By Leslie Lindsay

It’s been on my mind for, oh 9 months or so (no, I am not pregnant), I finally decided to give it a go.  I went to a special-agent writer’s meeting.  Not special agent in the sense that you may be thinking.  There was not a Private Eye or bullet-proof vest, no spies or drama of that sort.  But, what I found were–gasp–published authors!

After referring to  my trusty Smart Phone to navigate me to the undisclosed uh, new-to-me location, I arrived, albeit a few minutes tardy.  (I was told the meetings begin at 7:00 sharp!)  And I wasn’t even sure if I had made it to the right place, as there was no sign on the door or anything else that indicated that I had arrived.  Though, I had arrived.  I  wasn’t sure if I was expecting a secret handshake or a patterned knock on the door.  If so, I didn’t know the code.

Turns out the “code,” is only the desire to write.  Seriously write.  Write seriously.  I made myself comfortable, plopping down in a molded plastic chair, paper, and pen poised ready for note-taking.  We went around the room introducing ourselves.  It started off with name, then “published in” ___(insert genre), followed by current project.  It was a bit intimidating to hear folks–all women–say, they had published 13 books, or were on the New York Times bestseller list.  By the time they got to me, I told them that I actually had just turned in a manuscript (they actually stopped to look at me and nodded approvingly).  I told them what else I was working on and that I needed a really good critique group.  This is after all, my first novel.

One thing I really like about this group was their willingness to allow newcomers to sit in on a meeting without any obligation whatsoever.  And the fact that they kept chirping, “when you get published,” as opposed to “if you get published.”  I also appreciate the mentorship feel of the group; it’s writers helping writers.  And we all know that writing–while intrisically motivating and introspective–it can be a bit isolating.  So, I think I will go back.

This time, I will know the secret knock.