How You Can Learn From Your Writers Group

Our last post was all about what a writers group should do to help you. This post is about how you can help your writers group, and in turn, get the most out of the experience.

Your Role in a Writers Group: 

1. Show up. This one might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised at how many members attend meetings sporadically. I’m not talking about those who come to a meeting or two and decide it isn’t for them; I’m talking about those who come to every other (or every other other or every fourth, etc…) meeting for two years straight. They want to write, but don’t want to put in the hard work. Work schedules and home life can get in the way, but not showing up on a regular basis shows a lack of respect for other writers’ work and a lack of respect for your own. How can you get better if you don’t make the meetings? 
2. Listen to critiques. Even seemingly harsh comments are usually meant to help you, and almost all critiques contain at least one valuable insight. Don’t let somebody spend his or her time and energy reviewing your work and then ignore it. Not only are they fellow writers, but they’re readers, too. They will have some valuable first and second impressions. 
3. Apply some of what’s been said to your current work and future submissions. Don’t make the same mistakes again and again. That’s not getting better; that's stagnating. And like number one, it doesn’t show much respect for others’ abilities or your own. 
4. Try changes. Insert certain changes. Try them. Test them out. If they don’t work, you can always remove them. After all, you’re the final arbiter of what works in your submission. Listen to everything, then carefully decide what to use. 
5. Read everything your group submits. You might be a veteran writer or a newbie with a novel idea. Either way, you’ll be surprised what you can glean from reading others’ work. You can learn from writers better than you, but also from those far worse. “Oh, I get it, do this, don’t do that.” “I can see why they did this, why on earth did so-and-so do that..?” 

Remember, the members of your group are there to support you. Not only do they want to get better, but they want to see you turn in first-rate manuscripts, too. Most will cheer your success, console you during defeats, and live through your accomplishments. You owe it to them and yourself to submit the best work you can as often as possible. Learn, work and revise. Those steps will make you a better writer. And then, when it comes to your writers group, they’ll be happy to have you come to every meeting, and you’ll be happy to go since you’re improving your technique and talent. Participation makes you a better group member and lets you benefit tremendously from another’s expertise.

Part One: What Should a Writers Group Do?

Help your fellow writers out: How have you made your writers group work?

What Should a Writers Group Do?

Get the most out of your writers group after every meeting.

A writers group (or writer’s group, or writers’ group or however you want to spell it), also known as a critique group (or crit group) has certain functions. First among these is to serve the needs of every member, no matter what their level of expertise or ability. These needs will vary, but there are certain common goals.

Functions of a Writers Group:

1. Make you a better writer. The goal isn’t to make you a better writer today, but for every day to come. If you apply the tips and suggestions you received to the next chapter, short story or novel, you’ll be a better writer. 
2. Improve the piece you’re working on. Of course, a group must also improve the story you’re writing today. If members suggestions aren’t making your story better – or you see no reason to implement them – you may need to find another group.
3. Make you professional. Well-written work makes you look professional, but a writers group should also make sure your manuscript is properly formatted. When you’re ready to submit your work for publication, it must be properly submitted. You should know publishing terms and trends. You should know about upcoming writers conferences and what agents and editors want. In short, you should understand the publishing industry. A good writers group can help you do that. If it isn’t, research the business yourself and help them.
4.  Help you network. You don’t have to be a New York-based writer to network. Even writers in the most remote parts of the country will know a few local writers. At the very least, bookstores and other events will have them in-store for author signings. Meet them. See if they’ll talk to your writers group, or better yet, join it if they don’t have a group of their own. Use your group to network. It will help you achieve goal three.
5. Meet regularly. A writers group must meet regularly, whether that’s once a month or once a week. If it doesn’t, you’ll never achieve goal one (and it will take a long time to reach goal two). If you’re in an online group, you still need to submit regularly. 
6. Encourage you. Every writer, from unsure newbie to seasoned professional, wants to be published (or published again!). A writers group should let you know where you and your manuscript are in the process. Is it close? Is it far away? Is it never going to happen with this story? Critiques may sometimes seem harsh, but they’re the best way to meet goals one and two very, very quickly.

