Writing groups can fall into a couple of categories.

Sometimes there are ones that are too large, which means in order for everyone to get a turn they can only read 500 words and get 2 minutes of feedback. Not exactly useful.

There are ones that are too friendly, where all feedback is positive and no one actually grows as a writer. It gives you the warm and fuzzies, but it’s no more beneficial than the one above.

Of course, the counter side to that is the writing group that is full of pretentious arseholes who think that scathing literary critiques are required because they’ve been sitting in that chair – usually going nowhere – for the past twenty years so they must be qualified to do so. This is my least favourite kind of writing group. It kills any joy you have in creating, undermines your self-confidence and when you leave all you want to do is have a stiff drink.

Given that most writing groups seem to fall into one of the above categories, it seems pertinent to question whether it is worth being part of one at all. To which I would answer, yes it is.

The key is to find the right balance and right group of people. Just because you have this one thing you like to do in common, doesn’t mean you automatically fit as a group. You don’t have to have anything else in common, but you do need to all get on well enough to allow the barriers to come down. Sharing your WIP is an intimate experience, one which needs to be built on trust. If you fear getting shot down, or being given meaningless praise, then the group will fizzle and die. You need people who will give encouragement, whilst still offering suggestions and let you know when something isn’t quite working for them. That trust will grow over time, but the personalities involved count for a lot.

You also need to have a mix of experience. Five writers locked in a room who have never networked, never sent anything off, never been published, will by design have a limited perspective. A writing group with people at all stages of the journey helps everyone get a perspective that is not (or may no longer be) their own. This is beyond a doubt the most useful element there is.

My final ingredient would be to make sure you’re not all writing in the same genre. Not because of the competition – just because one person succeeds doesn’t mean someone else doesn’t – but again because of the limitations of your perspective. If you write in the fantasy genre, being able to persuade someone who writes YA or literary fiction will force you to write better and more thoughtfully than if you are already preaching to the converted.

The benefits of getting these factors correct are endless. I would urge anyone who is seriously considering becoming an author to find a group that works for them. It stops writing from being a solitary experience, where your only friends are the keyboard and your drink of choice. But it is more than that. It will open doorways to new worlds and perspectives more than anything you can do yourself or even as part of a writing community online.

Are you part of a writing group? Let me know if there are any additional elements you think are necessary so I can make this post more useful to those starting out.