Have you joined a writers’ group in your local area? If so, have you given any thought to running for president of the group? There are good reasons to do that.
Many years ago, I served as president of such a group. Back then, it was known as The Writers’ Association of Anne Arundel County, or TWAAAC. (All the good acronyms were already taken.) Sometime after my term ended, they changed the name to the Maryland Writers’ Association (MWA).
This past week, the current MWA officers held a Zoom meeting to gather and honor all the past presidents of the group. It was wonderful to talk to people I hadn’t seen in many years, and to learn how much the organization has grown and to find out about all the new activities going on.
All volunteer organizations have too few members doing all the work and too many members doing nothing. Writers’ groups are no different, and might even be worse, given that writing is a solitary, time-consuming activity. Still, I believe if you’re asked to serve in some official position, even as president, you ought to consider doing it. Here’s why:
- It will serve as a new life experience for you, especially if you’ve never led a group before. As a writer, you should seek out such new experiences. That way you can write with authority about characters going through their first leadership positions.
- You’ll meet and work with other writers. This expands your network of contacts, several of whom might become readers or critique partners someday.
- It many develop your leadership capabilities. As president, you’ll face problems and you’ll have to think of solutions or at least evaluate and implement the best ones proposed by other group officers.
- It will help overcome a fear of public speaking. Being the leader, you’ll have to speak to the group. That experience will serve you well when it comes to giving readings from your books at writing conferences, or talking to readers at book signings.
Yes, there’s a small downside to serving as president of a writers’ group. Time spent performing presidential duties is time not spent writing. However, your term will not last forever. Typically, presidents of such groups serve for only a year or two.
Perhaps you believe you’re too young to serve as president. Maybe most members are older and seem more experienced. That’s how it seemed to me. Here’s the reality—most volunteer organizations seek out young people who are full of energy and ideas. They’re the ones who keep such groups fresh and vital. The more senior members are looking for people like you.
In many cases, those older members have already served their time as president and now lack the time or energy to do so again. Often, they’ll gladly serve as a mentor for you if you’re not sure what to do.
If you do get elected president of your group, I’d encourage you to spend some time thinking about the future of the group. What activities would inspire and nurture writers? How might the organization reach out to gain new members? In what ways could the group be better in five years and what steps are necessary to make those improvements happen?
Finding answers to these questions and acting on them could make your term as president enjoyable and valuable to the group.
I hope you are able to serve as president of your local writers’ group. You’ll do well. It’s not rocket science. That job can even be performed, with some competence, by a much younger—
Poseidon’s Scribe