Thinking about joining a righting group? Well, you should and here are the top five reasons why.
1. Get Social
Writing is a solitary activity and most of us writers are fairly introverted. I don’t know about you, but a night in with a movie and a bag of cheddar popcorn so much more appealing than attending a college kegger. I do sometimes get together with other writers to write in a communal setting. But in these cases it is still a solitary activity. We usually have headphones on and are lost within the worlds we are creating.But in a writing group the focus is not the act of writing. Instead, the focus is talking to others about writing. And, even better, talking about writing that we’ve all read. This leads to real discussion!So, even though we all love to stay in and a wild night out means sitting at the coffee shop for hours tapping at a laptop, us writers still need to get social! Find a writing group and meet some other local writers.
2. Interesting Reading
Another thing I love about being in a writing group is reading other’s works in progress. I run a local fiction critique group. Since it is a a group open to the public, people come and go all of the time. This means that from month to month I will read anything from pulp thriller scripts to chapters from space opera novels. I read mostly horror and fantasy on my own, so it’s nice getting exposure to other genres.
3. Feedback From Real People
The group I run generally has around 9 to 12 people of varying interests, ages, professions, etc. When I submit my own work I can expect: in depth grammar editing from some, gut reader reactions from others, and detailed analyses of plot structure from still others. I love getting a wide range of responses. I value each style of feedback provided. It’s like having a collection of beta readers and editors tear through my work all at once.
4. Deadlines
If you are like me, sometimes we need a kick in the pants to motivate us to make progress on a writing project. And, if I don’t have a deadline to write towards, I will generally let other life activities fill my time.
5. Accountability
Finally, accountability is my top reason to join a writing group. Along with deadlines, having other writer friends holding us accountable is a wonderful form of motivation. Fear of letting others down may not be the most healthy way of forcing ourselves to finish writing projects, but it works.And those were my top five reasons to join a writing group. Are you in any writing groups? If so, what are your favorite aspects of involvement? Share your thoughts and tips down below in the comments.