How to Find Writing Group

Sometimes libraries have writers (and readers) groups that meet in their facilities.

The MeetUp group I belong to here is fairly active, but it is a single-genre group.

Laura, I'm in two groups, one for many years, one for a few months.

I founded or co-founded both of them.

How I found people? For the long-time one, I took a class in writing this particular genre. I had to pay for it. It was not terribly convenient, but I asked myself how badly I wanted to get better. Besides, it was only a dozen sessions or so.

In the class we did critique. We got a good idea for who could write reasonably well and who had good insight, plus who was a jerk. When the class ended, I asked if we might circulate a sheet for names and phone numbers or emails, giving everyone a copy. I then put my head together with another person and we chose those we'd like to include and agreed on the few we wanted to exclude. Made some calls, met to talk about how it might best work, and day-umn, it does. The group has been as large as a dozen but is now quite small. We're all published now, all short stories and produced plays. Close calls on novels.

The other group, I met the person here, on the genre's board. We discovered we lived in the same general area and agreed to meet. Since I had experience with how a critique group can work, she lets me be the boss of things. We had a third member who was a no-show, so right now it's just us two. But it seems to be working on a small scale.

No classes to take? Try a reading group. Post flyers where educated people buy or enjoy their books, like coffee houses, the library, parks, etc.

Maryn, shutting up those damned crickets

I mostly use a virtual writer's group that I assembled.

I did kind of what Maryn suggests - I've checked out sites that offer critiques, found those I liked, and asked if they wanted to join. It's fairly recent, but it's been going pretty well so far.

I definitely think that virtual can be the way to go if you're busy/have strange hours/etc. (Although seeing people in person is also pretty great!) I've met decent people through Livejournal, www.critiquecircle.com, and www.critters.org

Since you posted this in the YA subforum, might I suggest checking out your local SCBWI chapter (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators)? They likely have local meetings and conferences several times a year. Mine does, and that's how I met my critique group. Several of us were sitting in an informal critique circle at the end of the conference, and we all realized that we wrote similar categories (either middle grade or YA novels) and that we were all from the Atlanta area, so we exchanged e-mail addresses, contacted each other a couple days later, and started planning for the first meeting. That was, hmm, almost three years ago! We are still going strong, meeting every month.

If you're not doing YA, maybe MWA or another organization has an annual conference that's open to the public?

I second the idea for trying your local library. There are three writing groups operating from the library close to where I live.

I have also seen groups start up from doing a short course in writing.

And finally, if all else fails, it is worth considering trying to start one yourself. One of the groups I belong to started when someone put an advertisement for such in our local writers' magazine (specifically asking for published writers - in the same way, if you want a specific type of group - such as writers of YA etc - you could note this).

All the best - a good writers' group is invaluable.

Where in the D.C. metro area are you? I've been wanting to find a writing group too. I'm in Gaithersburg, so depending on where in DC, it's not far.

I found my writer's group through SCBWI (Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators: scbwi.org). You have to be a member to use their crit-group search, if you aren't already, but it is 100% worth it, trust me. Almost everything awesome that's happened to me lately writing-wise was because of them. Meeting agents/editors at conferences, getting manuscripts read after pitch meetings, meeting my writer's group, meeting new people in the NYC area who write, etc. <3 SCBWI

If you do join, just check under the "Regional" section. There's usually a link on your region's page to email someone about being added to a big list of people searching for writing groups. Then anyone else on that list gets an email from the moderator letting them know that a new person looking for a group has joined, and they put you in touch. Worked out great for me Group's been together 1.5 years and just got a few new members.