The Writer’s Support Group

By Marie Tuhart

Why are writers groups important?

As writers we spend a significant part of our working day alone, typing along on our computer keyboard, ignoring everything around us. But at the end of the day, when we look back at what we’ve done, picked up the letter for the publisher from our mailbox or mailed off that contest entry, we want to celebrate or commiserate with someone who understands.

And face it, not all our friends or families understand this thing we call writing. Not even all of the people who call themselves writers understand.

As romance writers, we face unique challenges in the world of writing. Having a group that supports your writing can become very important as time goes on. We all need support now and then.

What is a writer’s support group?

I pondered that question; I knew what a writer’s support group meant to me, but not to other writers. Then I realized its going to mean something different to each individual and what they are looking for. This article will cover some of the aspects I feel are important when you’re trying to not only find a writer’s support group, but why they are important.

The first thing to remember when looking for a group is to know that not all groups are created equal.

You’ll find groups that are a mixture of genres and male and female, or all one genre, all female, all male. The possibilities are endless. But when you’re looking for a support group, make sure they fit you.

Well what does that mean? It means, knowing what genre you’re writing in. If you’re writing romance, you don’t want a support group of literary writers. Why? While all writers speak the same language, there are specifics to each genre that other writers don’t understand.

How many times within the romance genre do we run into that? A lot. Within the last two years Erotic Romance has been rising up, as the case may be, to where now almost every New York publisher wants it. But again, the specifics are getting confused. Many are calling it Erotica, not Erotic Romance. There is a difference. You need to have at least a basic idea of what you’re writing.

What are your expectations of the group? When looking for a group, you need to know what you want out of the group? Are you looking for general support when you’re feeling blue about your writing? Do you want someone to pat you on the back daily for getting your pages done? Do you want occasional critiquing or brainstorming? Do you want to set goals? Do you want a group that focuses just on writing?

What is the difference between a support group and a critique group?

From my perspective, a critique group is there to help make you a better writer, they look at your work objectively, they tell you the truth about what’s working and what’s not, and make suggestions on how to improve your writing. Not that they can’t be supportive in other aspects of writing, but the focus is the writing.

A support group does just that support you as a writer, they are not focused on the writing itself but on the writing life and how to get through it without going crazy.

The lists below are the differences that I see, that don't mean they can’t bleed over from one group to the other.

Writer’s Support Groups:

• Celebrate successes
• Cope with rejections
• Encourage you to write and keep writing
• Understand what you’re writing without censor

Critique Groups:

• Critiquing
• Brainstorming

Now I left out one item, and that is Plotting. Some critique groups will help you plot and others will not. It depends on what the group has decided on.

Does the size of the group matter?

For a support group, not really. It can be a few people, to dozens of people. Just remember the larger the group, the more personalities you have.

For a critique group, I’ve found that 3-4 is a good size; I would never go over 5 people in the group. The reason for this is because; most groups meet for only 1-2 hours and it's impossible to get feedback to all 5 people. Sometimes it's even hard with 4; it all depends on the production level of the group.

Now you maybe asking yourself what’s the difference between a support group and a critique group?

From my perspective, a critique group is there to help make you a better writer, they look at your work objectively, they tell you the truth about what’s working and what’s not, and make suggestions on how to improve your writing. Not that they can’t be supportive in other aspects of writing, but the focus is the writing.

A support group does just that support you as a writer, they are not focused on the writing itself but on the writing life and how to get through it without going crazy.

How do support groups differ from local or online chapters of RWA?

Well, I would say online, you have a 24/7 type of support. There is almost always someone out there on email. Local chapter generally only meet once a month and while some local chapters have online loops, I’ve noticed that most chapter members are not very involved, whereas online that’s the main communication.

Do members of the group have to be as the same stage of their careers?

For a support group, no they don’t. At any stage of a writer's career they’re going to need some sort of support.

For a critique group, that’s a little trickier. If you’re lucky enough to have a published author in your critique group, great. A published author is a great resource. If you don’t have a published author don’t despair. I think have a little bit of a mixture is good. You don’t want all newbie's because it might be hard to identify problems. I’ve been in quite a few critique groups and have found that a good balance is can be 1-2 newbie's, and 1-2 more experienced members. By experienced, I mean have finished more than 1 manuscript and have been submitting to editors. You can also have 3-4 members that are more experienced, because they will all have different strengths and weaknesses.

Do you need rules or structure for a “support group”?

A straight support group, I would say not really. Maybe just an understanding not to make derogatory remarks. Plus most online loops have a moderator who can keep the flames from fanning out of control. Now, it won’t hurt to have a structure or rules if you want.

For a critique group, yes rules or a structure are very important. You will want to make the decisions at the first meeting. Decisions such as: How often to meet? How many pages will we critique at a time? Do we submit the week before and get feedback the next week? Read and feedback during the critique session?

A critique group is going to be more structured than a support group.

Can there be advantages to having people from different genres in a “support group” together?

In a straight support group, yes you can benefit from having writers from other genres. Almost all writers have the same issues as for as their writing life, and insights from other genre writers is always helpful.

In a critique group, I would say no. Mainly because each genre has its own unique issues and it's really hard for someone of another genre to “get it” of another genre, especially if they don’t read that genre.

Hard to find a writer’s group? Yes, it can be. The best advice I can give you is to ask around. If you’re in an RWA chapter, start asking around, or post it to your chapter loop. You can also check out yahoo groups, there are lots of writers groups out there.

If you’re already on some writing loops, start asking on other writers on them. You’d be surprised at the responses. If you click with people on your loops, ask them if they’d like to for a support group. And then together figure out what you want from the support group.

Again, it is up to you to find the right support group. Not every writer needs a support group, and that’s fine. Do what fits for you and your situation.