A writers group is only as good as its members, but a thriving, active group with lots of participation, submissions and feedback, is a great group – because whenever people are writing and rewriting, editing and critiquing, you’ll want to do it, too. The biggest advantage to being in a group is that it makes you want to write. And that’s the best way to reach the biggest goals: becoming a better writer and getting published.

So, if you’re in a group, make sure they’re doing the above. And if you’re not in a group, form one with these goals in mind.  They’ll make sure your writers group benefits all its members.

Writing Prompts for Thurs., Dec. 6

Prompts for Thurs., Dec. 6

To be read out loud--informal critique only so no pressure; have fun!

--A man aspiring to be a pro bowler loses to his young daughter.

--A gambler at a private high stakes poker game is caught cheating.

--“Thanks for seeing me. I need to discuss something important, and I didn’t want to do it over the phone.”

(above taken from The Writer's Book of Matches, Writer's Digest Books)

--Two people are emptying out a deceased relative's house. (suggested by member Zackary Richards)

Prompts for the Poetry-Minded (poewar.com/poetry-prompts/)

--Write a poem that take place at a specific time of the day

--Write a poem that includes at least three different flavors and two odors

--Write a poem that begins and ends with the same word

Photo Prompt (photo credit: berkleyside.com)

(not sure exactly how to credit the prompt; found it on a pinterest "board" but not really clear where it originated)

What Book Changed Your Life?

Last weekend, at the Rutgers One-on-One Conference, author Bruce Coville discussed a fan letter he had received. A reader credited him with her decision to join the Peace Corps. She loved his book so much, she even cited it in her application essay. It’s clear that My Teacher Is an Alien changed that young woman’s life.

Everyone has a book like that, one that absolutely changed your life. I remember the greatest compliment I’ve ever received came from an African-American actress, Dee Watson, who said, “You’d make a good Atticus Finch.”

Why was that greatest compliment? Because To Kill a Mockingbird changed my life.  It has stayed with me decades after I first read it, and while it’s impossible to live up to the standard set by Atticus, it’s not impossible to model your life after the example set out in Harper Lee’s masterpiece.

Life-changing books  are common in young adult stories as teens enter their formative years. It’s also true of books like To Kill a Mockingbird, originally written for adults but that serve as de facto YA on high-school reading lists. Lives, decisions, and character are shaped every year by classics like Black Like Me, 1984, Pride & Prejudice, Crime & Punishment, etc. And no list, no matter how complete, includes the thousands of picture books, middle-grade and

YA titles that children cling to every day.

Fortunately, adults can find books that reach them, too; maybe even make them see the world in a whole  new way. I recently re-read Tommy Moore’s A Ph.D. in Happiness From the Great Comedians. It lifts your spirits in a way far beyond “the healing power of humor;” it can change your entire outlook by presenting practical steps drawn from the world of stand-up comedy. It my case, it even justifies the years I spent in comedy and the fact that humor remains my primary tool for dealing with problems and reaching people. One book – a how-to book taken from the ways legendary comics view and treat the world – really can help you understand how you can live your life.

But it’s children’s authors and their books that have the biggest influence. Adult personalities are largely shaped and readers seek out books of interest to them, but children, particularly young children, are a wide-open canvas. They’ll face new ideas, new concepts, new challenges. They’ll read a book ten times (or have it read to them!) and still pick it up an 11^th time. Even books that aren’t particularly challenging but that are delightful nonetheless – Fox in Socks, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, etc. – still create lifelong readers.

So whether it’s My Friend Flicka, Tom Sawyer, Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew or something no one has heard of (or you’re too ashamed to admit – hey, I loved The Five Chinese Brothers as a kid), there was a book that changed your life.

So let me know – what book changed your life?

This blog originally appeared at JohnBriggsBooks.

Tonight's Meeting Cancelled

Due to weather and road conditions, tonight's meeting is cancelled. Hang onto tonight's submissions for our next meeting on the 15th. Stay warm and be safe!

