Why I Love My Writer's Group

By Mimi Greenwood Knight

I can't speak for others, but for me, a writers' group is invaluable. I'd sooner do without my thesaurus or, perish the thought, spell check than without the input of my group. We've been together about five years with several incarnations and a few times, when our collective schedules got so crazy, it seemed the group would fizzle out. But the times when it's cooking-- like it is now-- make all the rest worthwhile.

Our group consists of Bert, who, for the past three years, has been writing a "book about people and horses, not necessarily in that order," and Ellen, a charming woman in her 70s who hasn't quite settled on a genre. There's Anna Marie, an old soul in a twenty-year-old body, who's crafting a fantasy novel. Ron writes creative non-fiction. Amy and Michelle write short stories, and I'm the Erma Bombeck of the group, specializing in humorous essays about my four kids.

Our rules are simple. We meet every two weeks, usually in a coffee shop. Each writer brings something he's working on, one copy for each member, then reads his selection out loud while the rest of us take notes. Next, we proceed around the table, each member offering his opinion. The operative word here is "opinion." Each critique is just that. Take it or leave it. The writer has final say.

That's the first rule. The second is simple. No one is allowed to defend his work. You can't say, "Well, I didn't introduce my main character until the second page because…" You won't be there to defend your work to the reader when and if it's published. So you can't defend it now. It has to stand on its own.

One thing that happens often is that a writer will write one thing then, without realizing it, read something else. Usually what he reads sounds more natural. We'll jot it down and let him know, "In the middle of the third paragraph, you wrote, 'She was still alive' but you said, 'She was alive.' I think the second is stronger." We make notes of typos, spelling boo-boos, incorrect tenses, and punctuation, then give the writer back his work with these more minor suggestions written in.

Part of what makes our group work is that we all genuinely enjoy each other's writing. Our styles are different enough to keep things interesting and there are no prima donnas. We let Bert know when one of his horse terms throws us or tell Anna Marie when her dialogue doesn't sound authentic for her time period. We share calls for submissions and information on writing contests, celebrate each other's publishing successes, and help keep the parade of rejection letters in perspective.

The very last thing I love about our group (and some months, this would be the first thing) is that when I know there's a meeting coming up, I'm forced to write something. During the weeks when the muses are giving me the cold shoulder, it's a help to know I have to put something down on paper before the night and hour of the meeting.

Some weeks I desperately scour my computer in search of something old I can rework and present to the group, then stumble upon a gem I'd forgotten all about. More than once, I've unearthed one of those golden oldies, brought it to group, given it a spit shine, then turned around and sold it.

Last month, Michelle brought some poetry she'd been assigned for a class. We confessed our ignorance when it comes to poetry, then timidly made some suggestions. Surprise! Before the next meeting, two of us were working on poetry of our own.

I hope this group stays together until I'm an old woman writing about my grandkids. I want to attend Bert's first book signing and buy a dozen copies of Anna Marie's book to give as Christmas presents. I want to share a toast when Amy and Michelle make their first big sale. I want to be around when the rest of the world is laughing at Ron's literary shenanigans and wrapping themselves in the warmth of Ellen's prose. The time we've spent together has taught me more than any book or class on writing ever could.

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