I am privileged to be part of a writers' group that grew out of two writing workshops I facilitated over the past two years. My initial workshop format was based on Peter Elbow's "Writing Without Teachers," but the format has morphed over the years as group dynamics and needs have changed.
Our writers' group consists of ten writers who meet monthly in a member's home to share our stories. Some of the stories might be based on an "assignment" for the month; other stories might be based on prompts from sources such as Reedsy.com or other writerly resources. At each meeting we start by writing for 10 minutes on a given prompt, and then we read our pieces aloud. Comments to a writer are positive and encouraging. After our 10-minute practice, each writer has the opportunity to read whatever they want. The members listen, comment on what they liked, and ask questions of the writer about the piece. During the month, I will send additional prompts to try, articles on writing that I find interesting, and maybe some grammar hints. We also have a blog where we can post our stories for everyone else to read and comment on.
All of the members of the group have grown in confidence and skill. I find that I am motivated to actually start something I've wanted to write, and I might even finish it. But what I like best is hearing the writers read their work. Even when I read one of their stories on paper or online, I now hear their own physical voices in my head. It seems as though we are each becoming one with our words, developing both a literary voice and a physical connection to the words we craft.
Writing can be very personal and revealing, so we have pledged confidentiality of anything read in the meetings. However, if the writer posts the story, confidentiality is lost since control of the piece is lost by publishing it.
As we grow our skills and our body of work, I foresee a collection shaping up. And I foresee the individual writers creating their own collections of work, maybe even publishing them for the world at large. Unlimited possibilities!
