I prefer an on-line critique group. All right, I confess. My computer keyboard has crumbs in it. My preference for donuts isn’t the only reason I don’t participate in a face-to-face group. I could list a dozen, but my mouth’s full at the moment. Let me quote a group of writers who participate in my favorite on-line organization — The Internet Writing Workshop .

• “I can drop in on a discussion any time of day or night. It’s not like a face-to-face group where you have a scheduled time and place, then have limited time to critique and be critiqued.”
• “You meet people from all over the world who share their writing experience and training.”
• “On-line suits my peripatetic lifestyle. With the advent of lap tops and wi-fi I can read and write wherever and stay in touch forever. “
• “It is as anonymous as you wish it to be. Share only as much of who you are as you feel comfortable doing.”
• “You don’t have to dress up to participate, nor do you have to worry about the traffic to reach the group on time.”

The IWW operates via email. It’s comprised of multiple critique lists — fiction, nonfiction, novels, poetry, prose, young adult, practice, and teen writing — plus a general list discussing writing. The genre lists generally are restricted to submission and critique postings only and have participation requirements.

The IWW is free. It is not fee-based. Instead it operates by a practical application of the Golden Rule. Offer plenty of critiques, offer your best critiques, and you’ll find your submissions receive intelligent, thoughtful critiques of your own submissions.

Additionally, it operates under the auspices of efficient and effective moderators. The supervision isn’t overbearing, but flamers are booted immediately and lurkers are removed.

The IWW is one of the more prominent and professional organizations on the Internet. And it can boast a list of participants who have had significant publishing success. Few of us can write without learning from authentic and productive criticism. The IWW is where I find writers who will tell me the truth about the quality of my work.

You can find details about The Internet Writing Workshop here: http://www.internetwritingworkshop.org/.

Gary Presley http://GaryPresley.com/ is an essayist whose work has been published in Salon.com, Notre Dame Magazine, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and several other venues. His memoir, Seven Wheelchairs: A Life beyond Polio, was published in 2008 by The University of Iowa Press.

One thing I think about as I write is “truth.” And if you intend to follow the trail of creative nonfiction, you’ll also be challenged by the concept of what is true and what is not. Too many casual readers think the word “creative” gives a writer license to make up things to enhance a creative nonfiction piece. That’s not true.

For example, in my memoir, Seven Wheelchairs: A Life beyond Polio, there are snatches of dialog. Granted, no one can remember conversations which occurred decades in the past, but a good writer tries to relay “the truth” of a conversation. A good writer might even consult the other person involved to assess the accuracy of memory.

Recently, in the midst of reviewing Where Did I Leave My Glasses? for The Internet Review of Books, I stumbled upon a neurological star chart which might be useful for writers exploring the edge of the universe between truth and reality. Here is a sample:

” … computer remembers all or nothing. No in-between. Whereas the brain is filled with in-between. Think of it this way: What you put into the computer is an abstraction of your experience. Retrieve it, and it’s unchanged. What you remember is an abstraction of that experience, then a reconstruction of the abstraction, then a reconstruction of the reconstruction of the abstraction, and so on and on and on—every time you retrieve it. And of course, the more time that passes, the truer this becomes.”

I think regularly about the muddy mixture of objective fact and subjective truth. While I know a writer has the obligation to quote correctly and describe accurately, I also know that when we set out to explore the swamp of self, we often get tangled up in the jungle of emotions. It takes courage and a measure of humility to ask ourselves to tell our readers what we know, or think we know.

Lear tackled the subject of memory, and its accuracy, by consulting scientists, and she finally came to the conclusion our writing comes from the place where memory lives, which in Lear’s description is “palimpsest,” a tablet of layered text, each preceding layer imperfectly erased. Lear’s work reinforces both my skepticism and my faith that there is an “objective” truth, but it may not be completely accurate. We should be prepared – without lying – to search for our own truths.

And, in truth, the more I think about it, the more I have moved away from the idea of “truths” to the point where I believe that “truths” are merely opinions about truths.

Gary Presley‘s <http://www.garypresley.com> work has appeared in Brevity, Salon.com, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and assorted other venues. His book (Seven Wheelchairs: A Life beyond Polio) is available from The University of Iowa Press and online retailers.

1. Never leave home without business cards, bookmarks, or postcards (illustrated with book covers) as handouts. Carry them everywhere. And find ways to leave them at libraries, coffee houses, and bookstores.
2. Social networking – Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads.com (as an author), LinkedIn, Amazon.
3. Blog. Blog every day if you can. And learn how to blog effectively. And when you’re not blogging, send out excerpts or articles relating to your subject.
4. Network. Make friends with movers-and-shakers. A local multi-published genre writer took me under her wing. Her advice was, “Work with a locally owned bookstore as well as the biggies.” Local bookstores will be eager to participate in readings and library appearances.
5. Approach local outlets of book chains. I managed to get a signing at a local Borders by being patient and persistent. Be sure to announce your appearance via local radio and newspapers.
6. Find a “hook” to interview with a local newspaper. Use that to leverage those book store appearances and orders. I told the\ local B&N representative about an upcoming feature story, and she ordered copies of my book.
7. Don’t forget radio and television. And work for sequential interviews to sustain buzz. Think nationally as well as locally. There are dozens of daily syndicated radio programs that need copy.
8. Nonfiction? Invest time in searching out Yahoo! Groups and other online resources related to your subject. Don’t spam. Send short private notes to the moderators and ask for assistance or publicity.
9. Ask readers to post reviews on Amazon, which seems to be the 800-pound gorilla in the book world.
10. Don’t be shy. Talk about the book – everywhere you can without becoming a boor. Don’t self-limit your perception of your readership.

Of course, there’s always more, one of which is to use resources like BloggerLinkUp to find venues to discuss your book, or your expertise.

Gary Presley‘s memoir was a Fall 2008 publication of The University of Iowa Press. His essays and articles have appeared in venues ranging from Salon.com to The Ozark Mountaineer. He is an administrator of The Internet Writing Workshop. http://GaryPresley.com/