“Are you part of a writers group?”
A local writer and I sat on my front porch while she interviewed me about my recent release, What To Do When You Don’t Know What To Say. The question immediately brought memories of being new in town.
When I attended a meeting someone had recommended, the competition and criticism in the group quickly triggered a migraine. The following month, my daughter, also a writer, came along. That migraine was worse than the first and we agreed I was not a fit for this circle of wordsmiths.
“No,” I told the reporter. “I prefer to find ways to move forward rather than be critical of one another. You?”
“Me neither,” she replied. “I’m not competitive.”
We sipped our tea, studied the lilac bush, and pretended we were not both considering the same idea.
At last, she boldly broke the silence. “Would you like to meet and talk about our writing?”
“Only if we encourage one another to be our best.”
“Agreed.” On her notebook, she jotted down the date we set.
That was 30 years ago. Not even kidding. Even Debbie and I cannot fathom how long we’ve been meeting, nor could we have guessed how much we would do life together beyond our monthly gathering to talk shop.
Many writers of various skill levels have been seasonal parts of our group. People attend and receive support while writing a project, and then move on to other interests. A handful of us are core members who continue to craft words on manuscripts. Debbie’s first novel won a Christy Award. I have 45 books with my name on them and have collaborated on many more.
In three decades, our core group has been together through proposal rejections, a collection of agents and publishers, book contracts, relocations, babies, graduations, divorces, marriages, grandbabies, surgeries, and funerals. Life, love, and faith have left their mark on our hearts and writing.
And we’ve honed a few traditions that have made our writers group work and keep working so well that authors travel a couple of hours to attend.
- Come for any amount of time you can be with us.
- If you come late, we are thrilled you made it.
- If you must leave early, let us know so you get feedback on your project before you leave.
- You don’t have to tell anyone if you are coming or not. But if it is convenient to let someone know you won’t make it this month, because we care.
- You do not have to bring snacks. But if you do, we will eat it.
- Do not take time from writing to bake or shop for snacks. If something jumps into your cart on a regular shopping trip or falls out of the refrigerator on your way to group, we will eat it.
- You have a time slot during the meeting. We will give feedback on anything you read aloud, brainstorm on any question, problem-solve, and network to help you move forward.
- We will grieve with you over hard things and celebrate your successes.
- We mostly meet in someone’s home so we can hear better and speak freely.
- What is said at writers group remains in writers group.
- When the meeting ends, anyone is invited to go out to dinner where we can talk more about writing.
Everyone writes something different from fiction to nonfiction, children’s, middle-grade, young adult, and grown-up stuff. Authors have penned memoirs, devotions, fantasy, westerns, rom-com, thrillers, suspense, greeting cards, musicals, and screenplays.
The group quickly became a safe place to bring good writing, messy manuscripts, and half-baked ideas. We laugh and cry together, and as each has become a better writer, we’ve grown together. When Unnatural Cause was complete, the writers group correctly noticed that my initial chapter one was actually chapter two. The final chapter penned in that novel was chapter one thanks to these fellow writers who wanted my work to be its best.
When looking for a writers group or forming one yourself, the most important aspect is that participants leave feeling more encouraged than when they arrived. If attending a writers group gives you a migraine, find a better fit.
Article by PeggySue Wells. Get your set of 6 Quick Guides for Writing Well when your preorder Cohen Code HERE.
