I’ve been part of a writers’ workshop for over a decade. The activity goes by many names: critique group or partner, writing group, writers’ workshop, etc. My crew consists of people whose interests have evolved to include a number of creative pursuits, not just writing, so I now mark my calendar as “creative group meeting.”

Writers’ Workshop Rules

I think manuscripts benefit from critique, but not all writers find the right group for them. Some writers may have had a bad experience offering opinions or receiving feedback on their writing. This is unfortunate, but group dynamics are delicate, as are author egos. My group grew out of a university-level writing class. An authority figure laid down clearly defined, academically derived rules from the start. After the class ended, we carried on without our teacher. New writers joined us, other writers left us, but, by and large, we stuck with the system. Such guardrails are vital. In critiquing a manuscript, the group is discussing each other’s babies, after all. 

Zoom Workshops

Due to the pandemic, we haven’t met in person in over a year. Zoom meetings are fine; they have kept us going, but a human connection is important, even for a bunch of introverts. We aim to gather again next weekend. I’m excited but a little nervous, too!

Goals And The Writers’ Workshop

Probably the most important function for my group now, since we don’t do a lot of manuscript critique, is goal setting and accountability. Productivity research shows that setting measurable goals and sharing them with others are two important ways to actually move forward and get stuff done. 

I’ve found even if we don’t totally achieve our stated goals, we’re more likely to have progressed toward them than if left to stew on it alone. And sometimes, on introspection, that accountability helped us see that the goal wasn’t genuine.

If you enjoyed this journal entry, you might like to read about The Compost Heap.

I started this blog thread on the gritty details of the writing process over on my Facebook Author page, @kbkathylbrown, but think I might be better served putting it over here. If you’re interest in following my writing process in an informal way, you’ll find a few posts on Facebook that might interest you. You can subscribe to the blog from the website landing page (scroll down).