29 July 2010
SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT CREATING A DYNAMIC WRITERS GROUP
My first experience in a writers group was a terrible one – envy, competition, lack of commitment and sincerity. I swore never to be part of such silliness again. Then I realized that I was part of the silliness. I had much to learn about why I wanted to be part of such a group, much to learn about myself. I had to look at my commitment to others as well as to my own writing. “Know your craft,” Timothy Findley wrote – then I got it. A writing group is about a number of things (that I’ll get to in a moment) - but mostly it’s about being the best playwright, poet, novelist …that you can be, and working with others who have a similar passion for writing.
Some thoughts about my experience as a member of two amazing writing groups:
- It feels good to be a teacher and to help other writers
- It’s good to challenge yourself and be open to what others have to say about your work
- It’s important to know your craft (bend the rules after, but know what you’re doing first)
- Writing is lonely work, it’s nice to have the empathy of others who have chosen a similar vocation
- Writers understand the passion and neurosis of other writers – get your ‘madness’ validated
- You need to be Networked with resources – between ‘Facebook’ and the ‘Net’ we live in a world of information. This can be exciting if you’re with others who may help you focus on how to navigate these systems
- Even if you are the genius you secretly think you are, it’s helpful to bounce your ideas off the humble minds of sentient others
- Rejection slips are depressing and you might give up – you’ll find that your group has hilarious ways of ‘dealing’ with those who reject you:)
- Successful writers are those who persevere – you’re less likely to give up when you have the support and compassion of a caring group
- The terror of being ‘exposed’ when you are accepted for publication is equally depressing – your group will help you turn the terror into celebration
- You need someone to show up at your readings when you’ve alienated the rest of the world from you – writing groups tend to show up for one another
- You need to be able to make mistakes and risk in a safe context
- The structure of having an upcoming group meeting forces you to stop avoiding and get something done – structure can be good
- It’s validating to watch other writers suffer (you fell less sorry for yourself)
- It’s equally validating to watch them rejoice when they write something that they’re proud of – you share in their bliss
Some Guidelines:
- Invite people you respect and trust (or can grow to respect and trust)
- Work with people who are smart and will be happy for you when you are successful
- Celebrate co-members successes with equal excitement
- Find others who are passionate about literature
- Have your work as complete as possible before you show up - don’t become overly dependent on the group members to find your mistakes
- Invite kind people who you like as a human being – yes, warts and all (aside from their passion for writing)
- Ask what others are reading – discuss what makes the writing good
- Keep the group small – five is plenty
- The group will change if you stay at it long enough – babies will be born, death and love and sexy moments will happen – trust that it is all normal and good
- Work with others who you have some things in common with (mostly a love of good literature) but who also see some things differently from you – your own perspective can get boring pretty quickly
- There is no formula that works for one group – be fluid, be open
- Try to be consistent
- Be flexible
- Have fun
- Use the safe environment that you’ve created to practice reading out loud or to take calculated risks in your work
- Be open to learning
- Be true to your vision – but, respect what you have to learn
- Trust that learning is not a linear process; sometimes it takes weeks, months, or even years for something to set in
- Work hard and set aside time every day to write – even 15 minutes
- Read author interviews (the Paris Review, for example)
- Read lots and read widely – know your craft
- Read outside of your genre, explore something that you know nothing about (math, science, astrology, how to race a bike or stuff a futon!) – this will all inform and authenticate your work
- Don’t listen to what others tell you to do, be true to yourself
- Listen to what others tell you to do, be true to your potential.
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