Creating an Indie Book Trailer, Part Two

by T G Campbell

Part Two: The Power of Networking.

“It’s not WHAT you know, but WHO you know that counts,” is a phrase often muttered under our breath whenever we perceive the success of others as a result of their friend’s/partner’s/relative’s assistance. The perception usually leaves a bitter taste in one’s mouth—especially if one doesn’t have the same access to these individuals as the other person. We may feel disillusioned with—or even cheated out of—our dreams and ambitions because we’ll never have the same advantages. Contrary to what you may be thinking, I’m not going to patronise you by saying some individuals aren’t given unfair advantages over their peers due to help from a relative etc. Rightly or wrongly, these things do happen but, if you’re truly honest with yourself, you’d probably agree you’d accept such assistance if it meant getting ahead of the competition. I, therefore, want to leave this way of thinking here and politely request you do the same. This blog entry isn’t about the help we can’t get from others, but the help we can.

In part one I talked about creating a blockbuster book trailer on a restricted, financial budget. A large part of being able to do this is to enlist the help of others who are willing to offer their services either for free or at a reduced price. That being said, you have to remember we are all trying to make a living. You, therefore, can’t demand someone gives you their service for free. You may make a request, though, and offer a product/service of your own in return. On a very basic level, this may be an entry into your trailer’s final credits, accompanying description, and promotional material. By doing this, you’ll be offering the potential contributor free exposure to them and their business.

Personally, I think it’s sound business practice to always offer this reward to your contributors, regardless if you’re paying them or not. Aside from being the proper thing to do (you should never take credit for another’s work), you’re creating a solid working relationship with that contributor so you may draw upon their services/products again in the future. Put simply, it’s the old adage of “if you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours”. This principle is at the heart of all business networking activity. At the end of the day, you are a business and your books are your products. So, you should treat all your activities with professionalism and care.

If you’re rude, defensive, deceptive, or devious, or make unreasonable or impractical demands/slander a contributor’s name on your social media platforms, no one will want to work with you. Others—who you’ve yet to contact—may witness your behaviour first hand on social media and run a mile. Likewise, most creatives in the industry (regardless of their business type or profession) know one another. Even if they don’t communicate directly with each other, rumours about unprofessionalism and personal attacks can spread like wildfire. (Look at the situation with Terry Goodkind that is happening right now, for example. -G Dean Manuel) So, even if you decide not to hire a potential contributor because you think their prices are too high, etc., decline their offer as politely, and as professionally, as possible. Never make it personal.

Returning to my earlier point about what you may offer to a potential contributor, I think it’s always wise to throw into the mix something no one else can offer. Remaining within the realm of professional business practises, you could consider offering a free interview on your blog, or a feature in your newsletter (dependent on how many subscribers you have). I write a monthly feature for Fresh Lifestyle Magazine, in addition to my books and short stories. The magazine has 400,000+ subscribers, and all features are left, permanently, on the magazine’s website. I will, therefore, offer a free interview/feature to potential contributors when negotiating prices for their service.

As a side note, I’d always recommend you don’t state your financial budget in initial correspondence to potential contributors. In your initial email, always explain who you are, which product/service of theirs you’re enquiring about, which additional (non-monetary) rewards you can offer, and what you intend to use said product/service for. Then request a quote based on the information you’ve given. If the potential contributor is interested, they’ll reply with the price they think their product/service is worth. If you then decide to decline the offer, you have no reason to clarify your exact budget. If you decide to try and negotiate on the price, then you could state your budget but I still think it unnecessary. The most important thing is to keep your response professional and not beg for the product/service to be given for free/at a reduced price simply because you’re an indie author and you’re poor. A simple “is there any room for negotiation in your prices, given the additional exposure I may give you?” should suffice. If the response is a no, then politely thank them for their time and inform them you shan’t be hiring them on this occasion.

s When trying to find potential contributors, it’s always wise to ask around. Facebook friends, Twitter followers, fellow authors, relatives, work colleagues, and partners are excellent resources to draw upon. Twitter followers, especially, may provide you with the names of potential contributors you’d never considered before. Unknown/fledgling artists, composers, voice over actors, and editors, etc., are more willing to give their service/product for free/at a reduced fee provided you give permission for them to use the finished product on their showreels, websites etc. Websites like www.fiverr.com and www.fivesquid.com are also good starting points, as there’s already the expectation of a low fee between both parties. I’ve recently been researching voice over actors for my book trailer on www.fivesquid.com. They’re still professionals, but their fees won’t break the bank—provided I contact them through the website, of course.

