THE IMPORTANCE OF A WRITING GROUP: Or how I lost all hope but was able to find it again through a small circle of friends, by Tiffany Grimes

I moved to Portland, Oregon last year. 

Finally. 

Florida is hot and humid and seemed to sap every creative thought from my head. So it was time for a change. A change that required moving to the opposite coast. 3,070 miles away.

I read Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and promptly sold nearly everything, including my car. I packed everything else up in suitcases and flew with my cats across the country. Flying with cats was quite the experience, one that I hope I never have to repeat. 

Once arriving in Portland, I spent the most of my time searching for employment, literally anything that would help me afford my outrageous rent. I started with two camping chairs as furniture and slowly accumulated the basics over time. Marie Kondo had not prepared me for this. 

Thanks to Tinder I made three friends quickly, all of them writers. (Did you know Tinder could be used to make friends? Well now you do!) 

These ladies and I spent the last year lamenting about how we’d like to write more. We’d talk about it on hikes, while drinking our sorrows, while sewing our costumes for comic cons, while planning our trips. We seemed to have no problem talking about how we’d like to write. But we weren’t writing.

I don’t know about you, but when I’m not writing, I sort of slump into a depression that can only be fixed by consuming large amounts of peanut butter ice cream and Netflix. Aka not writing. It’s a long, agonizing circle of not being able to call myself a writer (after all, how can you be a writer when you’re not writing!) and then a few bursts every 3 months where I manage to write something, anything. Oh, I really am a writer!

Finally, a couple months ago, my writing friends and I formed a tiny writing group. We meet 1-2 times a week and write for hours. We brainstorm. We workshop. We prepare for writing contests. We set small deadlines. We share books to read. (Currently we’re reading 1Q84 together). We go to book launches. I’ve never been part of a group like this before. We trust each other even though we write completely different genres. Sometimes we sit in silence for hours as we work on our own things. Sometimes we set a timer and write following a prompt. Sometimes we just talk about our ideas.

It had been so long since I’d finished anything. Sure, I’d been slowly hacking away at the book I started at Hamline. I had even tried to set up a few accountability buddies from Hamline, to try to make sure I keep working on my projects. I tried to set deadlines. Eventually we just lost touch. And I missed every deadline I set for myself. 

Now I’ve finished the first completed draft of my book, a short story, and this blog post. It’s a slow process, but I have a few projects I’m working on. Projects I’m thrilled about. I carve every moment I can out of my day and hack away at my ideas and drafts. I can rely on my writing group to honestly tell me when my ideas are too weird or boring. I can count on them to hound me until I get something onto the page.

My writing group has made me proud to call myself a writer again.  

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Tiffany Grimes, Inkpot Blog Manager, is a minimalist (excluding cats: cats bring joy, thus more cats equal happiness). She graduated from Hamline in 2015 and currently writes and breathes in Portland, OR. Follow her on twitter @Qtiffany. 

Announcing Our New Blog Editor

Congratulations to Tiffany Grimes (MFAC '15), our new Inkpot Blog Editor!

Tiffany Grimes is a minimalist (excluding cats: cats bring joy, thus more
cats equal happiness). She graduated from Hamline in 2015 and currently writes
and breathes in Portland, OR. Follow her on Twitter @Qtiffany. 

Tiffany will take over the blog management duties later in July. Plus, more exciting blog changes coming soon!

Welcome, Tiffany!

Meet the Grad: Tiffany Grimes

On July19, the final day of the upcoming residency, the MFAC program will have a Graduate Recognition ceremony to honor the men and women who have just completed their studies and will receive an MFA from Hamline University. Between now and residency we'll be posting interviews with the grads. Tiffany Grimes is today's grad; she lives in St. Augustine, Florida and can also be found on Twitter: @Qtiffany.

Click to enlarge!

What do you do when you’re not working on packets?

I’m a huge fangirl, which is why my etsy shop is called FangirlBoutique2014; I sew nerdy skirts, pouches, and scarves. I obsess over Harry Potter and frequently visit Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade (in Orlando). I also spend lots of quality time with my cats (Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Lady Sybil Cora Branson, and Former President Andrew Jackson). My day jobs: nannying three kids and working at Barnes and Noble.

How did you hear about the Hamline MFAC Program?

I researched low-residency creative writing programs and found Hamline. Two seconds later I found out that a friend from my undergrad was also applying (Meg Cannistra), and that my undergrad Children’s Lit professor (and the nicest, most inspirational person I have ever met), Becky Stanborough, had graduated from Hamline. Seemed like a good sign!

What was your writing experience prior to entering the program?

I started writing in elementary school (at about the same time I learned how to write sentences). My childhood was troublesome, so writing was an outlet, even when I was just writing in a journal. By sixth grade, I knew I wanted to be a writer. In high school I was sure I would be a journalist, but by college, I knew fiction writing was for me.

At Ollivanders. (Click to...)

What do you especially remember about your first residency?

Everyone was so nice and asked every twelve seconds how I was and reminded me that it was okay to be overwhelmed. Then, I spent a few days with a fever (what better way to spend your first residency?) before [classmate] Judi Marcin reminded me that she’s a doctor.

Have you focused on any one form (PB, novel, nonfiction; graphic novel) or age group in your writing? Tried a form you never thought you’d try?

Throughout the program, I focused on young adult (though I started with sci-fi and ended up with realistic fiction). I never thought I would dabble in fantasy, but I’ve started a fun project about ghosts and guardian angels (which is so so different from my realistic fiction piece).

Tell us about your Creative Thesis.

My Creative Thesis is a realistic young adult novel about a fourteen-year-old girl named Tate. When her mother died and her father decided he couldn’t handle being a father, Tate became a foster child. After three horrible homes, she ended up with a perfect sister and a wonderful mother, but suddenly dad wouldn’t let her be adopted. Every time she sees her father, he seems more and more put together, with a new girlfriend and now a baby on the way. Her sister, Caleigh, starts college when Tate starts high school, and Tate feels empty without her.

She starts trying to be more like Caleigh, getting into uncomfortable situations, always thinking about what Caleigh would do. Later in the novel, it becomes clear that Tate is hiding something very important from herself, something she needs to deal with and accept in order to move on.

What changes have you seen in your writing during your studies?

I’ve been able to take more risks and write from deep down, even if it means uncovering memories I’d rather not remember. (Thanks, Jane J). But my writing has become more realistic and less void of emotion, and for that I’m grateful.

Any thoughts for entering students or for people considering the program?

So many people told me not to go to Hamline (because of money or life experience or time), but I ignored them. Hamline has been the best decision I have ever made. Follow your dreams. If writing is for you, you know you can’t run away from it.

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The public is welcome to attend the graduate recognition ceremony on Sunday, July 19, 3:30pm, (Sundin Music Hall, Hamline University). Tim Federle is the speaker.