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A writing group

Have you ever wanted to be in a writing group - or a writers' group? I think I need some accountability and some encouragement and probably some perspective and maybe instruction. As I've mentioned previously, I've looked for writers' groups in this area to no avail. I had considered starting a group, but the timing has never seemed right - and I sensed that I should not start something new.

Having an on-line writers' group was a next step. I experimented with one here at the blog site, but not much happened. We tried a Facebook group and have 19 members at the moment, but no one has posted anything for months, including me. I thought that I had lots of ideas, but haven't followed through on many of them. I thought that I was a teacher and an encourager, but I don't seem to have figured out how to create a setting for that to happen.

I wonder what's missing. I would suppose that people are just all busy with other things - just like I am. Mostly I wonder how to proceed. Should I try again to write a blog for writers?

Regarding the Facebook group, I've been informed that the old group format will be archived and a new format will be put in place. Maybe this is a good time to wind down that group - unless there is interest in going with the new format.

I wish I knew if there is any value to this. Is there anybody out there who seriously could use some encouragement and/or accountability? Are there things that we could DO in one of these formats? Should we find a way to do some serious goal-setting and then check up on each other for a certain period of time? Should I see if some of my writer friends would be willing to come alongside us wannabes and give us some serious writing tips from their experience?

So, dear writing friends, I need input from you. I need to hear if there are things that would be helpful to you. What characteristics of a writing group would appeal to you? Or is it better to not think of this as a writing group, but just as a place that will occasionally have posts about writing? Maybe it is already serving that purpose and maybe that's enough.

Comments

  1. I know I always do better with accountability to a group. I just don't know if I have TIME to be involved with another group, or with writing in general! But I am interested, nonetheless.

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  2. Thanks, Lisa, for at least registering an opinion. I vacillate between just writing a blog about writing or trying to make it more of a group atmosphere. Even though accountability is important, if it doesn't work in this setting, there isn't much sense in trying to manipulate it.

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