How to Make the Most of Your Writing Group Workshops
A writing group can be a great resource for a writer of any level. It is an opportunity to get constructive criticism and feedback on your work and also a chance to make bonds with other writers. These writers can continue to inspire you and vice versa. However, just being in a writing group doesn't necessarily mean that you're getting the focused feedback you need. Here are some strategies for soliciting high quality feedback on your work. These strategies can help you identify things that need to be resolved or strengths in your piece. Sometimes the greatest inspiration comes when seeing your work from someone else’s perspective.
Come with a clear goal
Something that you should do whenever you submit a piece to your writing group is consider what your goal of that writing group session will be. This can change depending on the piece. For example you might just want some line editing and additional sets of eyes to ensure it looks ready to submit. Or perhaps you're still in the early phases of a draft and you would like to have a brainstorming session with your peers. This helps you focus on what to write next. Or maybe you might have a complete piece that you're happy with but you don’t know where to submit it. Your peers may have ideas on magazines or publishers you should approach that are receptive to work like yours. Establishing this at the outset of the meeting will help guide the group and ensure your needs are met. This is especially important as more people rely on remote meetings to hold writing groups. Not everyone is comfortable taking the lead on the screen, but if you come ready to direct the discussion, people will usually follow your lead and engage in fruitful discussion!
Give sufficient context
Whether you wrote a poem, a short story, or a chapter of a longer novel, it is important you explain the context of the piece. Why did you write it? What inspired you? If this is part of a book or collection, how do the other pieces meld with this one? What is happening in the chapters surrounding this one? These are all questions you should be ready to answer either when you submit your piece or during the discussion. This will help your group members understand the larger goals of your writing and give advice that will benefit your larger project. As a member of my own writing group, I love hearing what inspired the piece we are reviewing. It is fun to see other writer’s inspiration and process, and we all benefit from this collaborative energy.
Ask Better Questions
Asking specific questions energizes the discussion about your work and helps avoid generalizations. This way you can leave the writing group feeling bolstered in your strengths but also knowing specific spots that you might want to go back and tweak your work. This discussion can also lead to things that you didn't even consider which, now that you think about it, would be fantastic additions.
Is there anything in my piece that you emotionally connected with?
This question helps you see the most potent and memorable parts of your piece. This can lead to really generative discussion about the things that you and your peers care about. It can also bolster your confidence in knowing what parts of your writing were the most impactful. Often, we can feel powerless in our writing, but knowing that your words have impacted your peers can be a high you ride the rest of the day.
Was there any part of the piece that confused you or left you with a question?
This is a good way to solicit constructive criticism of your piece. This opens the floor to comments like “I was confused by this”, and follow up suggestions like “perhaps moving this somewhere else” or “introducing this little earlier”. It can be unpleasant to hear criticism, but this question helps to avoid criticism that is vague and unproductive like the simple “it didn’t work for me” or “I didn’t like it”. You never want your reader to be confused so knowing where someone lost the thread or where some additional description is needed can be really helpful and give you actionable steps for improving your piece rather than just going home and “making it better”.
After reading the piece, what were you most curious about? What were you left wanting to read more of?
This question is a good tool to use especially if you're working on a larger project. Knowing where a reader’s curiosity and attention is can help you know where to go next. For example, if one of your peers really likes reading a specific character POV you can ask them why and maybe understand what was really successful about that character that may be missing in others. You can use this question to identify your strengths and figure out how to leverage them as you continue to write. This question can lead to delightful discoveries as you note the things that readers hone in on that you just can’t see after staring at that page for the last week. They really liked that one side character that you just threw in at the last minute, but why? Did you really excel at writing their dialogue? Do they want to hear more about the fantasy continent you mentioned in your hero’s backstory? Maybe because you excelled at capturing the dramatic history and rich culture. These can bolster your writing confidence and also help you identify effective writing which helps you grow your writing tool kit.
These techniques are to ensure you get specific and helpful feedback on your piece, but don’t forget to do due diligence to your other group members. Read their work, make notes of parts you loved or parts that confused you. Being an engaged member of your writing group will contribute to a productive and collaborative environment. A writing group can be a fantastic way to meet people with similar interests, get regular feedback on your work, and also to broaden your repertoire. Treat every meeting as a chance to learn and grow and share.
