8 Ways That Joining a Writing Group Benefits Authors
Yes, writing a book is a solitary undertaking — but it need not be completely so. Writers can choose to adopt a collaborative or communal approach to their writing projects. This is where joining a writing group comes into the picture. And you should give this a try. It doesn’t matter where you are in your writing life: You could be just about to start writing your first book, you could be stuck in the middle of your fourth book, you could be having sophomore book anticipatory jitters — you don’t have to fully subscribe to the notion of writing as a lonely job.
What Is a Writing Group?
Just as the name implies, a writing group is a group of people who regularly meet to read and critique one another’s work, brainstorm ideas, and keep tabs on one another’s progress in relation to their respective writing projects. A writing group is a healthy place to be when there’s plenty of honest, constructive feedback to go around for everyone. With the advent of conference calls and virtual meetings, a writing group can meet either in person or online, or go for a combination of both.
Understandably, the idea of having your writing read out loud to ten or more people might be a daunting proposition for some, but look at it this way: this is valuable practice for the big event when your book hits both physical and virtual shelves.
8 Ways That Joining a Writing Group Benefits Authors
Let’s look closer at how being a member of a writing group can change your book writing experience for the better …
1. A ready beta readership.
This is the most obvious benefit of belonging to a writing club. The moment you join, you get beta readers from one place. That saves you time and emails sent out to prospective readers if you were tackling your writing project on your own. Plus, they’re not just any beta readers — they’re exactly the ones you want. However, we do still encourage you to enlist the (voluntary) services of nonwriter friends, colleagues, family, even some strangers, to get a sense of how nonwriters will receive your book.
2. Valuable, legitimate feedback.
Membership in a writing group gives you access to authentic feedback that comes from people who speak your language and share your experiences and concerns. Feedback and suggestions from fellow writers are often valuable because these individuals have a keen sense of the writing process and how readers might read and experience a given story and/or certain facets, themes, characters, etc., in a given story. You’ll get game-changing insight into literary elements — how to make them work for your story — as well as insight into other aspects of your book (e.g., how to best word your author bio).
Not only do you get feedback for your work, but you also get to critique your fellow members’ works. Reading the drafts of other writers and discussing their ideas and issues can help put certain things in perspective for you and help you to arrive at a deeper understanding of the nature of creative work centered on the written word. (For example, you may have this notion that published authors have an easier time writing their succeeding books, but then you may just find that one such author in your group has hit a brick wall regarding the character arc of one of their major characters.)
And of course, we can’t forget finding inspiration in your fellow members’ works. That’s one of the best things about being exposed to others’ ideas: They tend to jumpstart your own brain and your system. That means you stand a better chance of avoiding writer’s block, or of addressing it head on before it can wreak havoc on your creative flow. On the flip side, however, avoid that niggling high-strung voice in your head that starts talking the moment you realize that someone in your group is on to something brilliant while you’re feeling a little lost. Come to think about it, that feeling of being lost may just prove to be a great starting point for you to write something compelling!
3. Accountability
When you join a writing group, your writing is no longer off limits to others. Now there’s an entire group who know what you’re working on, what your goals are, and what your possible obstacles are. They keep tabs on you and hold you accountable for your book. That means you now have little to zero chance of procrastination, and there’s no feeling quite like the feeling of being victorious for once over procrastination. Even better, accountability goes hand in hand with productivity, so embrace the new scenario of having an entire writing group to answer to. Plus, you can feed off the sense of purpose and sense of accomplishment of the rest of your group, and that can create momentum that you don’t want to miss out on.
4. A support group
It makes perfect sense, really, that your writing group would also double as your support group. It’s a given that you will have one another’s backs, barring some drama here and there, if you should be unlucky enough to get a member who is prone to displaying unpleasant behavior or employing underhanded tactics to get ahead. Keep in mind that members of any given writing group should ideally be writing within the same genre, or at least within a few commonly combined genres, to optimize the experience of reading and critiquing one another’s works. Unfortunately, this scenario can also incite competition, especially among more competitive, go-for-the-jugular personalities.
Drama aside, when you have finally settled in with a group that work well together, you gain a support group that will keep you from quitting writing. Once you have built that rapport and gotten to know one another and gotten comfortable with the different personalities, then you should be able to expect emotional and professional support when you need it from your group. It goes without saying, of course, that you should be ready to provide the same to whoever needs it in your group.
