We Are Not Alone

That sounds like something right out of a science fiction novel. We are not alone in the universe. Other intelligent life is out there, waiting to be contacted." Queue up some aliens, some laser beams, and redirect the S.E.T.I. telescopes.

But in this case, We Are Not Alone (WANA) is a relatively new organization for writers. At least, I think it's relatively new. I haven't figured it all out yet. It's the brainchild of author Kristen Lamb. I don't know her, never read any of her books, don't know what she writes. She has a blog that looks promising for a writer to keep up with.

Writing is a solitary profession. Not many of us will write at a sidewalk cafe in Paris. Most of us are at a keyboard in a writing hole (or The Dungeon in my case), what little interaction we have with other writers limited to on-line groups, the occasional conference or retreat, and maybe a book signing for those lucky enough to have a book for which a signing can be scheduled. On-line now means social media, a stew of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and probably more.

Kristen jumped into this mix with something new: social media just for writers. The WANATribe is a social media location for writers to hobnob. It's part of WANA International, something which I haven't figured out yet. Kristen wrote a book about it, and appears determined to help writers through this method.

Is it right for me? I don't really know yet. I joined the WANATribe, including four sub-tribes within it. I'll be active for a while and see if the fellowship is what I need. I'm not much of a joiner, and I've generally found that it takes a huge effort to make friends at on-line venues, more so than in real life. But it's worth a try. Away from the Facebook clutter, who knows? It might just be right for me. I'll know in a few months.