Writer’s Group
Having a community to add perspective to your work makes all the difference
While I’ve always had wonderful friends and family read and critique my work, being a part of a writer’s group that meets regularly brings the revision process to a new level.
I have been a part of my current writer’s group for just about 10 years. Aside from the couple years during COVID, and occasional spans where we are too busy with family or travel, we have met once a month to discuss our current writing.
The process is simple; we all submit about 15-20 pages double spaced to the group a couple weeks ahead of time, read and make our critiques, then meet at someone’s house to discuss.
This month, we met at Darla’s house, which is a little cottage on an island. Way cool!
Darla (center) and Ariel (right) are two members of the writers group. We are headed over to Darla’s cottage.
The part I like about writer’s group are the diverse perspectives and the collaborative discussion that comes when we meet. Writer’s group is much more than catching grammatical errors. It’s about finding inconsistencies, clearing up confusion, calling for greater development of setting, characterization, or plot. Or making the language more believable. Over the years, we have built up a degree of trust and respect amongst one another, which has allowed for honest feedback, disagreement, conflict, and new ideas. It has really taken my writing to a new level.
With setting being a crucial component to our writing, it is only appropriate that people like Darla live in a house with such a unique setting.
We write in different styles and have seen novels, screenplays, and stage plays, and while we can’t always have the expertise of the writing structure, the concept of telling a good story is universal.
It is also one of the most complex things I’ve ever done, which is why writing requires a high degree of humility. Those who can take harsh critiques will find their stories come out in much more powerful ways.
Sunset on the lake as we head back. Wisconsin has got to be one of the greatest places to tell a story.
