Five Reasons to Join a Writing Group

One of the first things new writers often ask me is if they should join a writing group. They hear or read the advice to join a writing group through podcasts, books on writing, magazine articles, writing friends, and other various sources, and want to know how, if, and why they should join a writing group.

If this is you, there are two things you must do first before you join a group. The first is to ask yourself, why do you want a writing group? 

Joining without a purpose could land you in the wrong writing group, which could not only waste your precious writing time, but it could also leave you feeling more alone than when you started.

Which leads us to the second thing you must do, which is read my other blog, The 10 Questions to Ask before joining a writing group. 

Time is precious, and in the sentiment of GoalDigger, Jenna Kutcher, time is our currency, and we have to spend it wisely. Don’t spend it on a writing group that doesn’t advance your writing goals. 

So with that understanding, below are five reasons to join a writing group.

1. Camaraderie

Writing can be lonely. It’s meant to be. As a writer, you’re putting together a story from crumbs you pulled out of the cracks and crevices of your mind and life, and stringing them together into something other humans can consume. It is solitary work because that’s the only way you can hear the story inside of you.

I listed camaraderie as the first reason one may join a writing group because it is the most prevalent, universal benefit. Connecting with other writers can be very rewarding on an emotional and even spiritual level. At this point, I’m not talking about the professional benefits, such as getting feedback or help on your stories (those points are below); here, I am talking about just being with other people who understand you and your pursuit.  

I’ve been a writer for as long as I can remember, but when I woke up to the realization that I could and should pursue publication, I was so excited I wanted to scream it out to the world. And at first I did. I anxiously waited for every opportunity to work into conversation that I was a writer, and that I loved writing (even though I had published nothing); until one day, I told a coworker at my day job about my writing dream, and her response was “There’s no money in that, is there? There’s like a million books on Amazon right now.”

She wasn’t a writer, so I didn’t bother trying to explain that writing wasn’t about the money. Only other creatives understand the need to create regardless of monetary outcome. 

So if you’re looking for a place to talk about writing, reading, creativity, the struggles of the business, and the joy of your book in the hands of a reader, with other people who understand, join a writing group for the camaraderie. 

Caution: In your group, there will likely be other writers who are more accomplished than you or are further down their professional path of being a writer. Don’t spend too much time comparing their path to yours. Don’t let jealousy soil what could be a learning opportunity, and remember above all that the support you give to your writer friends may be the support you receive from them later on.

2. Feedback

Feedback is great, and while every writer will receive loads of rejections, getting feedback can save you from a lot of unnecessary ones from editors, publishers, agents, producers, etc. Before you send your writing out to the big leagues, your project needs to be as crisp and complete as possible. But while getting feedback on your writing can be very useful, there are some caveats writers need to understand before they share their work. 

First, writers should be prepared to ask their writing group for feedback on something specific. For my picture books, I ask someone in the group to read it out loud so I can hear if it flows right because rhyme and meter are important to me. I also ask if the phrasing makes sense and if they can follow the storyline.

Alternatively, writers can ask for feedback on grammar or their characters. Are the characters genuine enough? Are they unlikable? Try to narrow down where feedback is needed because it will help focus edits and prevent being overwhelmed by a variety of unexpected criticisms.

If you submit to a writing group looking for ambiguous feedback, such as if it’s ‘good’ or ‘bad’… That’s a waste of your time, and everyone else’s. As much as we’d all love to pause our busy schedules to feed the ego of our fellow writers, when you ask that question, you are opening up the door for responses you won’t like, or that could actually hurt your confidence, because everyone’s opinion is different.

For example, last year, I partially read a NY Times best seller, a self-help book that still to this day, is the worst book I have ever read. I didn’t even finish it, and I very rarely abandon a book like that. To me, the writing was a jumble of incoherent thoughts and incomplete sentences, and I couldn’t believe that it made it to print. To other people, they thought it was hilarious and that the incoherent ramblings were filled with the comedy of life. If I had met that writer in a writing group and she had asked the ambiguous question “Is it good,” I would have had to find a gentle, constructive way to say “no”. Yet there it is, on the shelf. So, try to know what you need help with before you ask. 

Along those same lines, not all feedback is created equal. As I alluded to above, not everyone will like what you write, so be prepared to push aside criticisms that don’t come from a place of helpfulness. When I was in the Writer’s Guild Foundation Fellowship, we worked on the outline of our screenplays for nine months, and right before we pitched to industry executives, one of my mentors said to me in front of our whole group, “Hollywood hates movies with characters who are writers”. My main character and the entire plot of my movie hinged on my main character being a writer. I was annoyed for weeks, mostly because it seemed like feedback he should have given at the beginning of the program when we chose what screenplay to write, rather than the end, until I finally realized that that was the exact type of criticism I should ignore. It provided no solution, and it was entirely opinion-based. 

