8 Things You Need for a Writing Club
I joined my book club on a whim. A recent Instagram follow popped in her stories and announced that the PDX Book Babes were meeting the next Saturday at a restaurant downtown. I live in the Portland area and was eager for likeminded bookish people to connect with. I messaged this internet person (could I even call her an acquaintance at that point?) and made plans to meet strangers from the internet.
What started as a caution-to-the-friendship-winds situation is now a three-person book club with some of my favorite women ever. We meet mostly every month, have a running conversation on Marco Polo, and share about everything from what we’re reading and loving to confidences about other friendships, faith shifts, and marriage difficulties. This book club is much more than a book club.
Recently I came across the concept of a writing club. Definitions of a writing club vary, but it all boils down to the same core idea: a community of writers to support, cheer, and hold space for one another. If you want to create a writing club, consider these eight elements to make the most of your time, energy, and connections.
Make sure you have a way to meet.
This should be obvious, but it’s worth putting out there anyway. As you’re considering putting together a writing group, make sure that you’re clear on how you’re going to meet. A virtual group, for example, will have fewer membership restrictions than a group that meets in person. Do you want to connect with internet friends, or is an in-person gathering the most beneficial for you? As you invite people to be a part of your writing club, start out with clarity on how you’re going to meet. Knocking out that detail right away will make the rest a little bit easier.
2. Establish a shared purpose.
Your writing club can (and maybe should) be diverse. You can include writers of different genres and forms, in different places within the publishing timeline. What’s most important is that every writer comes with intentions on the same wavelength. Maybe one of you is shooting for a big book deal, and another is still dabbling and trying to figure out what she wants to write about. But if both come into the group ready to share and connect, then you’re all in a good spot. Someone looking for a yes-man or an ego boost might not fit in a group that’s focused primarily on connection and support.
3. Decide on a format.
How do you want your writing group to function? Is this a critique group, or more of a co-writing meeting? Will each member bring something each meeting to read aloud, or will each meeting allow a different member the spotlight? You can format your writing club in a multitude of ways, and deciding on that construction will help you and your club members to know what to expect meeting to meeting.
4. Consider accountability.
How do you want to incorporate accountability? Do you want to have everyone bring writing to read aloud each meeting? Or is sharing weekly goals over a messaging app more your speed? Everyone in the writing group should agree on accountability measures that are both do-able and consistent to make the most of your time and focus together.
5. Be consistent.
A writing club won’t do much for you if you’re not sure when you’re going to be meeting from month to month. Set clear expectations for when, where, and how often you’ll meet. A writing club could meet as often as once week to even once a quarter. (I, however, don’t advise pushing it out further than that.) Consistency goes hand-in-hand with accountability. When you and your fellow writers can know what to expect and when, you can arrange your writing rhythms around your meetings.
6. Commit.
Everyone in your writing club should be on the same page (this goes well with establishing your intentions together). Someone who is serious about getting published will approach a writing group differently from someone who writes only every now and then when they find the time. You want your writing club members to have a similar level of commitment to make the most of this experience. When each writer is invested equally in their own project, they’ll be able to cheer each other on with the right amount of sincerity and enthusiasm.
7. Trust each other.
Writing is one of the most vulnerable ways to express yourself, and if you’re going to be sharing your WIP, your goals, and your hangups with a group, you need to be able to trust them. Magic happens in small groups where everyone assumes the responsibility of trust and safety.
8. Engage with kindness.
An extension of trust, kindness will give your writing group a productive energy and enthusiastic longevity. Assume the best of each other and your writing, and when you have critique, deliver that with gentleness. Kindness is my favorite part of participating in writing groups; it crosses the divide, building friendship and connection.
Have I convinced you yet?
How are you feeling about the idea of a writing club? Have I ignited your ideas yet? Writing groups, however they’re executed and structured, can lend community to what is otherwise a lonely creative outlet and offer support during those inevitable dips in energy, motivation, and confidence.
Did you know that a writing club is a key part of my signature program, The Memoir Method? Whenever I run the program live, I schedule weekly co-writing sessions. Here’s how they work:
At the beginning of the cohort I survey my writers to find the best days and times for everyone.
I email out the schedule to everyone when it’s finalized, so that the writers can put the sessions straight into their calendar. Having the schedule decided at the very beginning allows for the writers to carve out time and prioritize the co-writing sessions.
The co-writing sessions happen over Zoom. At the beginning we do a brief checkin, where everyone shares where they are in their writing and what they plan to work on during the session. And we don’t keep our updates to just writing, either. The beginning of our co-writing sessions are a time to reconnect and refocus together.
We then spend the next hour or so with our mics muted working on our own projects. I like to keep my camera on to make myself available for anyone who has questions. Knowing that we’re all there together virtually putting effort, thought, and time into our stories makes that quiet work session connective and fulfilling.
In the last ten minutes or so, I unmute my microphone and gently call the writers back to the group. I check in and see how everyone feels about their progress. Sometimes a writer will share what they’ve written or an insight they had while working through The Memoir Method training materials. This is a time where writers can ask questions, share lightbulb moments, and cheer each on.
These co-writing sessions are the heart and soul of The Memoir Method. If these co-writing sessions are something you’d like to be a part of, join The Memoir Method waitlist here. Doors open next in May 2023! (And if you have any questions about the program, feel free to email me by going to the Contact Me page.)
