the Same Place? (And How Do We Know Who's Who?) A few weeks ago, I gave a talk to an extremely elite group of women novelists. So elite I was glad that I did not know all of their names until after they'd already asked me a raft of smart, sharp and challenging questions about how She Writes might fit into their writing lives. One concern was that if they joined a network like She Writes, they'd simply be expected to give—their knowledge, their contacts, their blurbs, etc.—without being clear about what they'd get. The "emerging" and "established" question raises another issue, too: can She Writes meaningfully serve writers who fall into both categories? Can our community, our services and our platform give both new writers and writers with ten critically acclaimed novels what they need?
FOUR: Communications. How Often Do You Want To Hear From Us? What Do You Want To Hear About? This is a tough one for us, especially as we grow, as it's unlikely that any two She Writers would have the exact same answer to this question, much less nearly eight thousand. Some of you really dislike seeing "She Writes" in your inbox, some of you like it a lot. Each and every time we message all of you, we agonize quite a bit, afraid of spending good will, but equally afraid that the amazing content and relevant goings-on here aren't being as well-explained or clearly communicated as they ought to be. In this post I'll also add some practical how-to guides for setting your She Writes e-mail settings, privacy controls, and opting out, or in, of our communications with you.
FIVE: Where To, She Writes? Sometimes I think of She Writes like a house—we built it, and you came. (Thank you!!) Lately, however, I have been thinking of She Writes less like a destination, and more as transportation—something that can take us into the future of publishing. This is the part where I get out my crystal ball, and would love to know what you see when you look in yours, too. Where is publishing headed, and how will She Writes, and its sister network She Reads (not yet launched, but always part of the plan), fit in?
I hope this provides food for thought, and that these questions resonate with you, too. Next week I will dive into the first one: The Great Self-Promotion Debate. Should be a doozy.
Comment
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Comment by Mary Keating on April 11, 2010 at 9:09pm -
Quick comments concerning questions #3 and #4.
Number 3 - Emerging and Established Writers. All writers need to have a mentor, a role model and an advocate. The three areas are not necessarily part and parcel to a new writer. Sometimes we teach and others times we learn. Often when in the teaching mode, we learn. When in the learning mode, we often teach. Although well published (without a novel), many think of me as established - I for one have plenty to learn and many words to pen and am still very much emerging.
As parent volunteer to an elementary school newspaper. I learn even when I am teaching groups of 4th - 6th graders. I love that SW has many levels of writer - both emerging and accomplished. And, I thank the accomplished writers for sharing, supporting and guiding and I thank the emerging writers for their enthusiasm and zest.
#4 Communication: As a newbie to SW, I am anxious to hear from you and from everyone. I have much to learn from the talented women (and men) on this site. I look forward to communicating, sharing and learning. Any advice, thoughts and ways to tackle this new platform will be appreciated. As for the deeper question, I think communication in the beginning would be more valuable and helpful as I, for one, am just breaching the social media world.
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Comment by Renate Stendhal on March 26, 2010 at 7:21pm -
The wonderful sign-post on the photo says it all -- it's hilarious. How can 7000 women come together and not feel lost in the crowd? Rhetorical question. Feeling often lost and disoriented and overwhelmed by it all, I appreciate every bit of guidance and direction, funneling and channeling that you, Kamy and the marvelous TEAM can provide. Your posts often feel like you are the beacon, the officer in the middle to the traffic chaos at La Concorde in Paris, where one can get a vertigo on one's own! Bon courage for helping us navigate and warmest thanks.
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Comment by Shelly Holder on March 26, 2010 at 1:47pm -
I would like to agree with the previous post from Marilyn Yalom:
"My emphatic response to the gender question is that you should stick with women only. Why? Because there are so many other places where men and women interact on line and only one for women writers"
SheWrites provides a very distinct service that in my mind should be preserved. If there are men that are interested in joining, an alternative might be a 'sister' company that is based on the same principle-- HeWrites, in effect. The point of SheWrites should not be to keep men OUT, but rather to draw women TOGETHER.
And just to put this out there because it has not been explicitly addressed and we are already on the topic of gender, admission should rather be based on female identification rather than the female "gender" so that we can accommodate all that wish to participate. SheWrites discusses the various issues that come from writing, publishing, etc from the female viewpoint, so all experiences that fall under that broad definition should be represented. I am not sure what the current policy is, but I have privately wondered and thought I might mention it here. Forgive my clumsiness if there are any objections to my language.
(I'm from Virginia. In like of certain recent political events, I thought it would be pertinent to point this all out. Legally and ethically, these are important considerations for the future of SheWrites.)
Just some thoughts. By no means complete, or perfect in logic.
