The group named itself Independence Inklings after Inklings, the Oxford writing group that famously included C. S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia fame, and J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings.

Its members are diverse. Barbara Howard is working on a historical novel, and Andrew Gordon penning a horror-suspense story.  Monica Fritsch does crime fiction.  Group leader Brenda Moffitt writes poetry and memoir. She is also working on a mainstream novel about a musician with a dark secret.

But it’s no secret what the group is about. The group focuses on improving its members’ writing. Compared with some groups, Moffitt says, “I think we’re more process oriented. We’re focused on learning the craft and becoming better writers. That’s why we not only offer critiques, but do exercises designed to teach fiction writing elements.”  In 2016, for example, the group worked through the Writer’s Digest’s Crafting Novels & Short Stories

What is the Read & Write book selection?  The idea is to read a book about the writing craft together as a group and incorporate what we learn into the stories we are writing.  Last year we read Crafting Novels & Short Stories by the editors at Writer’s Digest. Our book selection for this year is Make A Scene by Jordan E. Rosenfeld.   The group’s leader is encouraging everyone to have a copy by the February 6th meeting at which time she will hand out the group’s reading plan. Writing exercises will be based on material in the book. Remember, doing the exercises is always optional. You do not need to participate in order to be a member of the group.