Writing Group Guidelines

One of the most exciting and rewarding activities associated with the Writers on the Plains project is the online writing group. Participants in writing groups work on their own writing projects and in the process connect their creative work to that of the visiting writers. Writing groups offer their members the most active participation in the Writers on the Plains project.

In a writing group, participants work on writing projects—memoirs, short stories, novels, poems, or essays—and then share them with other members. Writing group members read and critique one another’s work in a supportive and constructive manner. It’s important to think of a writing group as a collection of aspiring authors who wish to help one another achieve their goals. Writing groups provide the opportunity to learn from other writers’ work through an exchange of work, group exercises, reading and writing tips, and congenial and helpful critiques of members’ writing.

In this section are some questions to help you start a writing group. These questions are adapted from “Writing Groups Starter Kit,” an online guide developed by The Writing Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Also see The Writing Center at Colorado State University, which provides excellent information and printable handouts for starting and maintaining a writing group, including guidelines for responding to work, for receiving responses to work, for drawing up a schedule for writing and responding, as well as writing exercises. The Writing Center Web site is an invaluable tool for writing groups.

Starting a Writing Group

Some Questions To Consider:

• How often will the group meet online? Once a week, twice a week? Will the group meet in person, off line? If so, where?
• Will members communicate only online? Will there be informal or even social meetings for group members?
• Will one person be in charge of overseeing the writing group? What will be this person’s responsibilities? How will he or she keep the group on track and on task?
• What system will group members use to decide who will submit writing during any given week? Submitting writing samples from two group members per week is ideal.
• What happens when members who are scheduled to submit writing are unprepared? What happens when group members don’t respond to the samples or respond in time?
• How short or long should writing samples be? Ten pages of fiction or an essay or memoir? Two poems? Two chapters?
• What else happens during online meetings? Do members exchange exercises? Discuss writing problems and successes?
• At what stage in the writing process should drafts be submitted to the group? Should members polish their submissions before submitting them?
• What kind of feedback are members most interested in, and how will members specify these needs at any particular point? Overall meaning? Writer’s purpose in writing? Structure? Copyediting?
• How many times can a single piece of writing be revised and resubmitted? Once, three times, forever until it’s finished?
• If someone feels that the group is not meeting his or her needs, how will that person make his or her concerns known?

Getting Ready to Share Your Writing

Writing responses to your group members’ work and receiving responses from others is the most important step in revising and refining your work. Before you share your work, either online or at your group meetings, consider the following suggestions. Also, consult with your group and group facilitator to create your own guidelines for responding and receiving suggestions on your work.

Responding to Other Group Members' Writing

• Say something positive about the piece. Even if a piece of writing needs a lot of work, there is usually something good that can be pointed out - the nugget of a great idea, a particularly well-turned phrase, the beginnings of a good organizational structure, or a thorough understanding of the material.
• Critique the writing, not the writer. Instead of saying, "You aren't very good at conclusions," say, "This conclusion didn't really work for me."
• Speak from your own perspective, using phrases like, "My reaction to this was …" or "I found this to be …" rather than "this part of the paper is …" Acknowledge that there may be a variety of opinions about the piece of writing.
• Remember that you are in a writing group to help one another improve. It does not help the writer if you see problems with his/her writing but don't mention them because you're afraid of hurting his/her feelings. Usually a writer would rather hear about a problem from the friendly, supportive members of his/her writing.
• Talk about the way you responded as you were reading. Sometimes it's easier and more helpful to say, "When I read this sentence, I wasn't sure if the paragraph was going to be about this or about that," than it is to say, "This sentence was confusing." It can be helpful to have the whole group read the first paragraph and then predict the rest of the story or poem or essay before reading further. It will help the writer to know what you expected when you began the paper and how those expectations changed as you read.
• Be specific. Instead of just saying, "The characterization needs work," try to figure out where and how the writer can improve on the story’s character.
• Whatever you say, imagine yourself on the receiving end of the comment. If this were your work, what would be helpful to you? How would you want people to provide you with criticism?
• Prioritize and sort your comments for the writer. What interfered the most when you read the piece or what was the hardest part to understand? Sometimes it is helpful to break down your comments into a list of "big things" and a list of "little things" that the writer could do to improve.
• Tailor your comments to the writer and his/her needs. Ask what kind of feedback would be helpful and try to provide that. Ask the writer what sections s/he is most worried about.
• Write out key points that you want to share with the writer. This will help you remember them and also provide a written record of your feedback.

Reacting to Other Group Members' Responses to Your Work

• Remember that your writing group is trying to help you become a better writer. Anything the group members say about your work is designed to help you make it stronger, more readable, and more effective.
• Put yourself in the critic's shoes. Remember when you've struggled to respond to someone else's work without hurting their feelings or being "too nice." Understand that this process is sometimes hard for both the reader and the writer.
• Keep in mind that every reader is different. What one reader finds confusing another might find crystal clear. It is ultimately your writing and you will have to decide which bits of feedback to act upon and which to ignore.
• Try not to be defensive. It's easy to think, "What do they know?" or "They just didn't get it," but keep in mind that while one reader's response may be the result of that reader's own misunderstanding, if several readers agree that a scene or stanza is confusing or implies something you didn't intend, the problem probably lies with the writing and not with the readers.
• Remember that a criticism of one piece of writing is not an indictment of you as a writer or scholar more generally, nor is it a critique of your worth as a person. It is simply a response to words that you wrote on one occasion.
• Listen to praise with the same intensity that you listen to criticism. Often, writers can obsess over critical comments and fail to hear all of the good things said about their writing. We can be our own worst critics and harshest detractors - shut off that filter that says, "They don't really mean that," and accept sincere praise at face value.
• Keep track of the kinds of feedback that you receive again and again. Do readers often suggest changes in plot or imagery? Do the endings of your poems or stories usually seem to need work? Do people frequently tell you that they don't understand words that you use? Do readers praise your clarity? Do they regularly tell you that your introductions are interesting? Use these observations to identify patterns of problems and strengths in your writing.