R.L. Stine on Writing, Writer's Block and a Touch of Humor

I read an interview recently with the great R.L. Stine,* author of the Goosebumps and Fear Street series. And all I can say is he continues to surprise me. Did you know he wanted to be a comedy writer? Yeah, me neither, until I saw him speak this past January at the SCBWI Winter Conference. It began a list of surreal similarities between us:

1. R.L. Stine actually worked as a comedy writer for 10 years, with Scholastic. I worked as a comedy writer for years, too. Humor was his life's goal, and for a long time, it was mine.
2. In the interview, he says he’s never had writer’s block. Ever. Me neither. But I know what he means when he says, “Some days the writing isn’t as easy or pretty as other days. But you just keep going. You know you can go back and fix it.” He’s absolute right, of course. Get that first draft done! I always say editing is easier than writing. Up to a point, anyway (but that’s a different post).
3. Mr. Stine maintains that “The easiest way to avoid writer’s block is to do a lot of preparation first.” He makes chapter-by-chapter outlines and a character list (including write-ups on their appearances and traits). I was happy to hear this because I, too, do this. Of course, don’t treat an outline as dogma, but man, does it come in handy if a story starts getting bogged down.

So how is it that R.L. Stine, the Stephen King of Kidlit, move from humor to horror? An editor asked him to try it. Which is how I started working on middle grade – an editor suggested it.

Now I can only hope Mr. Stine and I share one more similarity: success. He has sold 350 million books… and I'm 350 million behind him.

But I’m working on it.

*Interview appeared in the Gotham Writer’s Workshop

Originally published at John Briggs Books.

List of Writing Contests

Hi everyone,

Great meeting last Thursday. Good to welcome new members in Gretchen and Jo (a transfer from the morning group), and to see some old diehards come out in the July heat (I'm talking to you Sandy, Sherry, and Zack).

Sandy forwarded a list of writing contests, some of which we discussed at the meeting. Hope you find these helpful (and thanks Sandy!).

Writing Contests

http://writersdigest.com/competitions/

http://writingcontests.wordpress.com/

Poetry:

http://www.kent.edu/wick/competitions/first-book.cfm

http://www.freelancewriting.com/writingcontests/053011-poetry-international-prize.php

For someone with 3-5 books published:

http://www.stfranciscollege.edu/literaryprize


WRITING COMPETITIONS

Writer's Digest sponsors several writing competitions annually. To read more about our competitions, see below.


Writer's Digest Annual Short Short Story Writing Competition

The 12th Annual Short Short Story Competition is now accepting entries. Win valuable exposure for your your short fiction as well as cash and prizes. The names will appear in the July/August 2012 issue of Writer's Digest and the Competition Collection containing the top 25 stories will be published at that time.

www.writersdigest.com/short


Writer's Digest Poetry Awards Competition

We are now accepting entries in the 7th Annual WD Poetry Awards. Regardless of style, we want to see your best poetry. Just make sure it is 32 lines or fewer. This is your chance to gain attention for your writing as well as win cash and prizes. Winners will be announce in the July/August 2012 issue of Writer's Digest and the top 50 will be published in a special Competition Collection.

www.writersdigest.com/poetryawards


The Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book Awards

The 19th Annual Self-Published Book Awards final deadline was June 3, 2011. We are no longer accepting entries.

Winners will be notified by October 14, 2011 and will be announced in the March 2012 issue.


Your Story

Every other month, Writer's Digest presents a creative challenge for fun and prizes. We'll provide a short, open-ended prompt. In turn, you'll submit a short story of 750 words or fewer based on that prompt. You can be funny, poignant, witty, etc.; it is, after all, your story. The winner will receive publication in an upcoming issue of Writer's Digest.

For rules, prompts, deadlines, voting and other details about the Your Story competition, visit:
www.writersdigest.com/yourstory

For past winners, visit:
www.writersdigest.com/yourstorywinners

Good luck!