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Deadline: Thursday, February 22nd

How To Successfully Start Your Own Writers Group

A writers group offers many advantages: constructive criticism of your writing, moral support from fellow writers, even the opportunity to discuss issues related to writing—finding editors, getting published, and promoting your work on social media. You can find virtual writers groups that allow authors in many different locations to communicate regularly with one another via the Internet. But what if you want some face time with other authors, and there aren’t any local writing groups near you? What do you do? Start a writers group!

Here are 8 steps to starting a successful writers group:

Step 1: Write a Mission Statement. Tailor the mission statement so it addresses the purpose and parameters of the group and attracts like-minded writers. For example: “The purpose of XYZ Writers Group is to improve the quality of the fiction writing of its members, and to provide guidance on and share knowledge of the writing and publishing industries, all in a supportive and encouraging environment.”

Step 2: Be Sure You Have the Time to Commit. Before you start recruiting members, make sure you have enough time available in your schedule to get the group off the ground, keep it running, and do all the ongoing reading that will be required. Sit down and write out a time budget. How many hours do you have to spend on the start-up? How many hours a week will it take to read the other members’ work? How many hours will you spend in ongoing administration? If the numbers add up to more time than you’re truly able to dedicate, you may want to consider joining an already existing writers group. Or you might want to switch tactics and work with a single critique partner.

Step 3: Get the Word Out and Find Members. Consider placing a classified ad in a local paper, and spread the word via an active presence on Twitter. Set up a page for your group on Facebook and keep it current. You might also want to consider creating a group using Meetup.com. You’ll have a core group of interested writers before you know it! Just be sure to cap your membership at a number that makes you comfortable.

Step 4: Choose a Meeting Site. Choose a site that is centrally located, and make sure there is ample free parking. Select a quiet place where the group can talk freely without being interrupted. A conference room at a library or a corner of a willing bookstore fits the bill.

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Step 5: Set the Meeting Time. Having a regularly scheduled meeting time, such as the first Wednesday of the month from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., encourages participation. Let members know that attendance is important! If it seems a writer isn’t taking his or her involvement in the critique group seriously, you may ask that person to make way for someone who has more time and focus to devote to the group.

Step 6: Implement a Process for Pre-Meeting Prep and Communication. Communicate using a set schedule: Advise anyone who will be submitting manuscripts for critique to send the work to you at least four days before the meeting. Then, email the work to group members at least three days before you meet. Be sure you use the BCC feature of your email to maintain privacy for the group members.

Step 7: Establish Meeting Guidelines. It’s a good idea to list the basic rules regarding how members should prepare for meetings and the type of behavior that is expected or to be avoided (no bad critiques!). Successful meetings—those where people are engaged and participating—tend to take on a life of their own and sometimes lose focus. Have a printed agenda for each meeting and a designated moderator/timer to keep the session on track.

Step 8: Continually Evaluate and Renew. As time goes on, regularly reevaluate how the group is working. Is it meeting each member’s needs? Canvass the group regularly; ask members how the meetings and procedures could be improved.

A good writers group combines the best elements of a high-level writing seminar with a positive support group. Properly set up and managed, your writers group will last a long time. If you don’t already belong to a writers group, start one today—and let us know about it! We’d love to add your group to our list of writers groups in America.

Photo by Robert E. Kennedy Library at Cal Poly

Writer QuestionsQUESTION: Do you belong to a writers group, and if not, have you thought about starting one?

 

8 Comments

  1. Kaye Linden

    The Gainesville Writers Alliance has multiple writers’ pods headed by voluntary members. I lead one of their pods and my qualifications for that leadership include an MFA in fiction. However, that is not a requirement for group leadership. I lead a fiction group that also includes non-fiction writers. We meet at my house once a month and at least a week before the meeting we email each other 3500 words each for critique. We offer positive feedback which includes “suggestions for improvement.” We each print off all the manuscripts with comments written on the paper. Our meeting lasts three hours and we are three to four members who spend an hour of discussion and commentary on each person’s work. We have a break for coffee and cookies and a lot of fun as well. Each of us has projects in line for publication. We have had members who did not appreciate feedback or were not serious about improving their writing, and I let them know our styles don’t sync. As Gainesville is a literary community, it is not difficult to find members. Our group is a few years old and serious about supporting the goals of the individual.
    Kaye Linden

    Reply
  2. Barbori G. Streibl

    I run a writing group for young adults ages 18 to 26 in Calgary, AB. We meet once a month for one and a half hours. We welcome young adults who like to write in just about any genre: fiction, poetry, non-fiction, business writing, etc.

    Reply
  3. thomas carolan

    Hi this is realy not a comment,

    but can one post writing to your group. or exchange work for reading,
    wishes and luck

    Reply
    • Writer's Relief Staff

      Hi Thomas,

      Writer’s Relief is an author’s submission service (not a literary agency, publisher, or publicity firm). We help creative writers get published by targeting their poems, essays, short stories, and books to the best-suited literary agents or editors of literary journals. This page will give you an overview (as well as our prices): https://writersrelief.com/publishinghelp

      Reply
  4. Lee Ann Davison

    We have a group of 3 trying to get a Christian writer group started in Norwood, Ohio. Unfortunately, we all have been plagued by sickness and unplanned surgeries since the beginning of 2018. We are hoping to start again in May 2018 to get things rolling. We have a name, free use of a meeting room located on a major street and on the bus route, in addition to free well lit off street parking. The mission statement is almost finalized and we are working on our logo design. Our problem has been getting people to attend. We placed an article in the local newspaper one of us have belonged to a Writer’s group before but want to have a group in our area. Your post was very helpful. If you have additional suggestions, please email me at kingsdaughter@writeme.com

    Reply
  5. Glee Williams

    I was looking for this type of information, and fell onto the right info. Thank you for this article and 8 steps.

    Reply
  6. Simone

    Thank you! This was very helpful. I started my own virtual writers group as a result. I really loved the mission statement as well, it really sets the tone

    Here’s the link if anyone is interested: https://www.facebook.com/groups/207160930903419/

    Reply
  7. Simone Maglassis

    Thank you for the article it was very helpful and helped me start up my own group. Thank you again for sharing.

    Reply

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