The Best Writers Groups: More than Critiquing

By Kristy Demas

The perks to cultivating a support system that goes beyond critiquing

“Who is your support network? Who is encouraging you? If you don’t have anyone positive around you, you need to change that.”  —  Jane Friedman, “5 Things More Important than Talent,” Writer Unboxed

Anyone who has attended an RWA national conference is aware of the strong sense of community among participants, especially evident during awards presentations. Almost without exception, winners give heartiest thanks and credit to their writing groups, which usually have snappy names based on some commonality among their members.

My own group came about by accident. It was 2012, and I was determined to get serious about being an author. A friend recommended an online romance writing class taught by Sarah MacLean. I filled out the application, submitted my sample pages, and waited. Thrilled to be accepted, I joined a group of eleven other women who shared a love of romance as well as the desire to craft our own. Our ages ranged from young twenties to late forties, and we hailed from across the nation—make that around the world, as one of our classmates lived in Australia.

In addition to a weekly lecture, we were required to submit twenty pages of our works-in-progress to our assigned critique partner. Midweek, the class had a live chat with Sarah—a conversation often running much longer than the prescribed time. Those three months flew by, and we did not want the course to end, so much so that eight of the original twelve students remained in touch. We created email and text messaging groups as well as a chat room. We came up with a name that was a play on Sarah’s last name in a tribute to her and how we met. Our GroupMe avatar was, inexplicably, a photo of Hugh Jackman.

The first time we met in person was at the RWA conference in Atlanta. Not all of us could attend, but for those that did, it was like seeing long-lost friends—a kinship that exists today. We don’t communicate every day, but we have each other’s backs, encourage each other, and drop everything to brainstorm. Families, divorce, illness, job changes, and other of life’s ups and downs sometimes make weekly chat sessions difficult. But like the best of friends, when we do connect, we pick up right where we left off. We don’t focus solely on critiquing, but it’s still an important part of any writer’s journey. Sarah MacLean swears by it. In the FAQ section of her website (http://www.sarahmaclean.net/faq/), a reader asks for her top piece of advice for aspiring writers. She answers, “Get a critique partner. Or two. Or twelve. Learn to share your work and learn to receive and synthesize feedback. Learn to listen to them when they sense something is wrong with your story. Learn to hear criticism. Understand that they’re usually right about what’s wrong … but often wrong about how to fix it. But, ultimately, they’ll be your support group for when it all goes south.”

Some writers may scoff, believing that critique groups don’t always work. Inevitably, differences of opinion, style, genre, or technique can get in the way of productivity. Unnecessarily harsh criticism can keep members from sharing their work. The opposite extreme—no feedback—can be just as damaging. But, the best writers groups do more than critique, which is the reason why writers should not give up on finding a helpful and supportive group, even if the first one or two don’t provide the right fit.

Brainstorming

When your fellow writers only focus only on critiquing, members miss out on other vital opportunities to share information and help each other. In my group, we are happy to spend an entire chat session brainstorming a plot hole or problem with character development for a member.

“What is his black moment? OMG! He doesn’t have one. My book is ruined.”

Not so when you have a team of objective and smart writer friends who know your book almost as well as you do. Reach out, and this intrepid support system can set aside emotion to determine just how to save that character or that plot point or the book itself. The problem-solving often takes off with each member coming up with wildly divergent, but somehow plausible, ideas, inspiring the writer who has been struggling. The writer might not take anyone’s advice, but those suggestions unlock their own creativity, and they can return to their book with renewed vigor and fresh perspective.

Shared Expertise

One of our members has her own business proofing and copy editing. She is tremendously thorough, and her grasp of grammar and punctuation has saved many of us from utter humiliation on more than one occasion. Another member understands the intricacies of the nobility and can sort out confusion over proper titles and salutations. Among those of us who write historical romances, we can count on one another to call out anachronisms in language, social norms, and behavior.

“The Earl would never introduce himself. That was just not done. He’d have to wait for a formal introduction from the hostess or, perhaps, the heroine’s chaperone.”

