Finding a good writing group can be challenging, especially if you are new to writing and don’t know what to look for. Fortunately, there are a variety of group styles to choose from. No one style is better than the others, what matters is whether it works for its members. Some groups meet weekly, others monthly. There are groups where dedicated writers gather together to work at their craft, others are strictly social gatherings of like-minded individuals.
The difficulty in finding a good group is, like all other groups, they can be dysfunctional. Stories of writing groups gone bad are pervasive on the internet and new writers are particularly susceptible to falling prey to dysfunctional groups. Holly Lisle’s Blog lists some common types of group dynamics:
- Circle of Friends
- Masters and Slaves
- Sharks and Dinner
It only takes one person to completely change the dynamic of a group, quickly spiraling from circle of friends to sharks and dinner.