Monday, July 6, 2009

she’s a hit! with shewrites.com


There’s something taking the Internet by storm. It’s women. More specifically, it’s women writers.

If you haven’t yet discovered She Writes now’s the time to join one of the most resourceful, encouraging groups I have seen in some time. The first 24 hours brought in 277 members. Now, shewrites.com is just one week old and already more than 1,000 women writers have flocked to unite and share publishing tips, book recommendations, and stories from their own writer’s desk.

The organizers Kamy, Nancy, and Deborah wanted to offer women writers – of fiction, journalism, memoir and more – an opportunity to connect through a social networking site that offers relative information, real opportunities to learn from one another, and provides a resource like no other.

Last Friday, I chatted with Deborah Siegel, one of the fabulous women behind shewrites.com, who was blown away by the success of the site:

"It's been 6 days and 1,000 members have already joined. Clearly, there is a need for women writers to connect in this way!"
Of course, the membership continues to increase at astounding rates. At the time of writing this post, there were more than 33 blogs, 40 discussion groups, and dozens of videos to view. Women range in age from 17 to 80, but it’s up to you to disclose your stats. What matters most is that women writers are able to post information about their works-in-progress, links to their sites, and join in on conversations about writing, life, and connecting with like-minded women.

Personally, I feel lucky to have stumbled upon shewrites.com right after its debut. So far I have connected with fiction writers, journalists, bloggers, publicists, and poets and my list of ‘friends’ is growing. But don’t assume this is just like some of those other sites where a person accumulates friends by the number but has barely any real contact with one another. This site is different. The writers joining shewrites.com really, truly want to connect with other writers. They want to learn from one another. They want to hear what the successful authors are doing and offer tips to those just starting out.

Members are able to start or participate in existing discussions, post information about themselves in their personal writing profile, submit article ideas and offer workshops for others. The profiles are particularly useful as a writer is able to share her writing history, publications, career direction, web links and more. It’s an easy way to learn more about other members and connect as real people within the discussions.

Until shewrites.com came along, I didn’t know I was looking for a group like this. I have been an active member for the last week and I am pleased with the useful tips, personal connections and writing resources the site has to offer.

If you are a writer, whether well established or just starting out, consider signing on as a member to take advantage of all this wonderful site has to offer. You’ll instantly make connections, get a sense of the friendly community vibe, and be glad to be amongst some truly talented women.

For more information visit shewrites.com.

10 comments :

  1. Yay! Great profile of She Writes! I love, also, what Hope Edelman wrote on FaceBook: "If you haven't joined yet, you're missing the start of the party!" Great post...!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Laura! Hi Marie!

    Thanks for popping by, my fellow shewrites.com members. =)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lori! This is amazing! Thank you so much for doing this post. It kind of made me tear up. Wow.

    Is it okay if I share it with the group by blogging about it on the main page of SHE WRITES?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Kamy!

    Well, you all should be very proud of what shewrites.com has accomplished in such a little amount of time. I look forward to participating even more as the group continues to grow. It’s very easy to write about something passionate, so it was no trouble at all.

    And, yes, feel free to share with the group and others! Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Deborah featured it on the main page!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great description of the network and its vision. And I agree, there's something about being here at the beginning that's particularly inspiring.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'll have to check it out. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Jennifer, thanks for stopping by. Shewrites.com is fantastic and I am sure you will find many others to connect with in all genres and locations. Best to you and your writing!

    Cynthia, I'm glad you came by. Thanks for the compliment! Shewrites.com is getting so busy with so many new and ongoing conversations, I find my addiction is increading with each visit. Thanks for commenting!

    ReplyDelete