Creative Writing Groups

WHU

Does anyone attend or is a member of any groups?
I was just wondering what exactly goes on,
Is it a way of reviewing yours and others work, or is it a type of learning group?

Thanks for any info

EileenG

It depends on the group. Some provide feedback, some don't. Some provide only good (nurturing) feedback and never mention the stuff that needs work.

Some groups have periods of free writing or other writing exercises. Typically, those are read out, but not commented on.

Some groups have people reading out things they want reviewed, some have two or three pieces e-mailed out to members ahead of time to be reviewed in writing.

Standards vary enormously. Some groups have lots of published writers or people who are actively working to be published. Some have members who are just out of literacy class.

The most important thing is to find a group that matches your needs. If you are starting out, then one of the nurturing groups will encourage you and get you writing about subjects you might not try on your own. If you seriously expect to be published, then find a group that gives constructive feedback, both good and bad, and be prepared to get your ego battered occasionally.

WHU

EileenG wrote: »

then find a group that gives constructive feedback, both good and bad, and be prepared to get your ego battered occasionally.

I do feel I would not learn anything without constructive feedback.
How would you know how far you have strayed from the unknown path without being told?

As you can probably tell I am new to writing, I have found it very enjoyable, so a group that help me grow is the first step.

Eileen thanks again, you'll probably be sick of me and my questions before long

EileenG

I know I definitely need the ones that give bad as well as good feedback, but the ones that only do good feedback are very addictive. It's an amazing buzz when everyone finds nice things to say about something you've written, it can be hard to remember they are not saying everything.

Nature lover

Hi there, I am in a writing group in East Clare, we meet once a week in each others houses and take it in turns to bring the prompt. I have to agreed that we only give each other positive feedback and its lovely to sit there and hear the others say my work is great when I have read out my 'homework', some of us have entered competitions and I am having a stab at writing a book but none of us are professionals. We have brought in a facilitator on a few occasions, Stella Burkin from www.suirtales.com and she also confirmed its better to give constructive feed back. Writing is great, I'm so pleased that I joined a group, its great to get advice from others even if they are not professional. Good luck with it

WHU

Thanks Nature Lover, good luck with the group

dcmu

Nature lover wrote: »

Hi tI have to agreed that we only give each other positive feedback and its lovely to sit there and hear the others say my work is great when I have read out my 'homework', some of us have entered competitions and I am having a stab at writing a book but none of us are professionals. We have brought in a facilitator on a few occasions, Stella Burkin from www.suirtales.com and she also confirmed its better to give constructive feed back.

How is it better? if you have a weakness - in anything, not just writing - how can you improve upon it, of you aren't aware there's a problem? Learning is about doing things wrong, and improving on that. How can you if you think you're being told it's perfect.

When I ask for feedback, that's what I want. It's not feedback if no matter what I write, I'm going to get complimented.

OP, I'd stay well away from this type of group. You saw the feedback you got on your last story. I'm sure it wasn't all nice to read, but you definitely seem to have taken something away from it.

Blush_01

There are creative writing groups for people who want to start writing, and there are creative writing groups for people who write regularly and want to improve on what they're writing with a specific goal (getting published / winning competitions etc.).

The type of group you join should be dictated by your expectations and requirements. If you are joining a writing group to kick start your writing and give you some discipline, as a beginner, or for social reasons, then a group based solely on feedback is pointless.

If, on the other hand, you're looking for somewhere to test out some ideas and improve on something concrete that you have already written, then the feedback based groups like the ones EileenG recommends should suit you better.

I find it hard to understand when people disregard the necessity of providing for all levels of interest and ability, and all genres. The writing group I'm part of is focussed on beginners, people who want to have a bit of fun writing. We're trying new things, challenging ourselves a little and having fun, and we encourage the positive aspects of each-other's writing. As the group progresses we'll be able to give each-other more feedback, but we're not there yet, and there's nothing necessarily wrong with that.

There's a time and a place for everything.

WHU

dcmu wrote: »

OP, I'd stay well away from this type of group. You saw the feedback you got on your last story. I'm sure it wasn't all nice to read, but you definitely seem to have taken something away from it.

Both points are true there and it has led me to think a bit more, no doubt I will be posting more questions here

davyjose

This place is usually pretty good for honest criticism OP. Keep posting away.

dcmu

Blush_01 wrote: »

I find it hard to understand when people disregard the necessity of providing for all levels of interest and ability, and all genres.

There's nothing to understand. Nobody was disregarding the necessity of providing for all levels, whatsoever. Merely the means. I don't believe that constructive criticism is, at any level, a negative thing. I've seen on other fora, situations where beginners have posted - written some really great stuff, and were simply told "ok, you're punctuation isn't spot on in certain parts", or "that drifted into the wrong tense for a bit, but overall I really loved ... etc. etc."

How can that be a bad thing? If, as i suspect, it's to protect people from a$sholes making a$hole remarks, then that saddens me. There are people willing to take a pop where they can, for the sake of it. But it's rare, and total avoidance of all critique is a negative, over-protective response to this.

Each to their own, and all that, but my own personal advice to the OP would be to skip that, and go straight into the writing groups where you're actually going to get feedback to learn your craft. Because if you need compliments for motivation, or worse, you need to dodge criticism to prevent yourself from quitting, then you're in the wrong game.

Blush_01

That assumes you're already "in the game".

Sure, if you're at a point where you've found your voice, then constructive criticism is vital, particularly when it's solicited.

However - and I personally think this is really important - there are a lot of people out there who have not found their voices, people who want to figure out whether they have the ability to write at all. Those people want support, and join writing groups looking for same. I'm not talking about a mutual appreciation society, but at the same time focussing on the positive parts of what someone has written, particularly in the early stages, can make them feel like they have something worth pursuing, even if the group isn't deconstructing what's been written by it's members from day one. When people are starting out (I would consider myself one) they need adequate support to allow them to grow enough to find material in themselves that's worth the effort of editing - which is where a feedback group is important.

Being part of a small writing group, we write together, we set homework, we encourage and we're getting closer every week to a point when we'll have feedback-worthy writing. We are less a show-and-tell group than a beginners group. Yes, we all read our writing, but we work together towards being better at what we're choosing to do. We're at the application of pen to paper stage, not the finesse stage, and groups like ours are very important, even if we don't critique people's work yet.

There's also a big difference between a creative writing group and an editor, which is something our group discussed recently, and which I think is something really important to remember.

EileenG

I'd like to think that any decent group can tell the difference between someone who is starting out, and someone who has been writing for a while, and would modify feedback to take account of that.

Sometimes, just listening to the feedback other writers are getting is as valuable as anything being said about your own writing.

Good feedback/criticism can help you find your voice, or pinpoint your talents. I remember one guy who came to a class, who had difficulty with description and "show, don't tell". But he had an amazing ear for dialogue, which he was ignoring because it came so easily to him. Once his talent for dialogue was pointed out, he switched to writing plays, and is having a ball.