I’ve decided to form a writing group close to home to gain opinions and advice about my work. I find it motivating to have input from others and to see and hear how others work. Now that I’ve decided to do that, I’ve looked into different ways of going about the endeavor.
A local writers association will post the new group on their website and I think I will find members pretty quickly. The trick will be to find people that have the same level of interest that I have. I figured, anyone who was willing to meet weekly must be pretty serious about their craft, so to start out with at least, I’ll ask for weekly meetings. I’ll also limit the writing to fiction, preferably novels of any genre, but short fiction will be acceptable. I figure that will mean only folks who have been writing for a while or at least trying to write for a while will respond. Also, it will mean I’ll have a goal each week or every other week.
I’m told that folks drop out pretty quickly. I figure, if we start out with ten or twelve, we’ll whittle it down to 8 or 6 which would mean we could really spend time and attention to those that are really working on their craft.
We could agree on a set of rules for critiquing, agree on times to meet and what to do if you don’t have work that needs input. We could also have sessions that talk about publishing, how to get an agent. Maybe have talks with agents or writers online or via speaker phone.
Then the question is where to meet. The clubhouse of my apartment building will allow us to meet there. It has a kitchen and large living room area and has recently been renovated. I would have to put down a $250.00 cleaning deposit that would only be used if we didn’t keep the place clean, so I don’t think that would be a problem.
I’m excited about this and look forward to the new endeavor for the new year!
M. L. Doyle has served in the U.S. Army at home and abroad for more than two decades as both a soldier and civilian. Mary is the author of The Desert Goddess series, an urban fantasy romp consisting of The Bonding Spell and The Bonding Blade. She has also penned The Master Sergeant Harper mystery series which has earned numerous awards including an IPPY, a Lyra Award and the Carrie McCray Literary Award. Mary is the co-author of two memoirs; A Promise Fulfilled; the story of a Wife and Mother, Soldier and General Officer (Jan. 201) and the memoir, I’m Still Standing: From Captive U.S. Soldier to Free Citizen—My Journey Home (Touchstone, 2010), which was nominated for an NAACP Image award. Mary's work has been published by The Goodman Project, The War Horse, The WWrite Blog and The Wrath-Bearing Tree, an online magazine for which she serves as a fiction editor. A Minneapolis, Minnesota native, Mary current lives in Baltimore. You can reach her at her website at mldoyleauthor.com.
2 comments on “Writing Group”
I'm down. Maybe I can participate casually and take one of your assignments every once in a while. Also, good luck with getting that deposit back. In my experience those have always been a scam but what can you do?LoveR
writing groups are definitely a great tool for a writer. We need feedback and if you can get face to face feedback, that's ideal. I've had to settle for a lot of "Virtual" or internet feedback and sometimes you get a glut of mindless pleasantries that way. Occassionally though, I've met a "Real" person on the band width who is unafraid to rip my literary baby to shreds in the name of love and better writing...it can happen. Good luck to you.TL Boehmhttp:// http://www.eloquentbooks.com/BethanysCrossing.html