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"...it only makes sense to work together with other writers to hone your skills. You all grow as writers…"
In their newly published book Don't Forget to Write!, the 6' Ferret Writers Group presents the fruits of 10 years collective experience. In Part I of her email interview with RoseDog, Dawn Rosner, who edited this group effort, responds to key questions about the intrinsic value and challenges of writing groups.
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Don't ask your Mom to critique your writing!
Could you be an editor not a writer?
Avoiding stage fright at that first reading.
Mixing talent and sex!
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 RoseDog: Some writers feel "a reader is a reader is a reader", and are content to look to family and friends for comments on their work. Is this a mistake?
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| Dawn Rosner: It can be a very big mistake. When you ask someone to read something you’ve written and tell you what they think, what you’re really asking is, "Does this piece work? What did you like? What didn't you like? How can I improve it?" Family and friends usually can't give you the kind of answer you want. The supportive ones may be afraid they'll hurt your feelings if they say what they really think, or believe it's better to just say something nice to encourage you. The relatives or friends who don't believe that writing is a good use of your time may even be unresponsive or try to discourage you. There are exceptions, of course—if you're fortunate, you may have writers or editors among your family and friends, or even just know someone who understands the question and is direct enough to give you the kind of answer you need. |
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RD: What does a fellow writer bring to the table that non-writers don't?
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| DR: Understanding and experience. Other writers are more likely to know how to give the kind of feedback you need. They'll also have at least some level of common experience. Perhaps most importantly, they're more likely to be objective in appraising your work—you're more likely to get an honest answer. Writers can not only help you catch grammatical or punctuation errors, but they are also sensitive to the more subtle aspects of writing, such as tone, sentence rhythm, and transitions. They can make suggestions to help you improve your work in these less obvious areas. |
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RD: Critiquing other writers’ work can be a very effective way of improving one's own writing and it is something we encourage on RoseDog with the "Give Me Feedback" option. But we sometimes have the impression that writers hesitate to critique others' work because they consider it "helping the competition". Do you think that subconsciously this may be one reason why some writers don't join writing groups?
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| DR: That could be. We've gotten several e-mails from visitors to our website saying how amazed they are that we put so much information up for free (helping the competition), and I've also seen that kind of surprise from other writers I've dealt with, one-on-one over the Internet. It's true that there is a lot of competition out there, but each writer is different and brings his or her own mix of talent, skill, interests, and background to his or her work. Editors have their own tastes, too, and will be drawn more to one writer's style and subject matter than another's. Because of that, I don't feel threatened by other writers. I believe that if I write a good piece and send it to the right editor, it will find a home regardless of what others are writing. If you look at it that way, it only makes sense to work together with other writers to hone your skills. You all grow as writers, and that's all right—after all, no agent or editor is likely to turn away truly great writing, even if it comes from everyone in your group. |
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RD: How difficult is that moment when a writer shares her/his work for the first time with a new writing group?
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| DR: It's often extremely difficult. You're opening yourself up to people you don’t know, and if they aren't the right people, the results can be painful. It's only natural to be apprehensive. New writers usually have the hardest time, but even people experienced in receiving critiques get nervous. I tend to get nervous sharing the first chapter of a new novel with my group, even though I know everyone very well; it's probably because I'm opening up a new part of myself that even I haven't yet explored, and that makes me very vulnerable. |
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RD: Do you think groups lose potential members who just can't face their first reading and what can be done to make it easier?
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| DR: I'm sure it happens all the time. Of course, if that moment is the only reason for turning away from a group, it's possible the person isn’t ready to join a writers' group; in that case, I'd suggest the person wait a while, then try again. Groups can make the first reading a little easier for new members. It helps if you take the time to thoroughly introduce yourselves to the new person, and then give him or her a chance to do the same. Then have a few current members share their work and receive comments, so the new person has some idea of what to expect. When it's time for the group to critique the new person’s work, be sure to point out some positive aspects first before launching into what areas need work, and try to finish up on a positive note so writer doesn't leave feeling discouraged. Keep the critiques honest, but bear in mind that the new member is opening up to you for the first time, and so needs a little extra support. Another alternative is to have the person attend a meeting or two as an observer only, to see what it's like and to get to know you before he or she actually shares any work. |
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RD: If someone consistently fails to produce work her/himself, and instead puts effort into critiquing others' work, what is this likely to mean and how should the group respond?
