Intellectually I've been a big fan of online cohort based learning clubs. But in action I've never thought they were good for me. Their value propositions never appealed to me. But this club shared by

dealingwith

in The Echo and Narcissus Writing Club allured me right away though.

In the. beginning what writer doesn't mimic their heroes? I know I did. I know that when I wasn't trying to copy my writer-heroes I was actively trying not to, which is just another form of copying that I call shadow copying.

The value prop of The Echo and Narcissus Writing Club is not only does it gives you permission to do the thing that you kind of wished you could get away with, it flips the script and makes that the goal. The method. The practice. 

I think for a writer to mature they need to overcome their copying phase. I believe the fastest path is to bullishly copy copy copy copy. I took the long route. I went through phases where I tried writing like "Abe" whatever that meant alternating with phases where I shamelessly copied writers like Nesbo or Murakami. 

But... I've never committed to copying as the method. That's what excites me about this class. I get to just make copying the point rather than a source of guilt.