|
Writing
Groups
It's
good to expose yourself and your writing to the friendly and sympathetic
environment of a local writing group. Early in my writing career
I attended a writing group hosted by a woman who was a published
novelist with a selection of impressive-looking hardbacks sporting
her name. The group met in her house and discussed their own projects,
and she would set writing tasks for everyone to complete and then
read out so that others could offer help and guidance.
Even
though everyone there had profoundly different skills, styles, ambitions
and potential it was a valuable experience because it was a microcosm
of the real world. One day real people 'out there' are going to
read your writings, criticise them in private or in public, misinterpret
and misunderstand you, and fail to enjoy the subtle layers of irony
you spent so long lacing into the text. Better to receive that criticism
early on, from your friendly writing group, than from a vicious
journalist with the power to end your writing career prematurely
with one unfair review.
Use
a writing group as a sounding board to test your ideas and skills,
but a time will come when you won't need the hand holding and encouragement
that they can offer. When you reach that stage it's because you're
no longer an amateur: you've become someone who can host their own
group and help new writers with the benefit of your experience.
|