Always be wary of charlatans when researching potential contributors. When they have given you a quote for their service, ask yourself “is it value for money?” Research industry pricing standards to give you a yardstick to compare the quotes against. Check the websites of potential contributors, but don’t accept what’s written at face value. Look up non-biased, independent reviews from past customers, fellow industry professionals, etc. about the potential contributor; are there any negative reviews? How relevant are the reviews to your project? How up-to-date is the potential contributors’ website? How recent was their last job? You may have thousands in your book trailer’s budget, but that doesn’t mean you should spend money like it’s going out of fashion.

Finally, think outside the box when researching potential contributors. I have a local museum with a Victorian-era parlour permanently set up. I need a Victorian-era interior for my book trailer. Rather than hiring/buying expensive antiques, therefore, and/or building my own set, I contacted the museum about hiring theirs. At the point of writing this, they’ve agreed for me to hire it for free—even if I require it out of hours. They also offered two more interiors, should I need them.

At the end of the day, there’s no harm in enquiring after a quote for your costumes, editing, original music, locations, etc. from potential contributors and/or local businesses. They may be too pricey, they may decline, or they may just surprise you and offer their product and service for free/at a reduced cost. You won’t know for sure, though, until you ask and, remember, keep it professional!

NEXT TIME: CREATING AN INDIE BOOK TRAILER Part Three: Script and Storyboard.

T G Campbell is a crime novelist that resides in Modern Day England, though she'd probably wanted to have lived in Victorian London. She is best known for her Bowstreet Society mysteries. You can find out more about T G here.

Not Your Daddy's Undead! (Possibly Your Great-great-great-granddaddy's Undead!)

by G Dean Manuel

Have you noticed that only some undead beasts are ever represented in any meaningful way? Vampires, of course. You can't spit without hitting someone writing a vampire story. Zombies are popular. But what about variety? Shouldn't we see more undead than the few that are represented on the big screen or the pages of a book? Here are a few that I think we should give a resurgence to:

Banshee- the wailing woman. A banshee's keening denotes the death of a family member. Several banshees keening foretells the death of someone particularly important or holy. A banshee's wailing can also warn that death is likely from a current endeavor.

Why are these creatures feared? They warn us against bad happenings. Now modern retellings say that hearing a banshee's keening leads to death. Older tales don't support this. Banshees, while called fairy, banshee literally meaning “woman of the fairy mound”, are not technically fairies. They are the ghosts of women who have: a.) died in childbirth b.) have been murdered. Some banshees have been known to attach themselves to family lines, particularly those of Milesian stock (those whose names begin with O' or Mac'). Here are some ideas for stories with banshees:

You have never seen your family banshee in such a state. Something has made it go absolutely bonkers. It didn't even act this way when Gran died.

You are visited nightly by a woman that looks upon you sadly and wails such a heartbreaking tune. You know that she is trying to warn you about something but you can't for the life of you figure out what.

You must gather up the sisters for a most hated duty. The Bishop has died. You and your sisters must keen his lament. But one refuses to go. A dark secret is revealed.






Dullahan- is a headless horseman! And you thought it was just a story by Washington Irving. Dullahans are members of the Unseelie Court. In fact, they were created by the court. They are either human or fey sacrifice. Heads are lopped off by golden ax and through rituals turned into a Dullahan. Such creatures typically ride a black horse and are followed by a wagon filled with accouterments of death. Their heads are said to be the consistency and color of moldy cheese and bear a ghastly, idiotic grin from one side to the other. They hold them under one arm, with mouths constantly working and eyes continually searching the night.

It is said that there is no way to bar a road against a Dullahan and wherever a Dullahan stops, someone will die. Usually, they stop and say a person's name and that person drops dead on the spot. Here are some story ideas that include Dullahan:

What if a Dullahan kills a person only to find out it killed the wrong person? Crazy antics ensue as they try to rectify their mistake!

An opportunistic mage is using a Dullahan as an unwitting assassin. Altering its assignments and giving it names of people that he would like dead.

A woman is visited by a Dullahan. She breaks down and tears and thanks him. He doesn't know what to do.


