Update on My Writing Group--by KMKaung

I have not really told you about my writing group yet, but it has been going very well.
In fact, among the nearly ten short courses I have taken in the past 17-20 years and the 4-5 groups I have been in or helped found in the last 10 years, this is probably the best, based on productivity and how well the group is "run."
By that I mean it is "run" in a very light handed way and the machine keeps track of everything.
There are 630+ members of the group.
In the 3-4 face to face meetings I  have attended so far, an average of 6 people shows up every week.
I did not go to a happy hour socializer in a bar as I don't drink alcohol, and I always feel a bit out of place.
I feel this group is a combination of the Iowa critique model and boot camp, where you just sit and write and don't need to talk much, if you don't wish to.
As I said, the food at this branch of Tisane (not its real name) is terrible to horrible, so now we all drink tea.
I have my brunch or lunch in the late afternoon and when I get back I spoil myself with chips and ice cream.
This time the most critical of the critics, incidentally the one whose work I could relate to least, said my writing was like Murakami http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haruki_Murakami
and all said I wrote beautifully.
Also, one gave me a printout of my chapter with his comments, and drew a diagram for me of "chunks of the story" in different shapes with The Through Line, written near the drawing, and this has really helped me map out the different parts and sequence of my story, now titled 2131.

Therefore Thank You, writing group with 630+ members, and as for dear friends on FB--I am afraid I am phasing out as I told you I would.

But there will always be a lot of news items and art photos.

Just less Burmese pols. and grouching.

I have to withdraw, otherwise I wont be able to do my primary work which is writing--and it is not translating either.

KMKaung
10-8-2014