Writing Groups
Posted by childofthehive | Filed under Writing Talk
I’m a great believer in the importance of feedback. Sometimes you can work on a piece of writing for so long that you lose all ability to judge its quality. There are different ways to get feedback but one of the best is to join a writing group.
Writing groups can be extremely varied. Sometimes they’re informal gatherings of people at the house of one of the members. Those sort of meetings can be very sociable occasions, where the sharing of writing is almost an aside to a group of friends meeting to hang out. At the other end of the spectrum are highly structured meetings with strict rules about how writing is shared. Some writing groups allow you to read out writing samples whenever you feel like it or not at all. Some have a roster. Some insist that every member emails round their writing before the meeting and then the meeting itself becomes a time for sharing feedback.
Each type of group has its merits and its faults. It’s really up to you to find a group that suits your needs. If you dabble in writing occasionally as a bit of fun, then a really serious group probably isn’t for you. On the other hand, if you’re a really dedicated writer and want to focus on improving, you might get annoyed by a group that spends half its time chatting about things that have nothing to do with the subject of the meeting. Find a group that suits you. Most writing groups I’ve seen tend to be very open to people coming along to a meeting to see what it’s like.
Before you can try a writing group, you have to find it. A simple internet search for “writing group” and the name of where you live should be able to turn up something but there are tools for finding groups. If you’re in the UK, then it’s worth knowing about NAWG – the National Association of Writers’ Groups. There’s a range of information on their website but the key thing, if you’re looking to join a group, is the button on the right of the site labelled Writing Group Directory. This lists a large number of UK writing groups. Some of the entries just give the name of the group but many include contact emails or website addresses.
If you can’t find a group near you, then maybe an online group is the answer. These tend to be less sociable but can give really useful written feedback. These groups generally work by members sending round writing to everyone and then some or all (depending on the group) replying with written comments.
As well as getting feedback on your own work, these groups are great because they make you think critically about what works or doesn’t work in someone else’s writing, which you can then apply to your own.
Tags: advice, feedback, writing, writing groups
