Leading a writing group, any advice?

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elvenharlot

I have a quick question, any advice would be much appreciated. :Hug2:

I work at a Barnes & Noble and we're organizing a creative writers' group, which I (maybe because of all our employees that write, I have the biggest mouth) have been asked to lead.

I've taken a few creative writing classes over the years, but I've never been part of (let alone led) an informal group like this. I've got a few ideas about where I'd like to go with it, but if anyone has any suggestions, I can use all the help I can get.

Thanks :D
 

FredCharles

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You should lead them straight to the pharmacy for prozac ;)

Fancy meeting you here :)
 

Anonymisty

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My writing group only had a few rules, but it ran successfully for several years.

1. Each writer brings five pages to read. Not six, not ten...FIVE. Each writer brings copies of her pages so that every member of the group has a copy to work from. Typed and double-spaced, please.

2. Critique time begins on time. Anyone who arrives late goes last, if there's time.

3. When the person being critiqued is reading, everyone else should follow along on their own copy, making notes in the margins and saving questions until the writer has finished reading.

5. When the writer finishes reading, the group takes turns going around the table giving their opinion of the work. These opinions must be designed to improve the work. You don't have to sugarcoat your thoughts, but no personal attacks will be tolerated.

Optional Silence Rule - if the writer interrupts the critique to argue, you can institute the Silence Rule. This rule says the writer may say NOTHING until all members of the group have finished critiquing. The only exception is if a critiquer asks a direct question of the writer, one which must be answered in order for the critique to continue. The writer may answer, and then must be quiet again.

That's pretty much it! Good luck!
 

Chumplet

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I just realized that wasn't very helpful. Likely, most of the others will do all the talking. I hope you're loud.

My writing group is online. I've been with them about a year. It takes a few repeated reminders to get people to follow the rules. I guess a handout with your expectations would help.
 

The Lady

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A group meeting to discuss expectations first of all.

Then a typed up copy of rules and perhaps a mission statement to hand out to everybody and especially for newcomers.

A chairperson for every meeting to keep things bombing along. Chairperson must be strong and keep group on track. Some people don't give a rat's arse about writing. They're out for a chat.

Preferably keep chit chat about non writing related stuff for a sociable coffee after the group.

Make it a very unpleasant place for non writers (who are pretending to be writers)to be. I'm sorry if that sounds cruel, but they suck the life out of any group.

Insist every one must participate by bringing work to have critted and also in supplying crits. Some people will coast other wise and annoy the hell out of others.

Go to workshops together. Encourage each other to submit and write. Have fun but always keep it writing related.
 

Linda Adams

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I'm the co-founder a three year old critique group. We've had a 100% changeover once, but have had mostly the same people for the last two years. Most people start a critique group because they want their work critiqued, but if you're the leader, there are also some responsibilities. If someone starts getting argumentative during the meeting, it's your job to nudge them back in the right direction. If someone is in danger of running overtime, it's your job to get them back on track. If someone is just plain bad for the group, it's your job to encourage them to leave. It's also your job to set the rules for the group, and to enforce them.

For my group:

We are genre specific (thriller/suspense/mystery). This was a decision we made up front mainly because I have seen many people who really don't understand what a thriller is.

We critique two writers each meeting and meet once a month. They submit 50 pages about two weeks in advance. Fifty pages was decided on because it gives everyone an idea of where the story is going or if there are any problems. It's about 45 minutes or so for each critique. It doesn't seem like a lot, and in fact, both groups wanted to do more. But we've discovered that we really can't do more than two at one meeting (there are seven to ten members). And, we also know from experience that there's a point where everyone actually runs out of material.

We also require that the writers have at least 100 page completed before submitting anything for critique. We added this rule after two writers, both with three chapters done, gave up their projects after receiving critiques. Some writers want critiques to find out if their idea is any good, and the first three chapters are probably the worst thing to do this on.

Also, no arguing with the critiques, no defensiveness, no explanations. The writer isn't going to be standing over the agent's shoulder to explain confusing points; the story has to stand up for itself.

No booze. Though we do have lots of chocolate.

Critiques are done verbally in front of everyone (so noted because we ran across one group where they wrote the comments down and passed it to the writer; no one else heard the critiques).

The writer does NOT read their story aloud. Some groups do this, and we had a member who noted that she got very different comments from us than her read aloud group. She realized she had actually been adding extra nuances when she read it aloud, using her voice that changed how the people hearing it interpreted it.

Oh, and we do allow readers to join. We have two of them in the group now. The only real requirement is that the people can do critiques and should at least be familiar with the genre we're writing in.

And our general goal when we come there is to have fun.
 

Maryn

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My critique group sounds a lot like Linda Adams' in the way it operates.

I'm the co-founder of a local writing group in its 15th year. None of us were published when it started; now we have all seen print, so despite those who nay-say about such groups, for some people they work.

I've got a handout on how our group works; if you'd like me to email a copy, just shoot me a PM with your email address and I'd be glad to.

Any decent group will allow newcomers to observe, not forcing participation. Here are some other aspects of a good group:
  • Members share a common goal, usually paid publication.
  • Members have equal status. There's no kingpin who considers himself or herself the best writer--even though someone surely is.
  • The work is not read aloud, since a good reader elevates work.
  • Writing is not critiqued on the spot but distributed to be read and mulled over for a future meeting.
  • Members appear to like and respect one another.
  • The group focuses on a genre, or if it does not, critiques of work in a genre are made only by those who read and/or write in that genre. Poets, screenwriters, and fantasy authors may be unqualified to critique slash erotica, for example, unless they read it.
  • The members' skill levels are all adequate. Everybody can write competent, comprehensible English with few errors. A writer with poor skills can suck 90% of the group's energy into teaching him or her English basics.
  • Critique is delivered aloud but is also written. Critics return to the author both a written critique and a marked manuscript, since the author can't remember every remark, and not everything worth noting on a ms. is worth the whole group's time.
  • The group is friendly but spends most of its meeting time on writing-related activities, not socializing.
  • The group supports writers facing challenges and celebrates members' successes.

