Ever wish your writing group could include friends and colleagues around the world? Author Mary Robinette Kowal wrote a great post about how writers can build virtual writing groups through the new Google+ Hangouts.
If you have a Google+ account, just follow this link to set up your own hangout. The video embedded above illustrates how video chats work in the network. Using Google+ Hangouts, writers can quickly assemble spontaneous but private conversations in “live multi-person video” chatrooms.
If you end up building writing groups through Google+, keep us posted in the comments. We’d love to build a directory pointing to regular Google+ Hangouts for writers. If you are interested in joining a GalleyCat hangout for writers, email us and we can set something up soon.
We’ve reprinted a few of Kowal’s suggestions below–what do you think?
Tips for Google+ Writing Hangouts from Mary Robinette Kowal
1. Put up a post saying that you are going to have a writing date at [x] time OR just spontaneously open a hangout.
2. As soon as the hangout is open, place a comment on it that states that it is a writing date and what the parameters are.
3. Suggested parameters: “We’ll chat for fifteen minutes. Then at quarter past we’ll start writing for forty-five minutes. On the hour, there’s another 15 minute break for chat… Rinse and repeat. If you want to join in mid-way, that’s fine, but we’ll just wave at you until the next break.” [Via Nina Kiriki Hoffman]
4. Continue until you need to log off. If the other participants are still going, they will be able to keep writing after you leave.
(Thanks to Edward Champion for the link)