a guest post from Susannah Felts
Susannah Felts knows a whole heckuva lot about writing (see her bio below), and she also knows a little something about writing groups. She managed to turn that knowledge into The Porch, an organization that “inspires, educates and connects writers and readers of all ages and stages through classes and literary events.” If you’re hoping to start a writing group, leave a writing group, find a new writing group, or avoid a writing group altogether, here’s Susannah’s very useful advice for you.
With all due respect to the writing groups I’ve been in and am in, I’m still searching for the perfect one.
By which I mean: I’m human, and thus fallible, and even at my wise advanced (ok, middle) age, prone to the occasional flight of fancy.
For such searching is ultimately in vain. There is no perfect writing group, and to pursue one would be self-defeating, just as aiming for Perfect in your writing life will almost invariably lead only to the cul-de-sac of Frustration. A writing group is made of living, breathing beings, and as such it will shift and morph over time; part of keeping one alive is being comfortable with that.
Equally important is knowing when to let one go. Writing groups often fizzle out, and that’s perfectly ok. It doesn’t mean the group failed or that anyone responsible for the group messed up. Groups have their lifespan. Sometimes that’s a long stretch of years, and sometimes it’s six months. Be cool with the group’s lifespan, and know that another constellation of writers may be in your future.
But I’m getting ahead of myself, waxing on about the end of things! If you’re raring to go with a group, here are some things to keep in mind as you’re developing expectations and strengthening bonds:
Consistency is key.
As with most things, right? Agree on a frequency for your meetings and do your darndest to stick to it. (Be forgiving during holiday season, though.) My group meets once a month, and we could never manage to meet more, both in terms of busy-life-stuff and our own output. I’d wager that monthly is how most groups do it.
Four to six members is the sweet spot.
Another workable number, I think, is two–the dynamic duo who act as each other’s best, first readers–but that’s not really a group, is it. My group has five members, and we are able to find times to meet when we can all be present, but tbh it’s not always easy. Any more than six and you’re almost guaranteed someone’s not gonna make it.
Speaking of my group, here are some wise words from member Lisa Bubert, who also writes the extraordinarily useful newsletter All Things Words, which offers an insider eye onto publishing in lit mags. She writes: “A successful writing group requires a deep level of trust between each member. It can be difficult to bring together people who don’t know each other and expect them to bare their souls and receive feedback. So make sure your group takes time to get to know each other in addition to critiquing each other’s work. Throw parties, go bowling, just hang out and become friends. Set guidelines together as a group. Allow each person to clarify how they want to receive feedback (and what may be an off limits topic.) Start each conversation in good faith.”
Excellent advice, though I can’t help but throw in a caveat! Which is: You don’t all have to be best buds outside of group. In fact, I daresay it can be helpful if you are not. People you aren’t as tight with might be more likely to read your work without the scrim of affection or the blind spot of knowing too much; they may come closer to that beautiful, imaginary stranger who happens upon the finished work in a bookstore.
Lisa makes a good point about establishing guidelines, which should be the group’s first order of biz. Such as:
~How many folks’ work will we read per session? (Two is a good number.)
~What’s the max number of pages or words someone can submit per session?
~Do we want to require work to be printed?
~Do we want to ask each other to provide written feedback?
~Will we take each other to task for not double-spacing?
~Snacks or no snacks?
~Whose house, or do we rotate?
And so on. Such matters should be the focus of your first meeting; don’t plan to dig into anyone’s writing then. And once these guidelines are established, everyone should do their level best to remember them and abide by them. That said…give each other grace. In my group, I believe we said no snacks. Guess what: We are all still doling out (minimal) snacks. Can’t stop the snacking over here. Eh, who cares!
Finally, just before my current group got going, I read this piece and found it to be the smartest, most thorough take on writing groups that I’ve yet to come across. I could have just said to you, “Here, read this,” but I don’t think that’s what Deb wanted from me. But seriously, read this. Michelle Wildgen is more opinionated than I, but that’s probably not a bad thing.
Good luck with your group(s)!!!
About the Author
Susannah Felts is a fiction writer, freelance writer, teacher, editor, and native Nashvillian, with roots planted firmly on the East side since 2009. She’s also an editor and writes essays and fiction, including the novel, This Will Go Down on Your Permanent Record (Featherproof Books). She’s cofounder/co-director of The Porch, a nonprofit center for writing in Nashville.
She holds an MFA in Writing from the Art Institute of Chicago.
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