Writers’ Group
For the Love of Writing
Purpose: to write, of course. But there are benefits to being part of a writers’ group. 1) You realize you are not alone. 2) It drives you to work harder and actually complete/publish your work. 3) You see your work through the eyes of a reader. 4) You learn from others’ experiences. 5) You learn to endure and give [gentle] critique. But most importantly, our purpose is the HAVE FUN with something we enjoy.
When: Starting in August – the 2nd Monday of each month from 1:00 to 3:00 and the 4th Thursday each month from 6:00 to 8:00. (But check the library calendar and Writers’ Group info on the website in case another event causes a schedule change.)
Where: Minerva Library upstairs meeting room.
Structure of group meetings: 2 hrs in length, 30 minutes writing and preparation, 30-60 minutes collaboration, the remaining time for new planning/writing.
Collaboration – this is hugely important to understand
- Everyone shares what they are working on, what’s going well and frustrations they are having. This is the place for general questions about writing, how others have tackled similar issues.
- If you want someone to look at your work, this will happen after group sharing.
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- Be specific. What specifically do you want your peer to be looking for?
- You must have tough skin – do not take offense (Writing is highly personal; a writer pours themselves into the writing. It is their baby, and they love it [or at least their idea] even though it is not fully mature. Don’t ask for feedback if you’re not looking for ways to improve.). We want this to be a safe place for writers, but we also want it to be real and of value for our writing.
- You may ask about specific grammar and mechanical items in the writing, and we can share what we see, but we are not editors.
- Have copies (2-4).
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- When giving feedback, be honest, but gentle and constructive
- First, name two things you find that they are doing well or that you like
- Focus feedback for improvement on what the writer is asking for
- If you are quite confident you are aware of something that was not asked for in making improvements, you may offer this as a question: i.e. “Is this a typical action for this character, or do you want the reader to notice a change?” Or “How does this relate to your topic? I must have missed it?” Questions like this help a writer know where they need to clarify or further develop an idea.
For additional details contact Julia Casselman at gmajuls@gmail.com
