MWA Meeting and the Joy of Joining Organizations

[Love Is Murder Conference]

Last year at Bouchercon, I had the pleasure of moderating a panel and got to meet fun folks like Dan Hale, who is currently Executive VP of MWA. After that meeting I joined MWA and serve on the Reads committee, which runs a national writing contest for children and teens. This has been a great experience, and further led me to get to know the Midwest Chapter of MWA. This group is now a partner of Love is Murder, as of last year.

The Midwest Chapter is having a meeting this Sunday, September 16, from 1 - 3 p.m. at the Centuries and Sleuths bookstore in Forest Park, IL. I've put a link there to their website. They are having guest speaker Jean Gould O'Connell, daughter of Dick Tracy creator Chester Gould. According to the MWA Midwest site: "She'll be talking about her father and the biography she has written of him."

It is hard to put into words what the impact of joining these organizations and going to conferences like LIM can have on your writing career. So I decided not to - instead I asked Ted Hertel, President of MWA Midwest, and Julie Hyzy, Vice-President, to say what they think the value is of joining.

Ted sent this message for blog readers and aspiring writers:

There are many benefits to belonging to the Mystery Writers of America. First of all, of course, is the prestige that comes with belonging to the premier and oldest organization devoted specifically to mystery writing. MWA encompasses all types of mysteries, from the coziest of cozies to the hardest of hard-boiled, from thrillers to pure detection. The support that is received from having contact with other writers who have experienced the same joys and problems a new writer is facing is invaluable.

Beyond such intangibles, important as they are, are the sources of information that will open up to you. There are ten issues a year of MWA The Third Degree, the national newsletter filled with writing opportunities, resources, industry news and information that is of special interest to mystery writers. Along with this comes membership in the Midwest Chapter (or other local chapters, depending on where you live). Your local chapter holds meetings on a frequent basis. In the Midwest there is a monthly meeting in Chicago and meetings are also held from time to time in locations such as Milwaukee, Indianapolis, and Minneapolis/St. Paul. The Midwest Chapter also publishes CLUES, its newsletter, ten times a year.

One of the other main benefits you receive is access to the national and Midwest listservs where you can post questions about research, book announcements, and discussions on a variety of topics. It will keep you in contact with other MWA members around your area and across the country. You'll be able to discuss the business of mystery writing with other MWA members, even if you can not attend chapter meetings.

MWA Midwest is affiliated with Love is Murder. We sponsor programming there, hold a chapter meeting during the convention (Ken Bruen spoke to us at the last LIM convention and Lee Child will be our speaker in 2008), and will throw a terrific chocolate party this coming year. This is a great opportunity to learn from the best writers the mystery field has to offer, to network with publishers and agents, and to meet with others in the field.

Julie added a welcome for all to attend the meetings: The only thing I'd like to add is that chapter meetings are held all over the region, and our chapter relies on member volunteers to keep things fresh and alive. Meetings, whether held in Chicago, Minneapolis, Indianapolis or St. Louis (or other cities willing to host them) are great for networking - and for support. Going forward, we hope to see more and more people taking advantage of the opportunity to talk with others - and more and more cities popping up with news.

We represent mystery writers at all levels - where else can you 'talk the talk' with people who truly understand?

Thanks, Ted and Julie! As I was reading their messages getting ready to post this, I kept going back to the chocolate party Ted mentioned that will be at LIM next year. So - networking and chocolate, and Julie emphasized that all are welcome. Is there a writer who has survived without these things?

If you belong to another organization and can tell our community about how it has helped you please do leave a comment. Otherwise, I hope to see some of you there Sunday. If you mention to me that you read this blog, I will have something for you...

-Amy Alessio [e-mail]