Timewaster's Guide Archive
Local Authors => Writing Group => Topic started by: guessingo on February 22, 2010, 02:16:35 PM
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how did the one where this forum was created get formed? How do you find one? How do they work? Do you take turns reading each others work? How many comments do you give?
I get the impression that alot of professional authors don't use writing groups. Is it more for newbies?
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Brandon and Dan do have a writing group, so the assumption that professinoal authors don't use writing groups isn't necessarily true.
Yes, it is helpful for new writers to have others help workshop your story/writing. There are sometimes drawbacks. The writing exuses podcast on writing groups pretty much sums it up: http://www.writingexcuses.com/2008/11/10/writing-excuses-season-2-episode-5-writing-groups/
As for the original writing group of this forum, the Abridged Speculists, that group hasn't been active for at least 2 years. They first got together a loooonnng time ago. Some of them knew each other in real life, some met on this forum, and formed a group that could meet online.
As for group set-up, how often you meet, how you rotate submissions, it really depends on the group itself, those who are submitting, and the purpose of your group. I'm part of the Type & Gripe, Ink (http://www.timewastersguide.com/forum/index.php?topic=4752.0) group, and we meet usually once a week, online via IM, and workshop one submission for an hour. All of us are too busy to spend more time than that, so it works for us. We still get our stories workshopped once a month (since there are only 4 of us), but the time commitment doesn't overwhelm us. Unfortunately this winter one of our group is in the middle of grad school so we've only been meeting once a month for 2 hours until she's finished. Then we'll readjust our schedule.
How do you find a group? You can always start your own. You can ask around school/work/church--find people with the same interests are you do, and they may know someone who's a part of an existing writing group.
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In answer to how the Reading Excuses group got created: We're an offshoot of the Writing Excuses podcast. In the comment threads on one of the episodes--quite possibly the one Nessa linked, now that I think about it--someone asked for writing group recommendations. They were looking for an online writing group with a focus on speculative fiction. One of the other commenters made the obvious suggestion, "hey, we could start one", so we did. Dan was gracious enough to offer us space here to do it.
The setup will definitely depend on the group. We came to our current setup through discussion, trial and error.
I would imagine that whether or not a pro author uses a writing group depends entirely on the author.
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do you guys get together and meet? Do you take turns on whose story/book you read and then give group comments?
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We don't meet IRL or even over messenger. We mail out the story and then type out critiques in the Reading Excuses thread. Go have a look if you'd like to know what it's like. You could even add your name to the list if you'd like to give it a shot for a week or two.
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do you guys get together and meet? Do you take turns on whose story/book you read and then give group comments?
We're all in different parts of the country, as far as I know, so it's a bit difficult to meet up. The way it works is every Monday, people who have something to submit, usually a chapter of an ongoing story, submit it to the group. People then read it and provide constructive criticism - what works, what doesn't, what's confusing, etc - in the thread posted for that submission.
I don't know if anyone has gotten together to meet, or even if anyone knows any of the others in real life. Any specific peer-to-peer or whateve would likely just be handled over email, private message or messenger program.
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We're not even all in the same country. ::)
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We're not even all in the same country. ::)
Same planet though, right? :P
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Some times I wonder . . .
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that is pretty cool that you have a group like that. it must be very helpful. the responses and reading other peoples work who are going through the same process as you.
have any of you gotten published?
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Well, the group's only been going for a year. I'm not too sure anyone's tried to publish something that we've work-shopped. I've published some non-fiction stuff, but nothing sci/fi or fantasy, although I have high hopes for my current short story. *crosses fingers*
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As far as I know, nobody currently active in the group has any published material under their belt yet. (Except for Cynic, who has apparently published nonfiction. The things you don't know.) One member who joined quite some time ago, and was active, mentioned having a couple of short stories published, but I haven't seen that fellow in quite awhile.
Shiver: Well, nobody's TOLD me that they're from Mars yet, so, you know. One assumes...