Goals
and Group Structure
1)
Determine the goal for your writing group. Will you focus on one, several or all genre
of writing? (poetry, prose, adult fiction, children’s
fiction, etc…) Any exclusions? (such as sexually explicit)
2)
Will you provide monthly assignment prompts or will this
be an open forum for writers to bring current work?
3)
Identify a routine meeting time such as the third
Wednesday monthly, or a date that works for you and will not frequently
conflict with holidays. Determine a
specific meeting time. Length of time
should be no more than two hours.
4)
Determine a routine meeting location that is quiet and
provides privacy such as a room in a local library, school or other public
facility.
5)
Develop basic meeting structure. Allow time at the beginning of each meeting
for sharing of information such as poetry contest announcements and articles of
interest. The remainder of time should
be dedicated to reading and critiquing.
6)
Consider the group name after it has been
established.
7)
Determine if you want this to be a group for men or women
or mixed. Do you have minimum age
requirement? (such as 21+)
8)
If you do not already have a list of people who are
interested in joining your group, post flyers or run an advertisement in a
local newspaper announcing a kick-off meeting and an invitation for fellow
writers to join you in establishing the group.
9)
Limit the membership to approximately eight members. If your goal is to share information and
critique, a two hour meeting will allow ample time for reading and group
critique. Larger groups may not allow
adequate time for reading and critiquing the work in depth.
10)
Screen potential
members for their purpose in joining the group. Clarify your intent for the group; (this is
not a therapy session, a grammar lesson or a seminar.)
11)
Members should be
accessible by phone or email in the event a meeting must be canceled or
rescheduled. Gather names, phone numbers
and email at the first meeting.
Designate one member to maintain a membership roster.
12)
Consider inviting
an individual with professional creative writing background to lead or mentor
the group.
Other Suggestions
13)
Members should be
required to provide hard copies of their work at group meetings in order to
facilitate the reading and critique process.
Consider emailing completed assignments to members prior to the meeting.
14) Members should be
prepared to read their work aloud to the group. Members should respect the
privacy of the work presented.
15) The work/assignments presented should be of
appropriate length for the meeting. (i.e.
not too lengthy to read) With longer
pieces/works, members should be encouraged to present only a portion of the
work for critique
to respect the time allotment per person.
16)
Develop rules for
critiquing. Emphasize importance of
constructive criticism and encourage discussion on positive elements of the
work as well as considerations for improvement and/or clarification.
17)
Have fun! Developing a writers group can be an
inspiring and rewarding endeavor.