Another member works in information technology. She’s our go-to person on everything from Scrivener to attachable keyboards for tablets to Evernote and anything in between, and she’s equally adept at explaining things to the most old-school of us.

We all bring something to the table and, among us, we have done the research, been to the meetings, read the articles, and met the professionals. Collectively, we can answer just about any question from what the typical word count of a new adult romance should be to which publisher accepts non-agented queries. One of us will know when Lisa Kleypas’s next book is out, if e-publishing is still overtaking traditional publishing, and if dictation software is worth exploring.

Pep Rallies/Writer’s Life

There have been multiple occasions when we do not discuss craft in our chats but focus more on—to steal a term from RWA—the writer’s life. How do we fit writing into our daily lives, and where?

One of us writes in the carpool line waiting for her son to get out of school. Another spends her lunch hour at work writing in a conference room. Others of us do “writing sprints” during preplanned online chat times. We might chat for ten minutes, sprint for thirty, and then chat a few minutes more to compare word counts. Often, we’ll go back to writing after that, and updated word counts will litter our morning group texts.

Resource Sharing

Having met online, we don’t live near one another, which gives additional perspectives to our discussions. Some of us attend our local RWA chapter meetings, while others serve in their chapter leadership. Among us, we have a good line on contests, workshops, competitions, and other opportunities to enhance our writing skills. Even if we do not take a particular course, the member that does is often willing to share tips she’s learned, as well as an opinion on whether that class is worth taking.

One member’s chapter hosted Goal, Motivation, and Conflict’s Debra Dixon. The workshop was tremendously helpful, and many of us wound up buying the book. Two members took an online course together on plot development. It was supposed to help you complete an entire romance by the end of the course. Neither member felt the class lived up to expectations, so the others who had been interested were spared the time and expense of taking it.

Alpha, Beta, and ARC Readers

It is the ultimate expression of trust to share your writing with anyone, even with trusted critique partners and members of your writers group. But it is a critical part of the process.

According to the blog Indies Unlimited, an alpha reader is also known as a first reader, someone who reads your book while it’s still being written or in its first draft. A beta reader looks at a draft that’s completed. The author is done with her final revisions and is looking for edits from others. Finally, ARC (advanced review copy) readers are looking at something that is likely not going to change. ARC readers might read the book in order to post an online review.

I was honored to be a beta reader for a friend’s first romance novel. She had published several YA novels, and she was far more advanced in her career than I. The only real errors I could find were inconsistencies in the spelling of the hero’s name, which gave me perverse joy in being able to point out. Even she could make errors, and even I could find them. It was empowering to feel useful.

Marcella Simmons, editor and publisher at Cahaba River Literary Journal, shared her own experience with critiques she’s received on http://firstwriter.com: “My book has been critiqued by several members of my group. Some of the advice I took with a grain of salt, yet they caught flaws and typos that I didn’t see. I took some advice and made changes on my manuscript that made it better.”

Writer’s groups are support groups—we all lean on each other and learn a lot of valuable information each month. We may be “the blind leading the blind,” but that’s okay, too—there’s nothing wrong with gleaning inspiration, encouragement and motivation from others, especially those just like we are.

At their heart, support groups make writing fun and provide comfort and encouragement when these things are most needed. Today, many writing support groups and communities are online. This type of arrangement is particularly helpful for those writers who live in more rural or isolated areas, or where the regional RWA chapter is just too far away. For those writers whose mobility is limited, these groups can be a godsend.

Still, many go the traditional route when putting together a writers group. From local libraries to RWA chapters to community centers or via social media, and beyond, there are multiple ways to find a home for your writing support needs. It might not be the first group you find, but eventually, you will discover a place that provides the right balance of critique with encouragement, support, and knowledge-sharing. And when you find that, you will know, and your writing will thank you for it.


Kristy Demas is a writer at the University of Michigan—her alma mater. Her second job as a romance writer takes place evenings and weekends. When she’s not working, she enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and pets. She loves show tunes, Mexican food, a good G&T and, of course, romance novels—because they always have happy endings.