How to Run a Personal Writer's Group
Vital Networks for Critique and Support as a Writer
One of the best ways that a writer can develop their skills is to form a writer's group. While a period of apprenticeship is required in writing where the author is better off maintaining their solitude, eventually the writer will need to bring their work to others.
Of course, some writers choose to take writing courses, or even whole degrees, in order to persue their path towards becoming published. But this is not the only approach to becoming and remaining a writer. Starting a personal writer's group will help the author form vital networks, receive valuable kinds of critique on his work and learn about different approaches, styles and sources. Although joining a public writer's organization can also be helpful, sometimes starting, and even staying small, is best.
Networking Through Writer´s Groups
Writer's groups are a valuable resource for those writers who want to forge deeper connections to their writing community. When one is thinking about creating a personal writer's group, one should make a list of the writers in one's vicinity that one admires. If the writer is a beginner then the group is usually constituted of those writers who have yet to publish but who may have been writing for certain period of time. If the writer has published several books, then she may want to form a group that is only composed of published writers, or those who have been writing for a considerable number of years.
Either way, the writer should select other participants with a diversity of styles and voices, ensuring that they respect the other writers, whether or not they admire their approach. Divergent approaches can make the group more interesting. Disrespect among writers however will only create a poisonous environment that no one will be able to thrive in.
Decide if a range of ages and more than one gender is fine or if the group envisioned is composed of only women, or only writers in their thirties to fifties. It's important to feel comfortable with the individuals selected. In such a way, the writer will be able to take risks and relax. Usually about four to six participants is perfect.
CritiqueThe main reason writers create such groups is to move beyond their own perceptions of their work. While what one thinks about one's stories or poems is significant, often one is too close to the material and cannot see inherent flaws in it. Set the group up for an evening during the week or on a weekend afternoon. It's important to have several hours in which to undertake the critique.
Take turns meeting at different writer's houses, rather than in a public place. The group will be more private and calm, free from worry about closing times, noise or intrusions. Bring or provide some snacks and beverages, as well as comfortable chairs. Maintain an attitude of openness and willingness to learn from what other's have to say about one's work.
Approach
Everyone has to have time to take a turn at personal writer's groups. This means that different people start each time, take about ten minutes or so to read a piece, receive another ten minutes or less of critique, and then the focus passes to the next participant. Each person should have a copy of all participants in the group's work, whether it's a short story or a lyric poem.
Use a blue or purple, not red pen to make comments on the piece, then speak clearly when it's one's turn to critique out loud. Always preface your opinions with a positive comment, then some constructive advice regarding how the writer might improve the dialogue, tone, structure or description.
Never make the critique personal. Listening to the variety of ways individuals respond to one's work, as well as how others receive their writing, is invaluable. Starting a personal writer's group will not only assist one's writing to grow, but it will provide resources, community and a connection to the diverse world of art.
A Comfortable Place to Hold a Writer's Group
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