10 Reasons to Join A Writers Group

Hello writers,

Anyone can benefit from joining a writers group no matter what they write. We spend too many hours alone. While I’m a person who enjoys solitude, I relish sharing my work with like-minded people.

I joined my first critique group in 2015. After a horrific bike crash, my shoulder needed a surgery. I couldn't work while I healed. I loved to write poetry and spent my convalescence doing just that. Soon I was back to writing short stories. My job had transformed me into a workaholic, and something else was missing - a creative outlet. Once my driving restriction lifted, I sought a writers group.

Here are the 10 reasons I recommend joining one.

1. Make new friends

Outside of work and church, it was hard to find new friends. Since 2015, I’ve kept all those contacts and made more valuable connections when people joined our little tribe.

2. Learn new critique skills

Writing and critiquing are different skill sets. Over the years, I’ve learned more than grammar. I’ve learned to edit. This included developmental editing, line editing, and proofreading. At first, I was useless at helping others. Now I can not only edit for other writers, I can polish my work.

3. Exposure to different genres

Without diversity, I might’ve never read great westerns or science fiction.

4. Support and encouragement

I remember submitting my first story, and looking back, it was awful. The members didn’t say it sucked. They didn’t lie, either. They just pointed out how I could’ve written it better, and they helped me.

5. Someone to talk to about writing

I have a huge household. There’s 10 of us. 6 of us are four-legged. 2 of us have fins. That leaves me and my hubby. He hates talking about my books, promotional challenges, or anything related. I never tire of it, and I never want to shut up.

6. The more eyes, the better

As I learned to edit, so did the group. We edit each other's work. They see the errors I miss and I see theirs. It’s a win/win situation.

7. Writers have their own vibe.

I remember something funny. Our original group leader, hired by a local library, quit to become a full-time writer. The library hired a new leader for the dozen of us who attended. When she met us, she said, “You guys have a weird but cool vibe going on here.” We were a tight-knit bunch, and because she was a poet, she understood. No one else would.

8. Someone will read your work

It’s a great feeling when someone reads your stories. It’s even better when they love it.

9. You grow old together.

Critique groups are little families. Our eldest member passed away last week. She was the last remaining founder of the group I belong to now. She had been running it for over 30 years. Instead of reviewing our work, we spent our last meeting sharing stories about her. Not only do we age together, we love one another.

10. Brainstorming

If I suffer writer’s block, my group helps me get unstuck. With brainstorming, we can put my story back on track. It’s amazing how well that works.

That’s a wrap. I could easily list 10 more reasons to join a writing group, but I like to keep these posts short. If you belong to a writers critique group and you’d like to share a thought, drop a comment below. If you have a topic, and you’d like me to cover it in a future blog, ask below. I love requests.

Don’t forget to check out my book, Run Girl Run , if you haven’t. Also, sign up for my newsletter below for all the latest news about upcoming events.