{"id":1112,"date":"2011-03-17T05:50:32","date_gmt":"2011-03-17T13:50:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/publishingblog\/?p=1112"},"modified":"2011-03-17T05:52:11","modified_gmt":"2011-03-17T13:52:11","slug":"dissecting-writer%e2%80%99s-groups","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/publishingblog\/?p=1112","title":{"rendered":"Dissecting Writer\u2019s Groups"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guest column by Sandy Murphy, editor of SPAWNews,<\/em> freelance writer for numerous animal-related magazines and member of two writers\u2019 groups in St. Louis, MO:<\/p>\n

Writing is a solitary pursuit\u2014unless you have cats. I have four such critics, always trying to re-type what I\u2019ve written or comment on what I\u2019m reading aloud. BB sneezes on the screen, Reilly subtly steps on the power button, Kitty looks at me in puzzlement and Louie can\u2019t be bothered to listen, too many words in his opinion. Is it any wonder I went looking for critiques outside the home? <\/p>\n

Finding a writer\u2019s group<\/strong>
\nAccording to Jeff, there are two types of people looking for a group\u2014the stumblers and the researchers. He and I are stumblers. At Barnes and Noble, he overheard Writers Under The Arch (WUTA) in action and ferreted out the particulars. He said, \u201cI sat in for a session before I brought my stuff. My first impressions were good. I read the next week. The dynamics of the group were much as they remain: critical in the precise sense, but supportive, with a range of informed tastes and styles my own could fit into.\u201d <\/p>\n

I stumbled across the group on the Barnes and Noble calendar of events\u2014no research or trial and error. Pat is just the opposite. She Googled, tried a group or three and worked her way to WUTA. Divine intervention led Joe to his first meeting when a friend referred him to a minister who knew and recommended the group seven years ago.<\/p>\n

How are groups set up?<\/strong>
\nGroups vary in every aspect. Membership can be limited or open, in a specific genre or a mixed group, emphasize journals and essays or murder and mayhem. One group requires the writer listen, not rebut, while another asks, \u201cWhy did you do this?\u201d and demands an answer. <\/p>\n

Reading aloud is a good way to find where writing stumbles and where it flows. At WUTA we hear science fiction, crime, screen plays, novels, short stories, poetry and non-fiction like food articles for magazines. Writers read four pages of work. Copies are distributed so the group can make notes on the good, the bad and any ugly. <\/p>\n

What writer\u2019s groups do <\/strong>
\n\u201cI feel WUTA excels at constructive critiques. Members praise what they like, are able to say what doesn\u2019t work, and give suggestions on how to fix the problem. It\u2019s left up to the author to sift through it all and decide which ideas are best. I\u2019ve seldom returned home disheartened that what I wrote was beyond repair,\u201d said John who joined in 1996. <\/p>\n

The telling of the good first and a mostly gentle, sometimes spirited, critique that follows appealed to Jennifer. \u201cEven though I wasn\u2019t required to read on my first night, I figured the best way to measure if I fit was to cannonball into the pool. I read, and got positive feedback. Chris told me to try to sell my story. I felt like the Ugly Duckling who finally found all the swans.\u201d <\/p>\n

When do they meet? <\/strong>
\nGroups meet morning, noon and night, weekly, monthly or online. Charles told me, \u201cI went to the Writers’ Meetup, which was pretty good, but they only met once a month. I wanted more.\u201d
\nI belong to Book-In-A-Week online writers group. The first week of every month is devoted to BIC HOK TAM (butt in chair, hands on keyboard, typing away madly). Research and plan but come Monday morning, write! Set a goal number of pages for the week and check in three times as a way to keep track, motivated and prevent edits. For the March 2011 BIW, the top ten producers wrote over fifty pages and as many as one hundred and fifty. That\u2019s some serious chair\/keyboard time. http:\/\/www.book-in-a-week.com<\/a> <\/p>\n

Part two of <\/em>Dissecting Writer’s Groups<\/strong><\/em> will appear in tomorrow’s blog. In the meantime, please chime in if you have tips or want to share experiences related to belonging to a writers group.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Guest column by Sandy Murphy, editor of SPAWNews, freelance writer for numerous animal-related magazines and member of two writers\u2019 groups in St. Louis, MO: Writing is a solitary pursuit\u2014unless you have cats. I have four such critics, always trying to re-type what I\u2019ve written or comment on what I\u2019m reading aloud. BB sneezes on the […]<\/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