Form a Local Writers' Group

A writers’ group is made up of people who love to write and want to learn how to write even better. In a group like this, you can share your hopes and dreams as a writer, you can connect with others who love to write, and learn new ways to improve your skills.

Should you start a writers group locally? How? If you are interested in starting one, start by posting notices at local coffee shops, grocery stores, veterinary clinics, churches, libraries - basically, anywhere you think they would be seen. Ask anyone who is interested in joining a local writers group to give you a call.

Once you have enough people interested in joining (sometimes just 1 other person is enough) you need to decide where to hold your meetings. Where would be some good places to hold your meetings?

1) Library - Ask the librarian if you would be allowed to hold meetings there. Meeting and discussing writing techniques among some of the world’s greatest works of literature is far more than appropriate. It could even be inspiring.

2) Church - A church is another great place to hold meetings. Most preachers should have no objection to a group of writers wishing to use the church building for meetings, as long as you don’t leave a mess. This would really be great if you have 1 or more members who want to write inspirational stories.

4) Private homes - Meeting at a different member’s home each week, or however often you schedule meetings, is another option and would add some variety to the meetings.

5) Bookstore - What better place for authors to meet than at a bookstore? If one or more of your members is a published author, this could attract new members. Some of your larger bookstores - for example Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Barnes & Noble, Hastings Bookstores - are usually conncected to coffee shops right next door so you can have coffee during your meetings. Of course, if you live in a small town like I do, you are lucky to have even a small bookstore.

6) Park - During warm, dry weather the park (unless it is a really windy day) would tempt even the normally reclusive writer to get out of the house. Just be sure not to meet right next to a water slide or pool.

What to discuss at your meetings? The obvious topics are writing techniques and ways to get published. But what else could you do? Experiences with newspapers, publishers and agents can be shared so that each of the members can learn from someone else’s mistakes or victories.

Each member reading aloud some of what they have written and then getting other members’ reactions to it is a way to critique writing abilities and improve them at the same time. Just make it clear that if one must be critical, that one must do so in a friendly manner.

Contact your local paper and see if you can work with them to hold writing contests specific to events going on in your town. My town of Beattyville, KY is home to the Woolly Worm Festival each October. Neighboring towns have a mushroom festival and a honey festival. I’m sure you can find some event that takes place each year in your hometown. See who can write the best work of fiction that centers around your town's festival.