                                                    



Lich- A lich is a creature of such indomitable will that its life continued on to undeath. A lich can be almost anyone in life but is normally a person of arcane power. Sorcerers and warlocks. Through arcane rituals or demonic deals, they beat death itself and live on as a lich. Liches are commonly seen as commanders of hordes of undead minions. As such they make a great antagonist for stories! What are some ideas?



A young man finds a broach in an open-aired market while on a trip to Dubai. He intends to give it to his girlfriend as a gift. Unknown to him, it is actually a lich's phylactery (a receptacle for the lich's lifeforce). The lich will stop at nothing to recover the phylactery.

Does a lich always have to be mad? I say no. A family suffers from a terrifying curse that is passed upon the death of one cursed to the youngest living relative. To stop the curse, one member becomes a lich, so that there is no true death.

An ancient evil arises in the land and the only person with information needed to stop the creature is the man who was around the last time he was here but he may be just as evil as it. The MC must deal with a lich to find out how to defeat the ancient evil.






Wights- or revenant. Or a host of other creatures. From the draugir of Norse mythology to the barrow wights of the English myths, these are creatures of fascinating legends and dark curses. A wight is a creature brought back from death to fulfill some action. Be that to guard a barrow or tomb, to hunt down a murderer, etc... These creatures are undead killing machines. Don't get these confused with ghouls or other undead, that hunt humans for sustenance. Wights don't require sustenance. They are driven by an unholy need to fulfill their goal. They have wide and varied looks, but most are the desiccated corpse of once living, reanimated flesh. Barrow-wights might come with old armor and weapons. Here are some story ideas:



Using the revenant aspect, the returned, the undead returns to seek vengeance upon those who killed it and its son.

A barrow wight guards the tomb of its once-beloved lord through eternity. Can bonds of duty and love hold against the inexorable trudge of time?






Black Dog- Legends of black dogs originated in the British Isles. These dogs are described as spectral or demonic, larger than a normal dog, and having glowing eyes. They are almost always thought of as harbingers of death, even when they are thought of benevolently. This could be due to the fact that dogs have been seen as guardians of the Underworld for some time. Look at the different depictions of dog-like beings in such a position: Anubis(Egyptian), Gramr(Norse), and Cerberus(Greek. Sometimes they are associated with the Devil.



You can find them in a modern day setting on Supernatural, where they are called either black dogs or hellhounds. Here they work directly for Hell and come to collect souls from those who have made demon deals. In this instance, they are invisible unless you are being hunted or you have magical means with which to view them.

You can find them in literature in The Hound of the Baskervilles. Spoilers ahead. Now, while the hound in question was not a black dog, Doyle made use of the legend in the setting up of the murder.

So, what can we do to revitalize the black dog?

Well, you could use a black dog in a humorous way. They were known as familiars to witches and warlocks. What if a young witch had a pony-sized black dog as her familiar? Called him Fluffy?

How about black dogs as part of an Underworld Spirit Retrieval Unit? That could be fun.They track down rogue spirits that have found ways to escape the Underworld and seek to bring them back into custody.

What about a black dog as a central figure? What if, for the purpose of the storyline, is the spirit of a dog that died after some form of torment or abuse. The black dog is sent to collect the soul of someone who it once knew. One of its abusers. But when there, it sees the abuser's son who had been its only friend on the mortal plane. Decides to befriend the boy and break the cycle that got it trapped into an eternity of collecting souls for the Underworld.

Are there undead that you think should be on this list? Leave a comment and tell me and maybe I'll write them up in a future article!

Creating an Indie Book Trailer, Part One

by T G Campbell

Time and time again, I’ve heard comments along the line of “being a successful independent author is 10% writing and 90% marketing”. It’s true that, as independents, the responsibility of getting our books, short stories, poems et cetera in front of the people who matter—the readers—is completely our own. Often, we have non-existent—if not very limited—financial budgets, and time restrictions which have tremendous impacts on our marketing potential. Consequentially, there’s a temptation to go “cheap but cheerful” in our marketing material. We assume—rightly or wrongly—our audience will forgive the lower quality on account of us being independents. Being without the backing of a giant publishing house, or even a reputable agent, we feel like it’s us against the world, and so rely on this rebel-like image as an excuse if something goes wrong. I say this because I’ve been guilty of doing the same in the past.