Maryn, whose group celebrated completion of a member's novel yesterday
 

Pomegranate

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I run a monthly writers group but its a WRITING group not a CRITIQUE group. We get together to do writing exersises (timed writings based on prompts). We've been going for about 2 years now. Whether people are writing for WIPs or just for fun, we get a lot of energetic new stuff every month. I have some guidelines for how it works. PM me if you're interested.

I've been in critique groups. They were helpful in improving my work but I had little patience with the egos involved. Be prepared to deal with people who have peculiar expectations for the group. My favorite diva was the guy who would scribble something in the parking lot, expect us all to praise it, and got defensive about constructive critisism.
 

Shara

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Our writers' group has been going for over 12 years and it seems to run much like Linda's. We meet once a month and do no more than 3 stories at every meeting. The stories have to be sent out in advance, and then people come to the meeting with their critiques prepared.

We now have a '5 minute rule' where people's critiques are timed. This was difficult to enforce initially, but now it works well because it helps people stay focused on their critiques. We also have the rule where everyone else - particularly the writer - is supposed to remain silent during someone's critique, so that everyone else gets their fair turn. When everyone has had their say, there are a few minutes set aside for general discussion, when the writer can respond to - or defend, if s/he feels the need - any point that has been raised. This rule we sometimes have to lay down the law about; people sometimes can't resist interrupting.

We have a rule in our group that people have to observe two meetings before they can submit a piece of their own, so that they know what they are in for. Sometimes the critiques can be quite brutal. We also have a rule that new members have to have had one piece published, somewhere, before they can join. We had a couple of bad experiences in the past where new people would come along and then get mortally offended if someone would venture the opinion that this piece of work needed improvement. So that's why we now have these guidelines in place. We feel we are not a group for beginner writers!

We do workshop short stories. Novels have different rules. The first 3 chapters and the synopsis can be workshopped a a regular meeting, but after that, the writer has to arrange a separate meeting to workshop the whole novel. We did at one point have people submitting their novels to the meetings one chapter at a time, but we felt generally that this really wasn't the best way to be critiquing novels.
On the whole, the formula seems to be a success, as we are still going.

Good luck!

Shara
 

below

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I really enjoyed Holly Lisle's article about writing groups:
Try http://hollylisle.com/fm/ and then scroll down on the left, under the heading Professionalism, to "Writers Groups".

If the other folks at the meeting spend most of the meeting talking about what a bitch Dorothy is or how they suspect John is writing in English as a poorly-learned third language, or if they snap at each other, cut each other down, or are brutal with each other's manuscripts, RUN AWAY! They will be no kinder to you and your work.

You'll need a few meetings to get a feel for the group dynamics. You'll usually find that the group falls into one of the following types: Circle of Friends, Master and Slaves, or Sharks and Dinner.

I like Pomegranate's idea a lot. I might have to try that one...

Is there any way you could run more than one group or meeting for the store? For example, one that would have strict time limits and strict ideas about critiques and egoes, another that would be more social, and more attractive for newbies? (I.e. a speaker series with an coffee klatsch afterwards?)
 
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pink lily

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I went to the first meeting of a local writer's group. I thought it would have been great, had it been convenient for me, but alas, the writer's group meets on the same night as my special-interest group, and I had to give up group meetings due to being a taxi-mom with kids in sports.

The group leader had handouts and an agenda, which seemed very professional. The writers were all ages and genres; I was afraid to reveal that 99% of my writing is on subjects that could be considered controversial.

The group has workshops and I've heard that they're fun, but I prefer online communication to real-life meetings. I invited a few of the writers here, because AW is such a great resource.

Now if only I can stop procrastinating, and start finishing my columns and articles... I plan to try to attend the group meetings in the summer, no matter what I'm up to.

ETA: I forgot to post my advice! Have a theme and a handout. Choose your topic beforehand. Don't let one person monopolize the meeting, encourage the shy people to talk. Give some writing games and exercises for the group to work on in between meetings. I would be doing this if I were active in my group.
 

chartreuse

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My writing group only had a few rules, but it ran successfully for several years.

1. Each writer brings five pages to read. Not six, not ten...FIVE. Each writer brings copies of her pages so that every member of the group has a copy to work from. Typed and double-spaced, please.

2. Critique time begins on time. Anyone who arrives late goes last, if there's time.

3. When the person being critiqued is reading, everyone else should follow along on their own copy, making notes in the margins and saving questions until the writer has finished reading.

5. When the writer finishes reading, the group takes turns going around the table giving their opinion of the work. These opinions must be designed to improve the work. You don't have to sugarcoat your thoughts, but no personal attacks will be tolerated.


That's pretty much it! Good luck!

My group operates pretty much like this as well. Other than the above, the only rule is that we try as much as possible to follow the "sandwich method" for our critiques, which basically says that we should start and end the critique on a positive note. (This doesn't mean that the sandwich "filling" won't end up taking up most of the time!)

Unlike many groups, we don't limit the type of writing people can bring. All genres and lengths are welcome. Most writers can recognize bad writing, be it fantasy or literary, and we all find that we benefit from the challenge of offering critiques on styles that may be outside of our comfort zones.

We also have a trial period of three meetings for anyone who wants to join. Potential members have to offer critiques at every meeting and read something of theirs at least once. Then the existing members vote to see if we want to accept the new person. Bad chemistry can ruin a group, and this allows us a "test run" to see if we all get along.
 
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