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| DR: It could mean a few things. It's possible that the person isn’t comfortable sharing his or her work with the group; that the person is a "wanna-be writer" who doesn't actually write anything; or maybe he or she is really an editor at heart. How a group responds depends on whether or not the members perceive the situation to be a problem. Some groups are very loose, come-as-you-are types, and it's possible that writers turning up without work won’t bother them at all. In other, more structured groups, people who act solely as editors may not be welcome. If that's the case, the group needs to get together (with or without the "non producing" members) to discuss the situation and decide what action should be taken. In Don't Forget to Write!, we emphasize the importance of communication. A good start is to speak to such members and ask why they don't bring any work to the group. Once you find the reason, it becomes much easier to solve the problem. If members feel intimidated for instance, talk about ways you can help them feel at ease; if they simply haven't written anything, encourage their participation by doing writing exercises, providing a warm-up writing assignment, or setting a deadline by which they are expected to bring something to share. If all else fails, and the group is suffering because of a non-contributing member, the last resort, of course, is to ask the person to leave, perhaps with an invitation to return when he or she is ready to contribute as a writer. |
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RD: How important is a good match of talent and personality in a successful writers' group?
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| DR: That's a little more difficult to answer, and I'm not sure there's really any one "right" answer. Each group is different. As far as personalities are concerned, what's important isn't so much how well they "match" as how well they "blend." The 6' Ferret Writers' Group currently has eight members, and we each have a very different personality. As long as the personalities don't severely clash—say, two strongly-opinionated people who find themselves in constant opposition—and as long as all members share the same goals for the group, there's usually room for a wide variety of personalities. In many ways, having different personalities is actually a bonus. In our group, we have very diverse life experiences, professions, and interests, and the group can draw on those differences for information and inspiration. Regarding matching levels of writing ability, there are differing opinions. I think talent is sometimes difficult to identify in beginner writers because their work isn't as polished or strong as that of more experienced writers. You grow as a writer over time; your work improves. Therefore, a better question might be, "Should you mix experienced and novice writers?" Some people feel that you shouldn't, because the more experienced members can't learn from newer writers; others find benefit in feedback on their work from anyone with any level of experience. Again, I feel there is no one right answer, because there are well-functioning groups reflecting both opinions on the question. Overall, it's more important for the group to know what they want. When they are recruiting new members, they should do their best to determine if potential members meet whatever criteria the group has set. If the group likes a broad mix of experience, that's fine; if it's a group of new writers who feel intimidated by having professional writers in their midst, then by all means, keep it to non-professionals; and if it's a group of seasoned writers who don't want to rehash the questions and problems faced by new writers, then they should set guidelines as to how much experience they'd like new members to have. There are a few points to keep in mind when deciding whether or not to mix experience levels. On the positive side, each individual brings something unique to the group, regardless of his or her experience as a writer. Even new writers can offer their opinions as readers, and each will approach your work from a different point of view. Also, the more experienced writers can help newer writers "learn the ropes"—a useful thing for novice writers, but something which can slow the meetings down for the more experienced members. Still, if the critiques by novice writers are thoughtful and the experienced writers benefit from them, then the pros and cons tend to balance out. What matters is maintaining a good comfort level for the members. |
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RD: How important is it to have a mixed-sex group?
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| DR: We touch on that matter in Don't Forget to Write! It's been tremendously beneficial to us to have people of both sexes in our group, because we can test the credibility of characterization thanks to feedback from members of the character's sex. But perception and interpretation vary. I've found, that in portraying the character of a woman, for instance, something perceived by male members as positive may be perceived by female members as negative. There are also some people who feel more at ease and are able to be more open in a single-sex group; they may not feel comfortable sharing their work with members of the opposite sex. In a single-sex group, they'll still get the benefit of working with other writers of course, but they should be aware that there is a difference, and that they will be missing out on some valuable feedback. Our own group has gone through periods of mixed- and single-sex membership, and from my experience, mixed is the way to go.
————— Read Part II of our interview with Dawn here.
Purchase this book from Xlibris, Amazon, Borders, Barnes & Noble |
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Check out the local writing groups in RoseDog's Classifieds here.
Visit the 6' Ferret site here
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