Am I in The Right Writing Group? 5 Questions to Ask Yourself.

As I read through novel manuscripts prior to heading to Taos, New Mexico, for my annual writers workshop, I’m reminded of the purpose and value of workshopping other writers’ works. Being part of several online writing groups, a few that are critique-based, I’ve come to see a variety of not only workshopping/critique styles of participants, but the diversity and delivery of said feedback. To say it’s all over the place would be to an understatement.

I’ve been writing fiction for a long time and studying writing even longer, and I’ve always approached workshops as an opportunity to hear diverse perspectives on what I’m doing right (or at least what’s working), and where I could use improvement. For the most part I’ve been lucky—I’ve worked with a lot of experienced writers, mainly because I’ve acquired numerous degrees in literature and writing and have worked as an editor during my undergraduate studies, as well as attended a great many writing groups and workshops over the years. But that hasn’t always been the case for me, and I know that it hasn’t been the case for a great many of the members of the online groups and communities of writers seeking constructive criticism.

Writing groups/workshops/critiques, etc. should first and foremost provide you, the writer, with feedback that helps you progress in your short story, your poems, your novels. The groups you attend shouldn’t be bash sessions on other writers, nor should they be places where you go to get a pat on the back or have everyone praise your genius. I’m not saying you can’t do that—you can. But if your goal is to produce the best writing you can, if it’s a place you’re hoping to improve your writing so as to get published, you should make sure that you’re being honest with yourself about what you’re gaining by attending these groups (or not) and make adjustments accordingly.

Over the last thirty years, I’ve met other writers at Starbucks, at Barnes & Noble, at college campuses, online, and other neutral places where strangers seeking camaraderie and community from other writers. They join these groups to share this magical thing called fiction (and nonfiction, in plenty of cases), that they’ve decided they can’t live without doing. I’m a fiction writer (mostly), so I tend to surround myself with fiction writers, in particular novelists. I like the long form, but it’s not the most popular workshop in terms of being able to find groups. Workshops tend to be geared towards shorter works, which makes sense, given the time limitations of the participants in these groups. Catering workshops to 300-page works of fiction requires a lot of time and energy and a commitment that many writers, especially beginning writers, don’t do. Hence why I go to Taos. I get what I want from the workshop—to hang out with old friends, to get the criticism and recommendations and insight I need to improve my manuscript. You should get the same great feedback from the writing groups and workshops you attend—and why not? You’ve put the work in into becoming a competent or even a great writer, so why not get the best from those who you choose to work with.

So, how do you know if the workshop/group you’re attending is worth your time and effort? Ask yourself this:

Am I in The Right Writing Group? 5 Questions to Ask Yourself.:

1. What’s your goal? Is your goal to improve your work and potentially get it published? Is it to simply share what you wrote and have people tell you whether they liked it or not? Is it because your social life isn’t what you’d like it to be, and this is a way for you to get out of the house and meet people? These reasons are all fine and valid, but the group you select should reflect the goals you hope to achieve by attending and participating. If it isn’t, then the group is probably not the one for you.
   

2. Are you in the right group, level-wise? I’ve been to groups where I was the most experienced writer and the least experienced writer. When I’ve been the least experienced writer, I’m all ears and I listen to the knowledge and experience of the more experienced writers who’ve been through the process of going from novice, to experienced, to knowledgeable and published. I’ve also been to meetings where I’ve been criticized for having studied writing and having been published. Personally, I found that odd—if you’re new to writing, I’d think you’d want someone with more experience helping you out. Not so for this one particular case I’m thinking about, but everyone’s different. Some people don’t like being the underdog or feeling insecure, which I understand. I don’t worry about those people—my goal is always to improve my own writing and to assist in whatever way I can those writers who are trying to get better at the craft of writing. If you feel like you’re not gaining anything from a group after one, two, or maybe three meetings, you may want to seek another group.
   

3. Do the writers in your group know how to provide constructive feedback? Great writers don’t always make great teachers, nor do they always provide the type of feedback that’s going to help you improve your writing. Some writers in groups just point out things they didn’t like. Perhaps there’s a character they find no redeeming qualities in, and the feedback is “That guy’s just a jerk. I didn’t like him.” Okay, great. But is that helpful to what you’re trying to achieve? Ask yourself, Does that feedback help me in any way? Or would it have been more helpful to receive feedback like, “X is a flat character.” Or “X has no redeeming qualities, so it makes it hard to either like him or see his worth in the story. What’s his purpose in terms of moving the plot along?” Or “Your story/novel is episodic. Things happen, but there’s no causality, and so we, as readers, don’t understand the point of what’s going on. What does your character want?” For me, I need the latter, more detailed criticism. Specificity helps me. Being vague? Not so much. Make sure the writers you’re working with know the elements of fiction. Do they understand structure? Dialogue? Scenes? Exposition? Rising and falling action? Climax? Denouement? The basics of how to write a story? How to create tension? If not, (and you do), consider finding a different group.
   

4. Are you enjoying yourself? It’s a question you may not think about initially, but if you’re showing up someplace where the other writers are a clique already, or where everyone’s writing about wizards and dragons and you’re writing about crime or romance or literary fiction, you may not have much in common with the other writers nor will you be able to give or receive feedback that’s either valid or worth your time prepping for. If you’re not getting anything out of the group, find another group who share a similar passion for similar subject matter. If you don’t know anything about a particular genre, and the group is revolves around that genre, there’s a good chance you aren’t going to be able to provide the type of feedback the writer (you or them) requires in order to improve your colleague’s work.

5. Should I start my own writing group? Sometimes, that’s the best way to go about getting into the group that’s going to help you get to where you need to go. I live in a small town. There are some writing groups here, but none of them would work for me. I’m at a certain level (I’ve put the 10,000 hours in, as they say) and work with certain writers, all of whom are published novelists and short story writers. Most of them have graduate degrees in writing. The groups in my community vary in terms of experience, but most don’t have the experience I have, and so the groups just wouldn’t be worth my investment in them. The same may hold for you. If you know you’re not getting anything out of a group and can’t find a suitable one, consider starting your own group. Figure out the level writer that would be appropriate to be in your group, and put out an ad or create a group on Facebook or wherever, and let folks know you’ve started the group and that you’re seeking members to join up. If you write Sci-fi and know that you want Sci-fi writers in your group, let it be known. Write thrillers? Invite writers who write thrillers. You don’t have to be that strict or rigid in excluding people—If you read thrillers or Sci-fi but don’t write thrillers or Sci-fi, it doesn’t mean you can’t provide decent, constructive criticism and feedback on someone’s work. Keep an open mind about who you let in or exclude. You never know who’s a good workshop participant until they’ve been in your group, and often you won’t find out until a few sessions in.
   

Remember, writing groups/critique groups and workshops are meant to help writers not only write but improve their craft. Time is scarce and finite, so you’ll want to not waste your precious writing time in groups that aren’t beneficial to your craft. If you’re retired or don’t have to work, good for you. But most of us must work, and that limits the amount of time we can devote to writing and writing groups. Be selective. Be honest with yourself about whether or not you’re benefiting from attending. And keep on trucking to the next group if you don’t feel like you’re getting what you need from your group. It’ all about improving. Or it should be. The sooner you find the right group, the sooner you’ll have the tools you need to ensure you’re giving your writing the best chance it has to being the best work it can be.

Cully Perlman is a novelist, blogger, and Substantive Editor (SE). He can be reached at Cully@novelmasterclass.com