How to choose a writing group
Photo by Samantha McCuen, used with permission
Hi writers,
What was the best part of the last writing group you joined? In my work facilitating and leading writing groups I often come across writers who previously joined a writing group thinking it would be a fruitful space for their work-in-progress, and have ultimately left the group feeling misunderstood, deflated, offended or confused about the direction of their work.
It is so easy for this to happen, especially when the group is more casual or does not have an instructor to direct feedback and facilitate conversation in a constructive way. I hate to see this happen, as it can leave the writer feeling lost and can even stop them from writing.
A writing group is a group of writers who come together monthly or bi-weekly for an extended period of time to be in community and workshop each other's work. (These groups are sometimes called critique groups, and sometimes called writing workshops or writing groups.)
I think that writing groups can be advantageous to writers in a lot of ways: a 6 or 8 week class can be a great way to generate new work or focus on a specific skill you'd like to learn, but committing to a writing group is, in my opinion, the best way to tend to an ongoing writing practice.
When you work with the same group of writers – through different seasons of life, through rough drafts and final revisions, through goal setting and submitting, setbacks and celebrations – you learn how to become a more dedicated writer as well as how to exist in and support a literary community.
In college creative writing classes or an MFA program you don't have as many choices when it comes to picking your professor or your classmates, but, as adult writers we can set ourselves up for workshop success if we know a little bit about what we want to get out of the group and the types of writers we enjoy working with.
Here's a list of things to consider when searching for a writing group:
Instructor/Facilitator:
I may be biased because I run these groups for a living, but I think there should always be a creative writing instructor facilitating the group -- or else it can become disorganized, unbalanced and keep writers from being vulnerable and sharing their work.
But not every instructor will be a great fit for your writing. Do your homework when it comes to this instructor: do they have experience in the genre you are writing in? Have they run a group like this before? Don't be afraid to ask them questions about how they run the workshop.
Even an instructor who isn't perfect is better than joining a group without a facilitator. Trust me on this one. In addition to providing helpful feedback, the creative writing instructor/facilitator also acts as a neutral party, organizing a schedule for workshop and adhering to deadlines. It helps to have someone in this role who isn't also scrambling to workshop their own writing.
Group Dynamics:
Writing is an incredibly vulnerable activity, and your writing group should be a place where you can be yourself, write about big things, and feel understood and supported.
Like any group of people, when others come together to share space it can be an opportunity for cliques and hurt feelings. Rather than direct you or tell you what to do, the writing group should ask good questions and give you space and time to connect with your own writing voice and your own vision.
Sometimes very talented writers can be less-than-helpful critique partners. (And vice versa.) This is why it's important to have a group of writers at your disposal -- usually there's at least one person in the writing group who "gets" your vision and can help you get closer to your goals.
While you don't have to love or want to be social with everyone in your writing group, you should feel that they are giving your work their careful attention, that they are considerate and conscientious, that they respect you and your vision, and that a strong and capable facilitator is leading the group to direct the conversation away from unhelpful feedback and help members gain workshop skills that make them more helpful workshop participants.
Not everybody will be a great reader of your work. There are some fiction manuscripts I have loved that I don't feel are in my wheelhouse -- and ditto for nonfiction. When it comes to finding a good fit, take it seriously if the facilitator or other writers in your group say, "we respect your work but we don't have ideas for making it truer to your vision." (And be wary of an instructor who feels that they can help everybody.)
Genres:
While it's good to have a mix of genres in your writing group (nonfiction, fiction, etc) it can be hard to be the only memoirist or the only fiction writer in a group. I think that the two genres can inform each other really beautifully -- but, for example, if you're planning to work on a memoir and nobody else in the group even reads memoir or understands the value of the evolving genre, then maybe that's not the group for you.
If you want to write a novel and nobody else in the group reads fiction or even understands why fiction is valuable, it might not be the group for you. Again, this is where it's helpful to ask questions. I encourage everyone in my workshop groups to read widely -- becoming a good reader is part of becoming a good writer.
Get clear on goals:
Don’t be afraid to ask yourself what you want out of a workshop group, and consider this question carefully before committing to a group. Do you want deadlines? Accountability? A place to experiment with a new genre or commit further to a longterm project? Do you want constructive feedback on your work?
You can even ask the members of the group what they have gotten out of their participation in the group.
Sometimes it’s a gut feeling:
Sometimes you have to trust your gut. This is a good practice in writing and in life, so I encourage you to check in with yourself after meeting with a writing instructor or a workshop group. Did you feel comfortable in your body while you were there? Did anything the instructor or other members say pique your interest or feel aligned with your writing project?
No writing group will be perfect, but I suggest doing your homework and keeping these things in mind the next time you're looking for a writing group. This is a very broad list and there’s much more to say about this huge topic, but I hope this is a helpful start.