5. Productive brainstorming sessions
Brainstorming with fellow writers should turn up a winning idea or two every time, right? We think so. Rather than pacing alone in your room or home office, or staring into space despairing against the onset of writer’s block, or at the very least an unproductive day, you have an entire group of creative people who can help you tease ideas out of nowhere, untangle knotty plot details, and/or breathe life (or fire!) into stale action sequences or dialogue. Here’s another great thing about having creative people readily available to brainstorm with you: Should you have a bad idea that you think is great, chances are you won’t end up wasting your time working on it because someone’s bound to tell you to scrap it and move on. That’s a great thing in our book!
6. Networking
Every author, new or having been around the block a few times, needs to network. By joining a writing group, you get to expand your network in bulk, thanks to your members. Of course, you need to nurture your relationship with your group and with each individual member. They will be happy to share resources, connections and contacts, and valuable information with you, and to put in a good word for you with people and organizations who can help you succeed. You never know what opportunities for winning collaborations may present themselves down the line.
7. Help with revision
Just as with the previous phases of writing your book, you certainly could use some brilliant suggestions when it’s time for revisions. What better people to involve in the process than the ones who have been involved with the brainstorming and critique of the current draft? You should be able to rely on your group to catch any otherwise-hard-to-spot discrepancies, awkward parts, lines of dialogue that sound off, and so on. More than that, they have the skills to look at the manuscript in its entirety and evaluate it for such technical aspects as coherence, structure and organization, thematic consistency, characterization, and plot development. Of course, you will still need to have the resulting manuscript professionally edited, but why wait until then when you have a safe place, with people you’re comfortable with, to turn your book as close as possible to the form you envision it to take.
8. Mark of professionalism
Being a part of an established writing group can help convey your professionalism and dedication to producing quality work. This can go a long way with literary agents and editors if you decide you want to go the traditional publishing route, as it will give them the impression of someone with sound connections and professionalism to work with other writers to ensure a technically sound and creative piece of writing — all are factors that can help improve your chances of getting a publishing contract.
How Do You Find a Writing Group to Join?
Now that you have a clear idea of how joining a writing group can benefit you, let’s tackle the vital question of where to find a writing group and how to join.
Here are six ways to do it:
1. Find a local writing group.
Start with your neighborhood community center. These places offer various types of gatherings and courses, which could include a writing workshop or writing group that’s accepting new members. You can also check the listings at your local library, a place that often serves as a venue for literary talks or groups. Writing groups generally meet at a set time and day. See if you can find one whose meeting schedule works with yours. Otherwise, you may have to clear your calendar to be able to join them for their regular meetings.
2. Join a number of writers’ associations.
You can’t go wrong with joining the local chapters of well-established writers’ associations. An association like the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) holds group meetups at local libraries. If you’re a romance novelist, join the Romance Writers of America; if you write mystery novels/stories, join the Mystery Writers of America. Your other options are writing groups by location.
3. Go on a writing retreat.
This option is a destination event, and as such, it will require you to shell out some money. But here’s why you’ll love it: This is an event solely dedicated to writing, so all you’ll be doing is write and establish connections with other writers. If you have the time and the extra money, go on a writing retreat and immerse yourself in an experience designed to put writers in the zone.
4. Search online.
You should be able to find a writing group by searching online. Again, you’ll want a meetup group near you with other writers from your area. Remember, it’s better to go join a group whose members write within your genre.
5. Join online writing groups.
If you prefer not to leave the comfort of your home, a virtual group of writers is the best option for you. Search Facebook groups and connect with the right people over chat or video. You can also try online critique groups on websites like Critique Circle and Scribophile.
6. Start your own writing group.
Not having any luck? Why not start your own writing group? Invite other local writers (post a note at your local coffee shops and the library) and members of your book club to join. Use your social media channels to post your invites. The great thing about starting your own group is you get full control over how you want it to function. You get to call the shots as you build your own writers community, you get to pick a day for events and regular meetups, and choose the location. Lastly, as the founder, you establish your reputation in your community as not only a writer but as an individual that people, not just your fellow writers, can look to for community cultural events and community building activities. That’s a great undertaking for any writer!
The Takeaway
Writing a book can be more than just solitary work. While it does require absolute concentration that’s best achieved in solitude, some aspects of the entire complex and multifaceted process benefit from collaborative work. The best people for a writer like you to collaborate with are fellow writers, of course. The benefits of being part of a writing group are outstanding, so start exploring your options and enrich the way you write.
