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| Coffee and Inspiration: Winter Birds |
In February 2011, I was present at the
birth of a writers group. Gathered around a table were a college-age girl, a
former drama group leader, a psychologist, an artsy grandmother, an armored
truck driver, a Romanian poet, a white-haired man, and a young mom. No one
would have picked these eight people out from a crowd and thought they belonged
together, yet we all shared the compulsion to create with words. There was a
glow and a hum of energy around that table, excitement crackling in the air.
So
began FellowScript. [Note: we didn’t settle on that name until much later.] Our
mission is to nurture and
support while providing accountability. We critique each other’s work, do
writing prompts, discuss books, and share experiences. Over the years, we’ve lost some members
and gained others, and have had many adventures like carpooling to a writers
conference, breaking into e-publishing, and sharing the ups and downs of each
other’s lives.
From
my experiences so far, I’ve come up with a list of eight things that are great
about a writers group.
Community
Set out common
interest. Add people. Season with sharing. Mix well. And there you have a
pretty sure recipe for connection and camaraderie.
I spent the first few
years of my writing life working on my own, only getting input from family and
friends. I was craving more companionship. I told this desire to a friend of
mine, and one thing and another led to FellowScript being created. When the
group first started meeting, I was giddy with delight simply to know I wasn’t
alone anymore. I wrote in my journal:
“I can’t quite
comprehend that God has answered my longing to be part of a community of
writers who can sympathize with and challenge me. It
seemed so unreachable before…and then it was like God snapped His fingers and
laughed at my surprise that He could accomplish it so easily.”
Safety
I knew I was ready to
take my writing to the next level when I joined the group, but publishing was
still a distant dream. All I needed was the courage to bring my first pages of
manuscript to be read out loud. We did this at the first official meeting,
everyone taking turns reading from someone else’s work. My voice came out fast
and shaky, at first. It was an intense, good exercise in stepping out and
building trust.
I was still trembling
a little when I sat down to face my first critique, but the experience proved
invigorating, and has since become much less nerve-wracking. If I get a little
shiver, it’s more from excitement than fear. I’m not afraid, because I know my
fellow writers are motivated by wanting to help me do my best.
Fresh Perspectives
Artists can have trouble
with near-sightedness—and not just the physical kind. You have to get close to
your work, and that often results in a loss of perspective. Even when you step
back, you might not be able to figure out what’s not working.
Time to bring in
fresh eyes.
A good critique will
not just point out things you never noticed—it will also confirm things you
already knew but were hiding from, such as lazy plotting.
One time, I submitted
a chapter for critique that had the hero suffering a bad accident—basically
falling off a cliff—for no apparent reason except to have him spend more time
with the heroine while recuperating. Knowing this was not very compelling, I
tacked on the bonus that because he had been riding ahead when he fell, the
carriage behind him—containing baggage and servants—was spared…though no
explanation was given for why they took a carriage on this dangerous, narrow
path, or how they turned it around afterward.
One of my fellow
writers looked up at me and asked, “Why’s the carriage so important?”
The dumbstruck look
on my face was quite amusing to the rest of the group.
That began my crusade
to weed out lazy plot devices, which eventually led to a massive rewrite of
much of that book…
Humor
You need to be able
to laugh at yourself. I did in the “why’s-the-carriage-so-important” moment,
and many more. A writers group should be a place where you can geek out about
literary stuff, tell funny stories, lovingly poke fun at your fellow writers,
and welcome fun being poked at you.
Differences of
Opinion
You might worry that
a writers group will influence you too much, and you will end up writing just
to get their approval. This is a legitimate concern, and I sometimes feel the
temptation, having a pleaser-personality. But I think the far greater danger is
being unwilling to take any advice at all. ‘In the multitude of counselors
there is safety’ (Proverbs 11:14).
Things always get
interesting when critics disagree:
“I thought that
paragraph was vague and confusing.”
“WHAT?! I thought
that part was beautiful! I totally got what she was saying.”
This is where the
author has to be brave and make her own decision.
Free Advice
If you join a writers
group that contains a “grammar Nazi”, a spelling fanatic, a
get-the-facts-straight nerd, or someone who dares to give formatting advice,
please don’t complain. Don’t tell them to buzz off. Don’t give them dirty
looks.
Thank them.
Chances are, if you
take their advice, your writing—and you—will be smarter, and stand a better
chance of being published and purchased. In a good group, you will be receiving
constructive criticism on everything from plotlines to word choice. Even if you
think they’re just plain wrong on something, it’s a wise idea to consider it
carefully. For instance, someone underlines a word and notes that they don’t
think it’s real. You know it is—you found it in the dictionary. But maybe it
isn’t the right word for the situation, and that’s why it struck them wrong.
Shared Minds
Your fellow writers’
minds are a treasure trove of information. The more variety in the group, the
better. Men and women of different ages, from all sorts of backgrounds and
occupations, bring a lot of experience. A psychologist can give insightful
advice on character development, a young mom can share thoughts on the behavior
of a small child, a man can help a female author write more masculine heroes,
and some people can even give tips on things like swords and ancient medicine.
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| Photo by Starla Pearson |
Personal Concern
FellowScript is made
of Christians. I believe what keeps this group going is that we know there is a
higher purpose for our gifts than getting wealthy and making a name for
ourselves. We know about the things that are going on in each other’s lives,
and we pray for each other. Though we have mess-ups and misunderstandings, we
all serve Jesus, who set the example of love and forgiveness.
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