I have met writers who belong to one or more “writer’s groups” where they find camaraderie and support for their writing endeavors. Some individuals absolutely swear by the process of reading out their work to other writers and getting comments and critique. From what I’ve been told, the added encouragement, networking and feeling like a “serious writer” are all reasons why people join and become involved in writer’s groups. While I’ve visited one or two, I myself do not belong to any and haven’t really been tempted to join.
For me, it’s partly a matter of time—I just don’t have the time to join and be involved on any sort of level, and there’s a bit of a snootiness factor for me. I’m not a beginner and I take my professional work and development rather seriously—so I want peers and colleagues who are “on par” with me and my work to offer critique. This isn’t to say that I wouldn’t find that in a local writer’s group or workshop. We have some really fine, experienced, published writers in my mid-size college town. BUT, (I told you I had a snooty, ego problem here) there are also plenty of individuals whose opinion I probably don’t want or need. I was much more interested in writer’s groups and classes 10, 15 or 20 years ago—when I needed to feel what it felt like to “be a writer.” Now I need business mentors and folks to help me figure out how to run and build a home business, make writing contacts, and other nitty gritty details—not read and critique my writing work. Plus, since I’m writing for pay and public, I’m getting plenty of feedback as it is!
I think that finding the perfect writer’s group is completely personal and if I was to offer unsolicited advice—I’d say a person should find one where she felt supported, challenged and encouraged. For fiction, poetry, or narrative writers, a group of other writers can be a great place to try out work and experiment with finding a voice. For journalistic and freelancers, I’m not sure how beneficial a writer’s group can be. I’m hoping that some of you other writers out there will share your own experiences and, possibly, offer another take on the writer’s group experience. Any one out there have a different opinion than my snooty one?
See Also: Freelance Writing: It Takes Patience and Perseverance