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Message: <blockquote data-quote="takyris" data-source="post: 715716" data-attributes="member: 5171">Yo, Chauzu,As far as professional organizations, you've got organizations for most genres.  Somewhat oddly, the Romance Writers of America are just bloody huge, the Horror Writers of America are pretty big, and the SFWA, which covers science fiction as well as fantasy, is kind of all over the map.The professional organization will look good on your cover letter when you send it to agents or publishers, but if you're looking for actual resources to help you write, here are a few suggestions:1) Read the genre in which you write.  A lot of new authors write about worlds where gravity is lower or where  dragons hold the key to magic, and they don't realize that it's been done before.  Reading a bunch of fantasy stuff will broaden your horizons and help you figure out what your own style is, so that you don't sound like a Tolkien wannabe or a Martin wannabe.Note: I don't know what kind of writing experience you have.  That's the first thing I tell everyone.2) Read the Turkey City Lexicon:<a href="http://www.sfwa.org/writing/turkeycity.html" target="_blank">http://www.sfwa.org/writing/turkeycity.html</a>This should give you a lot of tips on things to avoid. You don't wanna get so caught up in avoiding the issues they mention that you can't write anymore, but it's nice to look at it and go, "Oh, dude, I'm doing that. Better fix it."3) Join a writing group:If you can find a writing group, they can provide you with valuable feedback.  Because they're writers too, they can give you better advice than some of your friends, who might just say, "I liked it. It was neat."College campuses almost always have a writing group.  Most metropolitan areas have them, too.  I see that you're in Livermore (I grew up in Pleasanton), and I'd guess that Las Positas will have a writing club.   Heck, if you're free this weekend, come to the Potlatch Writers Convention in San Francisco.  It's a convention for SF and Fantasy writers -- more emphasis on writing and thinking than on costumes and stuff.  You can DEFINITELY find a writing group there that's appropriate for whatever level you're at.<a href="http://www.potlatch-sf.org/" target="_blank">http://www.potlatch-sf.org/</a>If you're not ready for a writing group yet, you might consider a creative writing course from Las Positas or an online writing group like Critters:<a href="http://critters.critique.org/users/critters/" target="_blank">http://critters.critique.org/users/critters/</a>I'd be careful in writing classes, however, as some of the teachers really come down hard on genre fiction, like science fiction or fantasy.Hope this helps!-Tacky</blockquote>

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