A workshopping group is an excellent outlet for any writer to acquire a range of feedback on their work. It is also a perfect environment in which to discuss professional writing and share experiences with other writers. But how does one go about starting up such a group? Take the following dos and don'ts to heart and you will have a buzzing, productive writers' group in no time!
Do...pick a location that is central and easily accessible, both by car and by public transport (coffee shops often work well.)
Do...expect to have a quiet crowd for the first couple of meetings. It always takes time to gather people, and for the word to spread about any group's presence.
Don't...go to any meetings empty-handed. If you're the organizer, you need to expect that others will be shy about sharing their work at first, and you'll often need to be the one to kick start the workshop!
Do...set out some basic rules and boundaries at the start of every meeting (if you have newcomers each time, that is). You want to feel comfortable - and for everyone else to feel comfortable - knowing that no feelings will accidentally be hurt, no offence will be caused, and that everyone will want to come back after their first meeting. (If you need tips, check out How to Workshop Fiction.)
Don't...pressure all of your members to bring work to every meeting. It probably takes time for you to produce a piece of work that you feel comfortable sharing, so go easy on your members!
Do...start an email list or an online group so that your writers can all stay in touch, and so that you can discuss ahead of time who will be attending the meetings and who will be bringing work to share. (Places like Facebook are great for this.)
Don't...get so caught up in being the group leader that you forget to bring your own writing along. Remember that you started your group for a reason, and take advantage of all of your willing peers.
Don't...be afraid to crack the whip if a meeting has veered off into off-topic discussion. Once all of the work brought to the table has been read and discussed, encourage members to get to know one another, but not before then.
Do...encourage members to invite along any of their writer friends who are looking for someone to read their work. The more you get the word out there, the more writers you will have involved, and the longer your group will be around!
Once you have found yourself a network of other writers you can trust, you will realize how integral it is to every writer to have a different, unbiased pair of eyes to read their work. Hopefully your writers' group will be the first step to developing such a network.
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