Saturday, May 1, 2010

Writer's Group

The value of a good writer’s group is beyond description. The variety of personalities, experiences, perspectives bring a unique challenge for the organizers and the best thoughtful critique for writers.

Writing can be a lonely business. Pen & paper, typewriter or computer… technology doesn’t change the individual effort and need for concentration which usually puts a writer alone in a room or alone in their head. Either way, most writers are alone during the creative process.

Without an official editor, some writers rely on friends or family to be the first editors, the first audience. This may or may not be helpful to a writer. What is helpful in any profession is peer review. The first draft review by other writers can help a writer learn about their strengths and weaknesses and with a good writer’s group they can share their strengths and bolster their weaknesses so the final manuscript is just the way the writer wishes to present it to agents or publishers with minimal revision needed.

If you’re a writer seeking to improve your craft, join a writer’s group with other writers who are supportive and helpful.

1 comment:

Sheila Siler said...

I agree so much! In fact, joining my writers group is what gave me the encouragement and push I needed to declare myself a writer. Their help is incredible and I can't imagine writing without them!