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Comment by Marilyn Yalom on March 26, 2010 at 11:17am -
Dear Kamy,
What you have done in the past eight months is awesome; I use that overused word because it does imply a measure of fear as well as respect. This is certainly time to take stock and ask where shewrites is going. My emphatic response to the gender question is that you should stick with women only. Why? Because there are so many other places where men and women interact on line and only one for women writers. Shewrites is a cozy niche, where you feel comfortable to converse with other women. . . most of whom you don't know personally. I've heard from old friends and acquaintances and made new ones. I like the interaction between young and old, popular writers and academics, and have been glad to share whatever wisdom I have at my advanced age with younger women and newcomers to the Bay area. Tell those elite women writers that they are missing a great deal if they close the door to younger, less experienced writers. I learned, while directing the Stanford Institute for Research on Women, that sharing knowledge with other women and similar centers had a snowball effect, from which we all profited. So, good luck in this new stage!
Marilyn
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Comment by Sandi Johnson on March 23, 2010 at 9:59am -
Sign me up a for a tshirt! lol That is a cool idea.
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Comment by Julie Polk on March 23, 2010 at 9:44am
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I'd buy a She Writes / A Room of Her Own Just Got Bigger t-shirt in a heartbeat.
And Shelly, I love your story about self-promotion. Sounds like a great example of the notion that a rising tide lifts all boats.
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Comment by Kamy Wicoff on March 21, 2010 at 7:03pm -
Wow. I feel like I need to print out every one of these comments and fasten them to my inspiration wall. Thank you for your contributions and your wise advice about communicating via this medium. Like a lot of writers I came to it very slowly and somewhat reluctantly, but when I think about the possibilities it presents to open the floor to unheard voices, and change the landscape for women writers forever, I also can't contain my excitement. :) More soon...
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Comment by Shelly Holder on March 21, 2010 at 6:50pm
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As a random side note, I would be interested in a tshirt that says "A Room of Her Own Just Got Bigger." Is there such a thing? Would someday there be such a thing. I think a SheWrites store might be a fun idea, if you wanted to expand in that way. Think of all the notebooks, stationary, pens, etc. that us school-supply-obessed writers would buy.
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Comment by Shelly Holder on March 21, 2010 at 6:31pm
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I would like to comment on #1: Self Promotion.
Today I posted on the General Members News with a recent poem that got published. I read a few under me. I clicked on an author, read her work, and found out that she's an editor of such and such magazine. I checked out said magazine, and now I have two whole new journals to submit to, in genres that I have been actively looking for, and I know that I would have never been able to click through and discover them for myself without someone else's self-promotion. I hope that my own blurb with get another SheWrites member interested in the journal that I write for, and that the entire cycle will expand and expand. Maybe there is an arguable need for limits, but self-promotion somewhat conversely builds awareness as well.
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Comment by Julie Jeffs on March 20, 2010 at 8:26pm -
Whew ... Okay, I think we've got and understanding now, that it was mostly a misunderstanding. Did I take it personally and get my feelings hurt? You bet I did, because that is what I do. It gives that inner critic, who is already annoyingly obnoxious just a little more power to beat me senseless and convince me I may never make it here amongst you writers. It was not just the discussion here but several things that had put me in that state of mind to attack when my buttons were pushed. And Kamy will be thrilled to know that I fired off a rather snarky e-mail to her as well about several issues, but was at least level headed enough to put it in the drafts folder and let it sit for a day. On a much brighter day I realized I need not send it at all, it wasn't really what I wanted to say or how I truly felt, just some emotional blathering. (Of course I much appreciate and will go with Sandi's description of me as passionate ... sounds so much better than nuts.) I am more than willing to agree that it may have been misunderstanding or even agree that Julie P and I might agree to disagree but thats okay too.
What I really want to know is how come Jenne' is so good at saying what is in my head? That just seems completely unfair that I become completely unable to communicate clearly and then she writes just what I was thinking or at least just what I wanted to be thinking. Thank you Jenne'.
And finally, just to fire you all up one more time ... Hey Kamy, I think all 7000 of us getting together would be a wonderful idea. I think it should be a plan for 2011, a She Writes/She Reads convention. I mean hey, they have bloggers conventions, writers conventions, publishers conventions and conventions for Star Trek aficionados for goodness sakes (no offense to you Star Trek fans ... live long and prosper). So why not a convention of women writers, seminars, classes, readings, some face to face discussions about the issues that are important to us as a community, and maybe a little press to remind the world (especially those white dudes who seem to pick the award winners) we are here, and ready to be recognized!
I do look forward to Kamy's more expanded response as to where she would like to see She Writes go next.
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