Caution: Feedback is also a two-way street. You can’t ask your writing group to read your work and then not read theirs. They will notice it, and you will not be well received. If you don’t want to reciprocate feedback to other writers, go pay for developmental edits or coverage from a professional.

3. Accountability

Writers are naturally creative people, and that creativity extends into ways to avoid writing, such as completing writing-adjacent tasks and calling it writing. My husband and I call it “SpongeBobbing it” because there is this one episode of SpongeBob where he has to write an essay and drags out every other task in his life, including a forced conversation with the mailman man to avoid writing. An example of this is when writers shop for agents and publishers before they have finished writing their book. Yes, I know you have the book idea they want. Finish your book.

Writing groups, however, can provide the accountability you need to stay on task. Many writing groups have set meeting days and times, and you can use those to help you create milestones for your projects. Likewise, once you make a fellow writer friend, you can set goals together and hold each other to them.

Another way writing groups help with accountability is by holding “write-ins”. “Write-ins” are scheduled meetings with other writers, virtually or in person, to write. There is usually very little conversation, or there may be an allotted time for conversation at the beginning or end of the meeting, but the meeting exists purely to force you to sit and write. 

If you aren’t part of a writing group that does these, and it interests you, start your own. My two oldest children and I recently agreed we could do write-ins, every week to focus on finishing our projects. So if you want accountability, a writing group might be for you. 

Caution: Be vocal about the type of accountability you want. If you want a write-in where no one talks to you and they just sit silently on their laptop across from you, communicate that. Otherwise, your write-in will turn into a social hour, and you might leave frustrated. If you want something low-commitment like texting someone your daily or weekly word counts, communicate that. Ask the group if anyone else in interested in an accountability arrangement. 

4. Networking

When we talk about networking in creative industries, it does not refer to the camaraderie from point number one, though a networking opportunity may start that way.  What networking refers to is a professional relationship with someone who can help advance your career or help find opportunities for your career. It could be an editor, it could be a self-published author who has walked the path you are trying to take, or it could be an agent you keep in touch with for when you are ready. However, not all writing groups are going to have networking opportunities, and not all writers need to be worried about networking yet. 

For example, if a writer is trying to make industry connections but hasn’t finished writing their book yet, the amount of effort expended in networking should be minimal. The writing has to come first. 

Ask yourself what you’re networking for. If you meet an editor who loves your book idea but you aren’t done writing it yet, will they remember you in 6 months when you are finished? Or longer? Even if they remember you, will the editor still want it, or will the publishing climate have changed by then? You want to be in a position to capitalize on their reflex excitement. If an editor is excited and says, “omg that is the book I have been looking for,” you want to be able to send it to them that night. So if you’re not in that position, don’t spend much time networking yet. 

Caution: It is unlikely you will find an editor who attends a specific writing group regularly and can help make your career. You are more likely to find editors and publishers through writing and publishing conferences, seminars, or lecturers to your writing group. For example, if you write for children, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) is an amazing group to join. One of the benefits of joining is that they hold regional and virtual events that often include submission/networking opportunities with editors and agents. 

5. Education

For me, this is the biggest reason to join. As a writer, or professional in any discipline, you should never stop learning. In writing groups, you aren’t just learning about writing. You are learning about the industry, other people’s experiences in life, about people, and more. 

Years ago, I decided to brush up on my writing skills and enrolled in a couple of college classes on creative writing. I was the oldest and most experienced in the class, and most of my classmates were 19 years old, straight out of high school. As such, the feedback they provided was minimal, but occasionally I would get a student who gave more critical (and negative) feedback. At first, I dismissed it because of their experience level, but then I realized that even if they had less experience as a writer, their feedback was valuable because they were a reader. It was very likely that my reader could be a 19-year-old, straight out of high school, literary enthusiast, and so if my classmate was having trouble with something I wrote, others may feel the same way. 

You can learn from anyone around you if you listen. Even the most arrogant, annoying, rude, and difficult person in your writing group can teach you how to write dialogue for your antagonist if you stop being offended by what they are saying and start listening to how they are saying it. Look for opportunities to learn about people and personalities in every interaction you have. 

Caution: If this last point had you rolling your eyes because you think there is nothing to learn from a group of emerging writers, I highly recommend reading “Ego is the Enemy” by Ryan Holiday, where he explains more in depth on how ego prevents us from becoming our best selves. 

If you’ve reached this point in the article and still cant find a reason to join a writing group, then it could be that writing groups are not for you. Thats ok. There are many other ways to learn writing and get feedback without committing to a group. But that may be a blog post for another time.

Writing groups, yay or nay? Let me know in the comments.