Feature

Seattle Writergrrls:
A New Year and A New Look

Remembering the Past Year:
A little over a year ago, a member of Seattle Webgrrls organized an informal gathering of women interested in learning about freelance writing for the Web. Ten of us met at a teahouse to learn from each other about opportunities in our area. As the meeting was winding down, we talked about how great the experience had been. A few of us organized another meeting and set up an e-mail discussion list during the following month. That's how Seattle Writergrrls got started.

From the beginning Seattle Writergrrls has been about putting faces with names of those we've met online. We started as a fairly small group--approximately 20 Webgrrls who wanted to talk more about writing and editing than about HTML or Web graphics. We had great ideas about how we might learn from each other, and ways we could use the Web to connect and to showcase our writing and editing talent. It seems that many of us yearned to interact with other women working in this medium.

By early 1999, our discussion list had moved to Drizzle Internet. Now there was Web space for us to use. After the new e-mail list was announced to Seattle Webgrrls, our membership mushroomed from 30 to 120 members within a matter of days. Clearly, our fledgling group was tapping into a need. We began holding monthly networking meetings. Our ideas for the group expanded to include using this site as a Webzine.

In the spring, a Steering Committee (SC) was formed. The SC took on the role of organizing events, planning a Web site redesign, and investigating nonprofit incorporation. We forged a brief, but broad, mission statement; developed volunteer guidelines; and began piecing together volunteer committees to help plan and produce this Web site.

Where Are We Now:
This year has been exciting and challenging. We have more ideas than we have known what to do with. Our membership has grown to include over 200 women. As we decided on a broad mission statement, our focus shifted from writing for the Web to writing in a world that includes the Web and other computer formats.

Our new site features our logo designed by Karen D. Williamson. Karen put her award-winning design experience to work in creating a simple logo based on our mission statement. It helped us create a new look for our Web site, and represents one of our first organizational successes. I encourage you to visit Karen's site to learn more about her skills and view her online portfolio. Karen's design combines one of a writer's oldest tools and the color and suggested movement of digital art in a way that embodies the spirit of Seattle Writergrrls.

We are a diverse group. Our membership includes writers, editors, indexers and probably more than a few professionals who don't fit neatly into any of those titles. Some of us are students just getting started on a career. Others are women returning to, or making the transition into, a publishing environment that is rapidly changing due to the increased use of computers. Technical issues, medicine, fiction, games, movies and pop culture--these are just a small sampling of the topic areas we write about.

This first edition of our Webzine features a movie review, a game review and two poems: one about the loss of home, the other about the convergence of two American cultures and lust. Each article has a byline (and, if provided, a bio) about the writer and a byline that credits both the writers and the editor. Our purpose in producing this zine is to provide a forum for our members to showcase their writing and editing talent. You'll also find links to members' sites from their writings.

Where Are We Going:
One of the most exciting ventures of the coming year is keeping the 'zine portion of our Web site fresh. This is a great venue for publishing the writing you do for enjoyment; or feel free to submit an article you'd like to use as a portfolio piece--career development is an activity we wholeheartedly support. Any Seattle Writergrrls member can submit an article or piece of fiction for consideration. The writer retains ownership of rights--we know what a pain it can be to have one of your pieces unavailable to use as a writing sample because you gave away the rights to it in your contract, or because you signed a nondisclosure agreement. None of that applies here.

We've kicked around many ideas, brainstorming how we can connect our more experienced writers and editors with those who want to learn or be mentored. One way to do this is to submit an article. The Editorial Volunteer Committee (EVC) will provide you with feedback, and if you'd like, help you connect with an editor to work with one on one. The new year holds many new opportunities for us to meet and grow together.

The SC and the EVC are continuing to explore ways to foster our professional growth with workshops and other educational events. We're working to put together an event for January about Feng Shui on using it to increase your creativity in your work environment. In the spring, we hope to have a panel on how to break into technical writing.

Let's make this Web site a great resource. We have the beginnings of an excellent Resources section. Links to sites about jobs, creative writing, other types of professional writing and related industry groups are being added. More information about our Mission, volunteer and meeting opportunities for members will be available here.

Most importantly--last but definitely not least--this is your group. Your ideas for events are welcome. If you have an idea for a workshop, a meeting, an article--go for it. Organize that writer's circle, screenwriting workshop or group to attend an upcoming reading. Tell us about it on the discussion list. The SC is here to support you in making this group lively and inspiring.

By Jenny Neill.
Jenny is a Steering Committee member, acts as Co-Facilitating Editor, and List Admin for Seattle Writergrrls.

Edited by Terry Monaghan.
Terry is a Steering Committee member and also acts as Co-Facilitating Editor.