When it came to creating an original trailer for my Bow Street Society book series, I started by looking at existing trailers in my genre. I found trailers by authors belonging to the big five publishing houses. Naturally, these were big budget, movie-like epics which left the viewer breathless and wanting more. They were slick, impressive, but also looked very expensive. Nonetheless, I emailed a production company listed as a producer on a YouTube book trailer. The trailer featured locations, characters, and book set in the same era as my own—Victorian London. All I requested from the company was a quote regarding the cost of hiring them to create a book trailer for me. I didn’t receive a reply. I can’t prove their lack of response was due to the fact I’d told them I was an independent author, but the rebel in me said this was probably the case.

Never mind. I returned to the other book trailers I’d bookmarked on YouTube, and watched them for the tenth time. With the exception of two or three, the majority were of PowerPoint slideshows depicting stock images and/or stock music. The fonts were difficult to read and/or inappropriate for the book’s genre, e.g. Comic Sans, and the music was also ill-fitting. I understood why the creator had done what they’d done though: PowerPoint is cheap. In comparison to filming original content, having professional photographs taken, and a composer create an original music score, the resources used were cheap, too. We’re back to the issue of low budgets and/or time restrictions, again. Unfortunately, the end product looked—at least in my humble opinion—“cheap and cheerful”. It didn’t compel me to buy the book, or even visit the website.

All becomes the same cookies over and over again!

There’s also another pitfall to be considered when using stock images and/or stock film: anyone can use them. While there’s certainly a valid argument for using stock resources (they’re cheap, and it’s what you do with them that counts), you’re still running the risk of having the same content as 500 other authors. This was the main reason why I chose not to use stock images, film, and/or music in my trailer.

I also chose not to use PowerPoint. Like everyone else, I have budget and time restrictions on my marketing plans. Yet, I don’t want those to be an excuse for producing a poor quality trailer. I wasn’t going to allow them to convince me to hire someone else to produce a poor quality trailer, either. Yes, I’m an independent author and, yes, I don’t have the backing of one of the big five publishing houses. None of those things mean I can’t produce a high quality trailer though. In fact, it was those things—and the lack of response from the production company—which gave me the determination to create something that could rival the trailers of the traditionally published authors.

At the point of writing this article, I’ve created a storyboard and script for my trailer. I’ve also found a hugely talented composer who’s willing to create an original music score, for free, in exchange for exposure. In addition to this, I have an artist on board, a chosen location for the live-action segments, and a decent quotation for high-quality costumes. There’s still a long way to go but I know I’ll get there in the end.

For now, though, I want to share my journey. Undoubtedly, there’ll be independent authors reading this who are thinking of creating a book trailer. I hope that by sharing the obstacles I’ve encountered/will encounter, and the ways of overcoming them, I’ll prove you don’t need Spielberg budgets to create blockbuster book trailers.

Next time: CREATING AN INDIE BOOK TRAILER Part Two: The Power of Networking

T G Campbell is a crime novelist that resides in Modern Day England, though she'd probably wanted to have lived in Victorian London. She is best known for her Bowstreet Society mysteries. You can find out more about T G here.

Rejection Journey update

by G Dean Manuel

It has been a couple weeks since my first post (here if you would like to compare). Since that post, I have been a busy little writer. Well, poet, at least. My current stats are:

Stories submitted: 13





Stories accepted: 4





Stories rejected: 12





Stories currently in submission: 4

Just to clarify, if the numbers aren't adding up for you, I forgot a story I submitted through email. The publisher contacted me to tell me I was accepted and I was super happy I didn't publish it elsewhere. That is why keeping my chart up-to-date is a must!

Now on the poetry side, things get a little busier:

Poems submitted: 35





Poems accepted: 3





Poems rejected: 11






Poems currently in submission: 25(!)



Look at all that blue!!!

Minor change: Ballad of the Night Nurses was accepted by Quail Bell Magazine. Big change: I submitted over 25 poems to several different publications!

For anyone reading this that has trouble submitting, anyone that is plagued with doubts about their abilities, I don't share this to brag. I share this so you can take heart! I pause over the submit button for agonizing seconds before taking the leap. Every. Single. Time. But I do it. I press the button. You can, too!

My four stories that have been accepted are: “Bounty:Greed”(Gathering Storm Magazine, released), “Grandfather” (Heart of the Child anthology, released on March 24th, 2018), “King's Road” (Unsheathed anthology, release date TBA), and “Laundry Knights” (The Fairytale Collection: The Knight's Sky).

My three poems that have been accepted are: “Blind to See” (The Literary Yard, here), Dream Machinations (The Literary Yard, here), and Ballad of the Night Nurses (Quail Bell Magazine, release TBA).

