Why to Join a Creative Writing Group

Creative writing is a solo job. When you dedicate yourself to completing your full-length work, like a memoir or a novel, you usually visualize yourself locked in a stripped-down bedroom, or far from society in a cabin in the woods, cut off from the rest of humanity until the masterpiece is complete. Socialization seems to be the enemy of progress. 

Plus, so many writers are introverts. So, why would anyone want to join a writing group?

If you’ve tried to write something and gotten stuck, you’re catching on. When you’re alone, the mind can drift into thoughts of “why does any of this matter.” This is especially the case when you’re the only one of your friends brave enough to dedicate yourself to a lengthy creative work with no guarantee of financial or critical success. 

Mixing with fellow writers can provide many things: friendship, critique, encouragement, but most of all, it normalizes the act of writing. This reduces the uncertainty around the writing process, and makes it easier for you to sit down, again and again, and keep writing. 

What Is a Creative Writing Group: The 4 Types

Not all writing groups are the same. Read on to learn about the different types and where to find the best writing group for you, will some recommendations from my many years of online and offline writing group participation.  

Critique

A critique group is the standard format students experience in a higher education writing class. The group could meet as often as weekly, and someone submits their work for feedback each week. The others read and leave comments on the piece, and go around, verbally sharing feedback, perhaps intentionally offering both positive and critical feedback. 

I was part of a critique group that experimented with the format. We started out having two people submit 20 pages of writing each week, but later on, we found this gave us too much “homework,” and instead had 4-5 people read aloud one page of writing on the Zoom call and get instantaneous feedback. Depending on the size of the group and how much time members can commit, you can experiment with page limits and how many people submit. You might also do meetings less often, even once a month, but sometimes people have to wait months and months before it’s their turn and are less motivated to show up and give feedback to others … so you have to set standards. 

One hidden benefit of a critique group is that it also gives you a chance to share your work. Whether sending it to fellow members in a Word document or reading aloud, sharing your work builds confidence, which is essential if you plan to publish and can boost your self-concept in your world beyond writing.  

Silent Writing

Not everyone wants critique, or is at the stage of their writing journey where they need it. If you just need to get words on a page, you will supercharge your productivity with a silent writing group. The typical format is that you begin with simple introductions, each person sharing their name and what they are working on, and then a timer is set and everyone writes silently for 40-90 minutes. At the end, the group goes around again and each person shares how the session went. 

When I lived in San Francisco, I attended the Shut Up & Write meetup and that’s how I completed my memoir first draft. At the time, the group offered marathon sessions on weekends. We would do three 90-minute sessions on Saturdays, broken up with breaks. There are Shut Up & Write meetups in many cities around the world, as well as online sessions, and I highly recommend them. 

A similar group that comes recommended by a friend is The Writers’ Hour by London Writers Salon. They offer free online writing sessions on weekdays, at 8 a.m. in four timezones. 

Both of these silent writer’s groups are free to attend. 

Learn Craft & Business 

You don’t need a fancy degree to write well. The instinct for storytelling comes preinstalled on the human psyche. But, if you’ve had your work read by a friend and they didn’t exactly get what you intended to convey, that’s a sign that learning craft will improve your work, and its chances of entertaining readers and making an impact. 

Writing craft is often integrated into writing communities that also offer critique, silent writing, and coaching. This may be presented as workshops taught by published authors, or a Q&A session led by a writing coach. Often, writing craft and the business of writing are presented alongside one another. Business topics may include building a newsletter list for self-published authors or how to write a query letter for those who would like to work with a literary agent. Craft topics could include character development or memoir structure. Coaching topics could include overcoming procrastination, or designing a writing routine based on your personality type. 

Here are a few online groups for creative writers: 

• The Inspired Collective: Classes, creative sessions, and a private Facebook group – 6 months at $160 (average $27 per month)

• The Narrative Healing Salon: Classes, coaching Q&A, critique, and trauma-informed writing sessions – $29 or $49 per month 

• The Writer’s Way: Expert classes, cowriting sessions, coaching Q&A, and a private Discord – $37 per month

• Storycore: Craft talks, writing coaching Q&A, and small groups – $37 per month

• Creatrix Coven: Classes, mentorship Q&A, and creative sessions – $88 per month 

Social 

Is writing fun? It certainly can be. As an over-disciplined person, I’ve found through trial and error that my writing comes out better when I’m having fun. As I said in the introduction, that biggest value a writing group offers is that it normalizes the writing act. This includes the highs and lows. It gives you people who can laugh about realizing halfway through a manuscript draft that you included a major plot hole and have to rethink the whole thing. Wouldn’t you rather laugh than drop into an existential crisis? This is why you need writing friends. 

You don’t need to critique, or be accountable, or even learn. Sometimes all you need are fellow writers in your life. 

One local writing group I found on Meetup had every intention of being a writing accountability group, but everyone got along and it became a social group. 

There is a private Facebook group associated with the Write Better-Faster course, and while there is certainly some high-quality conversations around the writing process and business, the group also has a fair amount of discussion about the writing life—including memes. The only way into that group is to take a Write Better-Faster course, and I highly recommend both. 

How to Find a Writing Community 

The value of a writing group varies widely. You’ll hear people say it’s the single most helpful thing that got them to a book deal, while others may tell you a toxic writing group left them traumatized. So, the takeaway of this article is not to join a writing group at all costs; it’s to set the intention to find a great writing community, and don’t stay a second longer if being in the group leaves you feeling icky. 

Some questions to help you identify the best writing group for you include what genre you’re writing in, how frequently you want to meet, if you’d like a group online or in-person, and which of the above elements you want right now (critique, silent writing, craft, or social). Many groups are a mix of these elements. 

The first writing group I joined was in-person initially, shifted online for the pandemic, and included a mix of critique and learning. Many of us lived in the same region and had the opportunity to attend local literary events together.

Later on, I moved coasts and joined a group that was made up of mostly romance writers, which is not my genre, but I learned a lot from them about the business of writing and even hired one to edit my novel.

One final word of advice: Don’t be afraid to leave a writing group if it’s not right for you. Keep your eyes open and you’ll find one that is.