the many flavors of writing groups: how to end up in one that works

When you think of a writing group (or, interchangeably, a writers’ group), I’m guessing the first model that pops into your mind is a bunch of creative writers exchanging parts of their drafts and critiquing each others’ work. Maybe in a coffee shop.
 
If you’ve had bad experiences with a writing group in the past, perhaps these coffee shop people are being kind of competitive. Or pointing out typos in an early draft. Or striving relentlessly toward publication while cliquishly looking down on less “serious” writers.

But I promise you, there is a whole wide and diverse world of writers’ groups out there!

Here are a few of the ways these groups differ from each other in how they’re run:

• Some groups are peer-led, with writers coming together to organize the group. (In some cases, one participant is some degree of in change; in others, things are more free-flowing or collaborative…or, if it’s not working well, messy.) Some groups are facilitated. A facilitated writing group is organized and hosted by a writing teacher, editor, writing coach, or other experienced person who is there to moderate rather than to act as a participant themself.
• Some groups are associated with a larger organization, like The Loft Literary Center or Shut Up & Write! Others are independent, just doing their own thing.
• Some groups meet in person, others online. The frequency and length of meetings vary, as does whether group members communicate between meetings (on Slack or Discord, in a Facebook group, via email, or in other ways).
• Some groups are ongoing, continuing for an indefinite period of time—sometimes for decades. Others are limited-term, intended to run for 8 weeks or 3 months or whatever the organizers decide.
• Some groups are free, while others are paid.
• Some groups are for people with shared characteristics or experiences beyond being writers: For example, you might join (or start!) a group for writers with caretaking responsibilities, veterans who write, or writers with ADHD. Other groups are aimed at a more general population.
• Some groups are genre-specific: for poets, fiction writers, romantic suspense writers, or scholars working on their academic books, for example. Others welcome writers in all genres.
• Writers’ groups come in pretty much all sizes, from intimate three-person situations to giant open-to-anyone online groups.

 
On top of all that diversity, what actually happens during a meeting varies hugely from writing group to writing group. Here are some key ways these groups differ from each other in activities, purpose, and tone:

• Some groups follow a writers’ workshop model, where participants share their work for critique. The point of these groups is to receive (and give!) hopefully useful feedback—and, as I said above, they’re what most people think of first when they think “writing group.” However, there are lots of other possibilities out there too! For example:
  • In some groups (which I think of as write-together groups), participants meet up to actually, literally write! These groups’ meeting mostly consist of quiet, companionable writing time.
  • In discussion-based groups, participants may talk through the challenges they’re facing in their current projects, about some predetermined writing-related topic, or about writing practices and craft more generally.
  • In accountability-focused groups, participants share their writing goals and what happened with their previous goals. They cheer each other on, challenge each other to continue moving forward, and keep each other engaged just by being in community and listening.
• Some groups are explicitly for writers seeking traditional publication, and may focus on paths to publication or publication-minded critique. Others are for new writers, writers who aren’t doing this to publish, indie authors, or people with any relationship to publishing. In this and other ways, writing groups vary in their goals—and in how clearly those goals are stated (or even if the people in the group know what they are).
• Writers’ groups also vary significantly in tone, which is super important but can be harder to figure out than the other characteristics listed here. Are the people harsh, no-nonsense, encouraging, kind, competitive, grumpy, joyful? Does the group encourage laughter and a sense of humor or play? Do the participants like and trust each other? A good fit here is so important, in part because writing is incredible personal. Know that it is absolutely okay to try a group and leave if it doesn’t feel right for you.
  

What do you want in a writing group?

If you’re interested in finding writing community through a group, try thinking through that big list of differences above and identifying your preferences.

Remember that the point is not to find the “best” writing group, but instead to find a group that works really well for you at this moment in your life and this stage of your writing process.
 
Can you identify your 3–5 most important characteristics, or any dealbreakers? Maybe you need an online group, hate the workshopping model, and care a lot about it being queer-centered or at least enthusiastically queer-inclusive. Or maybe you want feedback aimed at getting your drafted novel ready to pitch to agents, you’d prefer to meet in person on a weekday evening, and you need a small group. There are no wrong answers here, just a handle on your own concrete needs and priorities in this moment.
 
Next, look around. Are there any such groups? Are they accepting new members? Do they seem like a fit, personality- and emotions-wise? Search online with keywords including your specific needs. Ask writers, editors, coaches, teachers, and other people in the writer world that you happen to know. Check with any writing organizations that you've had good experiences with.
 
If you can't find the right group, are you up for creating one of your own? I bet a lot of other writers want what you’re interested in finding, too. Maybe you just need three or four likeminded people, a Zoom account, and a Slack space to make your dreams come true.
 
And if that sounds like too much right now, or you want a facilitated experience, is coaching an option? Some writers find that receiving feedback, talking through issues in a project, working on a better-fit writing practice and process, or setting and reporting back on concrete writing goals with a writing coach can fill a lot of the same needs (and more) as a good-fit writing group.

Happy connection-making!