Writing Groups

Writing groups can be a great tool to help you polish up your manuscript and refine your craft, but if you’re not careful they can also send you in the wrong directions. Today’s post focuses on the pros and cons of writing groups, and will hopefully help you decide if they’re the right kind of resource for you.

First of all… What’s a writing group? It’s a vague term that can mean a few different things. Some people use it as, well, literally what it sounds like: A group of people who get together, sit mostly silently, and write. Sometimes if you’re lacking motivation or you’re easily distracted, being around other people who are writing can motivate you to put your head down and concentrate. Of course, depending on the composition of the group, there’s a chance that it’ll be a lot of distraction and gossip, and very little writing. There’s definite value to hanging out with other writers and talking about your craft and your experiences, but if you’re joining a writing group to sit down and write, it’s good to make sure that some writing happens at some point, too!

Other writing groups are, more correctly, writers’ groups. They’re places where you can bring something you’ve written, share it around with other writers, and get some friendly and constructive critique on it. Most of the time when people talk about writing groups, this is the kind they mean.

A good writers’ group can be a valuable tool:

• * It can keep you motivated and writing for an audience.
• * It can train you toward meeting deadlines, so that you have work to present at group meetings.
• * Any writing practice is good writing practice. The more you write, the more you sharpen your craft.
• * It gives you more exposure to others’ writing. It’s sometimes easier to recognize the pitfalls in another’s work than in your own. Once you spot trends you want to avoid, you’ll be more aware of them in your own writing.
• * It’s an opportunity to network and share contacts, and possibly learn about potential opportunities (contests, anthologies seeking submissions, master classes, conferences, etc.).
• * It’s a social opportunity. Writing is a solitary venture, most times, and real live, in-person people time is a good thing.

If writers’ groups have all that going for them, why do some people swear them off?

• * If you’re going to be offering your work for critique, you need to consider the credentials of your critics. Are they published? Are they well-published? If they can’t get their own work published, do you want to be taking their advice on how to steer your manuscript toward what publishers want?
• * Are you a credible critic? Do you feel that you’re in a position to be able to look at a piece of writing objectively and offer concretely helpful advice?
• * Quantity is not quality. I know I just said that all writing practice is good writing practice, and that’s true. But all writing practice is not created equally. If you’re focusing on pushing yourself for a writers’ group deadline instead of focusing on things that need to be a higher priority for you — such as, for example, other projects you might be getting paid to focus on — you may find yourself with more stress than you need, and your other, higher priorities may suffer.
• * Are you critiquing when you could be writing? If you find yourself being relied upon as an editor more often than you’re receiving helpful feedback as a writer, your away-from-the-group writing time may suffer as well. As with any social commitment, make sure you have the time and energy for it before you take it on.

Some authors hate writing groups, while some recommend them highly. Holly Lisle has a great article called How to Choose a Writers’ Group with a lot of good advice on finding the kind of group you’re looking for, and if you choose to look for one, I strongly suggest giving that a read. It stresses the degree to which the individual group can make the difference between a good experience and a negative one, what to look for and what to look out for.

If you’re currently in a good group, if you have a horror story from a bad group, or if you have an experience or some advice to share, drop me a comment!

Tagged as: writing