Each and every person has a story to tell. Throughout the north Georgia mountains, countless writers have breathed life into their own tales by putting pen to paper, and one local author is working to bring those like-minded individuals together.
For Gilmer Arts’ literary chair Jeff Shaw, a sense of community helped give him the courage and knowledge to become an author, going on to self-publish a memoir, an award-winning crime fiction trilogy and to soon release the second book in his science fiction series.
“I’m amazed by how many authors there are in Ellijay,” Shaw said. “I keep running into people that say ‘I’m writing a book, but I’m not published yet.’ So even before I got on the [Gilmer Arts] board, I always tried to offer words of encouragement, things that helped me move myself along on the path to getting published.”
Before retiring, Shaw worked as a police officer in south Florida. He first started writing letters to his children about his work in law enforcement and the things he was exposed to, in hopes of them better understanding their father.
It was tough maneuvering from his typical police reporting, to writing something people would be interested in reading, so he attended as many seminars and book signings, joined authors groups and researched the ins and outs of self-publishing before releasing his first book, “Who I Am: The Man Behind the Badge,” in 2020.
The letters to his kids eventually became his memoir, after receiving encouragement from other authors who helped teach him how to write for a wider audience.
“My big goal was learning how to write where I could hold your interest and you would want to keep reading,” he mentioned. “That’s really the skill that I think all writers have to deal with.”
Gilmer Arts does have an Ellijay Storytellers group that meets on the fourth Thursday of every month at the playhouse. People can share their short stories or excerpts from their written books, to be heard by an audience.
However, Shaw hopes to expand what the nonprofit offers for local writers, whether they’re high school students just starting out, authors working toward getting published or even readers who are looking for a new piece they won’t be able to put down.
“Writers are everywhere, and my goal is to try and wake these people up, to let them know that we can all get together,” Shaw said. “There’s outlets where we can help each other and try getting them to come to some of these book signings.”
A writing group of around 12 to 15 people used to meet to learn from each other and grow as authors, but he said it fizzled out through the COVID pandemic. It was called “Write On.”
“That’s how you learn,” Shaw recalled about the canceled writing group. “What worked for [each writer], what didn’t work, what options you have to publicize, how to edit, what they do.”
If enough interest is expressed, “Write On” will be revived. It’ll be a place where those with a knack for storytelling can help each other, no matter what stage of the writing process they’re in, he said. Writers will also have a chance to get their work critiqued by their peers.
“You find all your mistakes when you read out loud,” he noted. “So then we’ll sit down and explain how they could make that sentence a little better and why it would be better this way. That’s how I learned, and that’s really the main point of having that writers group.”
One idea he’s working toward is hosting a writer’s contest with Gilmer High School students, where local authors and school staff can judge and award their work.
“There’s some amazing talent … and hopefully the [contest] can turn those students into our next writers club.”
A book signing is coming up where readers and writers will have the chance to meet Shaw, another local author, as well as one from North Carolina, and purchase their books. It’s happening Saturday, June 7, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the playhouse, located at 135 N. Dalton St. in Ellijay.
Gilmer resident Jo Loveday wrote the medical conspiracy thriller “Terminal Lucidity.” Lorraine Martin Bennett is the author of a psychological thriller titled “Cat on a Black Moon” and its sequel “Darla.” They will be joining Shaw at the book signing.
“It’s free to meet the author(s), talk to them, buy a signed book,” Shaw said. “When I was learning to write, that’s what somebody told me. Go to every event you can think of, every one that you can find. You’ll pick up a little pearl of wisdom, you won’t even realize it, even from somebody’s else’s failure.”
If anyone is interested in joining a writing group, or helping Shaw create it, they can reach out to him by emailing jshaw182@etcmail.com.
“Don’t be afraid to write,” he added. “We’re here to help you learn how.”