I definitely feel less confident over my poetic side.

But I will keep submitting. I may not have the same power or technique that Shakespeare, Angelou, Frost, or Burns have but I am me. There is someone out there that my words will touch and I hope that I hear back from them.

Writing Flash Fiction!

by G Dean Manuel

What is Flash Fiction?

Flash fiction goes by many names and encompasses many different styles. There is the ever popular 6-word story that clog up group feeds. The 140 characters story/twitterature that goes on, you guessed it, Twitter. Though, now that Twitter allows 280 characters, those stories have doubled in size. There is the minisage, also known as the dribble, that is contained in 50 words or less. Who could forget the drabble or microfiction? These stories are comprised of 100 words or less. Finally we have the heavyweights of the flash fiction world: sudden fiction/immediate fiction/short-shorts (750 words), flash fiction(1000 words), nano-tale, and micro-story.

But what does that mean?

Well, flash fiction is a story contained within 1500 words or less. That means it has a beginning, middle, and end. It isn't just an excerpt of a bigger piece. It isn't just a scene that you made. Flash fiction is a completely self-contained story.

Why Write Flash Fiction?

There are many reasons to write flash fiction. It helps you become a better writer. In today's market, flash ficiton stories are becoming more and more popular, so there is a good market for your stories. Flash fiction is quick to write, edit, and read.

How does a flash ficiton story help you become a better writer? To begin with, it helps your writing become more concise. Flash fiction doesn't leave room for flabby sentences. Everything sentence must be a Venice Beach weightlifter. With each piece you are flexing fiction muscles you didn't know you had. Suddenly, you are doing things like using stronger nouns and verbs unconciously. Secondly, it is a great confidence boost. Don't underestimate the power of a finsihed story on your confidence. Flash fiction is a great springboard to motivate you to finishing up bigger works of fiction.

Flash fiction isn't just for practice though. There are many magazines and online journals that deal in flash fiction. One of the biggest, Flash Fiction Online, deals exclusively in flash fiction. (As if you couldn't tell be the title!) That means your work can get out there! This is important for any author trying to build a platform.

It is quick to write, edit, and read. This is another important aspect to flash fiction. In this day and age of quick consumption, flash fiction can be your introduction to an audience that will be slavering to consume more of your lengthier word count stories. Because of its shorter format, it is more likely to be read. Also, when connecting to other authors, a flash fiction piece is more likely to be critiqued over a longer work. This can help you forge connections that you otherwise wouldn't have working solely on your novel length work.

How Do I Write Flash Ficiton?

"Brevity is the soul of wit." Nothing shows that truer than a piece of flash fiction. But why does it have to be so hard? Like any writing, there are no tried and true formulas that will grant you success automatically. But I can give you a few tips that may increase your chances!

Start in the middle of the story: Unlike types of fiction with meatier word counts, flash fiction can't have much set up. It is better to start your story inside the action and reserve your word count for pushing the story forward instead of infodumping.

Show rather than tell: I know we say this all the time but we don't often follow this rule. In flash fiction this rule is very important! Everything must economical, so things like descriptions of characters or setting must be done in action. That way you are going to get more bang per word!

Take out all unneccesary words: Once you begin writing, you will find that 1000 words isn't that much. You must treat each paragraph as if it is a tweet. Take out all the filler and leave yourself with a boiled down sentence that is concise and impactful.

Adjectives and adverbs are the enemy: Use stronger nouns and verbs in place of adjectives and adverbs. This is another rule that we ignore in bigger fiction but is absolutely imperative in flash fiction.

Don't use too many scenes: Honestly, you should probably only have one. Two at the most. Otherwise your narrative will be too diluted.

Not too many characters, either: Beyond the MC, there shouldn't be a host of characters to introduce. Otherwise, you will be spending your word count on introducing characters and not have much left for your story.

POV matters: Most flash fiction should be done in first person or third person limited. This will narrow the lens of focus to inside your MC's head, conserving your word count.

End in the middle: Don't put the resolution of your plot at the end. Put it in the middle, giving the reader time to contemplate its impact before the story finishes.

Don't overreach with your idea: You can't have a story that is too BIG. An epic quest to destroy a ring for the survival of your world is too much to write in 1000 words. But a story of a hero facing the fact that he won't survive the battle with the Big Bad can be done.

