Once upon a time, three women who love to write, lived in the same neighborhood. On an island. In Malaysia.
One of them had an idea.
“Why don’t we form a writers group?” Two were especially eager to learn from the published author among them. All wanted to grow their writing skills and fulfill some writing goals.
In 2015, RagTag Writers was born.
Each writer
These three met once a week or once a month. According to everyone’s availability.
Each one brought a short written piece to the meeting, with copies for the others.
Then each writer took a turn reading their piece and the other two asked questions or gave suggestions.
RAGTAG
Somewhere they ran across a format to go by: RAG.
- Read the piece.
- Ask for input.
- Give your next writing goal.
Tweaking this, they added TAG for the input part.
- Tell something you like about it.
- Ask a question.
- Give an idea or suggestion.
RagTag Writers became a favorite hour of the week.
Change
But things change. People move.
One of the writers moved back to America. The other moved to Europe.
They went from living on an island in close proximity, to residing on three different continents. All felt the loss of that weekly time to encourage one another in their craft.
Then COVID happened. And everyone started discovering online meetings.
So did the RagTag Writers.
Meet online
Today they continue to meet online. Once a month.
One of the RagTag writers sends her piece the week before, so the other two have time to read it over before the meeting.
They gather online—for one it’s early morning, the second is in her afternoon, and the third, finishing her day.
They catch up on each others’ lives. Share resources they’ve found. Recommend writer podcasts that are helpful.
Then it’s time. For RAGTAG.
RagTagging
Because of RagTag Writers, in November 2017 I had the courage to start publishing on susanlafferty.com. The other two, my writing sisters, cheered me on.
Since we formed our group, both of them* have published books: one, a devotional and the other, a novella.
Every once in a while, our paths cross. We get to see one another. In person.
And the RagTagging continues.
What about you?
How are you developing a gift or skill the Lord has given you? Who is on this journey with you?
Related
Keep writing – Hopewords – Communicate – Thank you –
*Jana: Writer’s Page – Haze Island: A Could-(almost)-Happen Mystery – Jana’s Blog
*Jenna: Writer’s Page – The Word on My Heart is Yes: Reflections from a Modern-Day Missionary – Devotions: Smog, Suit Up
6 replies on “RagTag Writers”
This is a challenging question! I need to consider skills that I have neglected or want to explore!
I look forward to hearing what you discover 😊😊
Love this! Thanks for sharing. I could use a group like this.
I hope He surprises you with some like-minded creatives to journey with as you write 😊😊. It certainly keeps me accountable—and it’s fun, too😊
Love to read of the encouragement you had from each other. Writing can be isolating, so it’s great to have input from others. The Rag Tag acrostic guide is great!
Yes, we’ve learned a lot from each other—and enjoy the fellowship 😊😊. And I was hoping RAGTAG would be helpful to others. 😊