Another question that came up at the writers\u2019 group meeting I attended Sunday was, \u201cHow do I find a writers group?\u201d<\/p>\n
Members of the panel I was on explained to writers how important it is to belong to a writers\u2019 critique group so you can get feedback for your project as you\u2019re working on it. This is not right for all writers, but I often suggest this to beginning writers who are desperately in need of guidance and those who are struggling a little (or a lot) with their story or nonfiction book. Some writers need to do a lot of work before they hire an editor. It is this writer who could benefit from a critique group who can help him or her learn some of the basics.<\/p>\n
Writers\u2019 groups can also be valuable to those who are interested in publishing for the first time. It\u2019s a good environment in which to learn about publishing, agents, publishers and the like. Not only are some of the members knowledgeable, but many writers\u2019 groups invite experienced authors, publishers, agents, publicists, etc. to speak on occasion.<\/p>\n
So how do you find a writers\u2019 group? Here are my suggestions:<\/p>\n
\u2022\tAttend a lecture, writers\u2019 conference or book fair in your area and ask questions. Surely, if there is a writers\u2019 group in the region, someone there will know about it.<\/p>\n
\u2022\tAsk at your local librarian. Often, writers\u2019 groups meet at libraries or their leaders will post notices on the library bulletin board.<\/p>\n
\u2022\tAsk at your local bookstores. Here\u2019s another place where writers\u2019 groups might meet and where their flyers might be distributed. <\/p>\n
\u2022\tCheck with your local arts counsel.<\/p>\n
\u2022\tStudy the calendar section of your local newspaper.<\/p>\n
\u2022\tVisit senior centers. Sometimes they have small writers\u2019 groups.<\/p>\n
\u2022\tLocate local writers\u2019 groups by doing an Internet search.<\/p>\n
\u2022\tLocate local authors through an Internet search and ask them about a writers\u2019 group.
\nYou could start a writers\u2019 group. <\/p>\n
\u2022\tCall the writers that you know and schedule a meeting date. <\/p>\n
\u2022\tPost notices at bookstores, libraries, colleges and in the calendar section of your local newspaper.<\/p>\n
\u2022\tOnce you have your core group, decide if you want this to be a reading and critique group or if you want to invite speakers to the main meetings and establish critique offshoot groups for fiction, nonfiction, memoir, etc.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve belonged to several different groups over the years. I formed one or two of them. And I\u2019ve visited numerous writing group meetings throughout the U.S. Each of them is as individual as the people who belong. But they all seem to have a welcoming warmth that I always appreciate when I visit. Some groups meet in private homes. I remember once having to deal with five needy, barking dogs during a reading. Others are fortunate enough to have use of wonderful facilities for free or a small fee. We once met in one of the Karpeles Manuscript Libraries in Santa Barbara, CA. Some groups meet in crowded quarters in small bookstores or next to the coffee bar at Borders which can get rather noisy when they\u2019re making one of those fancy coffee drinks. We used to meet at a community center adjacent to a gym. It was quite distracting when they had a basketball game going on during our meetings. I remember one chilly evening when we set the alarm off at the bookstore where we were meeting and had to wait in the night air for the police to arrive.<\/p>\n
I\u2019d like to hear about your writers\u2019 group and the results of your search for another writers\u2019 group. I know people who belong to more than one group for different purposes and in order to network with different types and levels of writers. What are your writers\u2019 group experiences?<\/p>\n
Leave your comment here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Another question that came up at the writers\u2019 group meeting I attended Sunday was, \u201cHow do I find a writers group?\u201d Members of the panel I was on explained to writers how important it is to belong to a writers\u2019 critique group so you can get feedback for your project as you\u2019re working on it. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t