Don't forget that your character should grow: Just because you are limited in word count doesn't mean that your characters shouldn't grow. Don't forget to put in a character arc to develop your character!

Just say no to subplots: One conflict, focus on it!

Take these tips to heart and you may end up with quite a piece of short fiction!

Where Do You Go From Here?

Well, hopefully writing! I want to stress something to you before you go. Flash fiction isn't just practice writing. It is an art form in and of itself. If you think it is easy, I challenge you to write some. Then send it in to Flash Fiction Online. See how quickly slapping 1000 words on a page without true respect for this literary form will get you rejected!

To all those who are interested in trying this form, have fun! At the beginning, it will seem daunting but with practice it becomes less so.

G Dean Manuel is a multi-genre writer and helper of people. If you would like to know more about G Dean Manuel, click here.

Should I be part of a writing group?

So, you went on Facebook and joined a writers' group! Yippee! You think to yourself this is going to be great, an open resource to assist you when you are stuck on something. Other people who have the same passion you do. Nothing couldn't be better, this group is going to be magical.

Then you have to swallow your disappointment when it is nothing like that. Most writers' groups drown under a flood of silly and pointless posts. Write X story in X number of words. If you can get past that then you can realize that most groups are ticking time-bombs that repeatedly explode in a rash of internet violence (I'd love to give these people a sarcastic slow clap for being such wastes of space that devote time and energy to fighting each other in such an ineffectual manner) where two main groups antagonize one another: The Social Justice Warrior and the Asshat Trolls. This struggle of two divergent groups waging war against one another will rage on long after we are dust in the wind. Now if you can't tell who is who, that is pretty normal. They are virtually indistinguishable.

Well, if you haven't been chased away or are lucky enough to find a group that is devoid of such antics, sadly, you aren't in the clear. You scroll down your group's wall and find posts like what music do you listen to? What author influenced you to write? Where is everyone from? I call these distraction posts. Time wasters. You might say, well, I can ignore these. True, you can. Truly, that is great if you ignore their lure but they aren't just spiderwebs of wasted time waiting for unexpecting attention to ensnare. They are more insidious. These posts end up garnering attention and because of the way Facebook's analytics work, these posts actually bury other posts. Sadly, most people that join a writers' group are not, in fact, writers. They are just time-wasters. And they love posts like this. Not just posting them, they love commenting. So, these posts make it to everyone's walls and the post by Little Mary Author doesn't make it to anyone's wall.

There are hundreds of other little things that detract from the integrity of a writers' group. People posting random works with no desire to have anyone do anything but congratulate them. Posting of social media links, like for like or follow for follow. Etcetera.

Okay, so you shopped around and found a group that has a tight stricture against time-wasting posts, they only have a small population of SJW and asshats (you'll never get rid of all of them), and seem generally nice people. There can't be anything wrong, can there?

No, not if what you want is to be in a community of writers and use them as a resource to ask questions. Then you, my friend, are golden. If you'd like to better your craft and expand your experience in writing, then you are barking up the wrong tree. In my experience, these groups are great if you'd like to talk to like-minded people and maybe get a few questions answered. Beyond that, writing groups start to fall apart. You are most likely not going to get a rousing conversation about the pros and cons of the anti-hero.

That's what you are looking for? Well, then you are going to have to go searching. Like you will have to parse through many groups to get to a golden egg. Or you can start your own group. That does require a lot of time and energy. Here will be the problems you face going forward trying to find or create said group:

1. Writers have real lives. Writers are fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters. Means life gets in the way. Most will not post as much as you want them to...
2. Writers are flaky. Writers come from all walks of life and my experience, many are flaky. Comes from being a dreamer.
3. Being active in social media is time-consuming. We've all been on Facebook. Enough said.
4. (If you create your own group) You will have to become a combination of warden, teacher, student, and writer. That's a lot of hats to wear. You will find much more in your tenure as a group admin.
5. Being a group admin is a thankless existence. Don't expect anyone to appreciate your efforts.

Does all this mean that you shouldn't even try to be part of a writers' group? Shrug. I can't answer that for you, you will have to make up your mind for yourself. Bear in mind that I've mainly listed the cons of joining writer groups. There are good points, too. Author's Tale puts on a yearly anthology. Scribblers Writing Organization puts together a magazine called Blood Puddles. Those are just to name a couple. In the end, you will have to weigh the pros and cons and see if being part of a writing group is worth your time.