GAG RULES AND BAD ADVICE

The Hidden Risks of Writers’ Groups

These 5 pitfalls can hold you back if you don’t go into a group with your eyes open

Iowa Writers’ Workshop / Justin Torner, University of Iowa, Office of Strategic Communication

A decade or so ago, I thought I’d found my dream writers’ group.

With just a half dozen members, it was small enough that everyone could comment on any manuscript submitted for review. It met at a café that served Starbucks-like drinks, only better and at half the prices. It had an owner who didn’t mind if we sat and talked for hours.

Best of all, we had a high level of trust. Everyone in the group had a similar background, including that we’d all written or edited books and had worked with literary agents. We spoke a shared language about publishing that let us discuss manuscripts without fear of being misunderstood or hurting someone’s feelings.

Then a new member arrived who had talked a good line but turned out to have much less experience the rest of us. A lot of what we discussed sailed over his head, and he kept waylaying our conversations to ask for explanations of basic industry practices we all understood. Our meetings often devolved into tutorials for him instead of mutually beneficial talks among peers. We couldn’t think of a way to ease him out tactfully until, to our relief, he left town.