Comments on: Building a Writing Community by Josi S. Kilpack, LDStorymakers http://jordanmccollum.com/2009/06/building-writing-community-josi-kilpack-ldstorymakers/ mysteries to fall in love with, romance to keep you in suspense Fri, 11 May 2012 12:07:56 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Jordan http://jordanmccollum.com/2009/06/building-writing-community-josi-kilpack-ldstorymakers/#comment-78 Jordan Mon, 22 Jun 2009 22:40:23 +0000 http://jordanmccollum.com/?p=534#comment-78 Oh, I really like the way your daughter's group works! That's really cool—it sounds like the best of both worlds. Oh, I really like the way your daughter’s group works! That’s really cool—it sounds like the best of both worlds.

]]> By: Carol/Careann http://jordanmccollum.com/2009/06/building-writing-community-josi-kilpack-ldstorymakers/#comment-77 Carol/Careann Mon, 22 Jun 2009 22:31:53 +0000 http://jordanmccollum.com/?p=534#comment-77 I travel a significant distance to attend a well established writers' group for which critiquing is only one activity. The members write in all genres and at all levels of experience. It's a pleasant group of very congenial people but is too large (10-18 usually attend). Because of necessary time constraints, readings are limited to about 500 words. Even at that, there isn't sufficient time for thoughtful critiques of each piece. We have developed some excellent critiquing guidelines, but it's difficult to put them into practice so most members resort to brief banalities. Far better is the group of six that my daughter belongs to (in a different city). All members are working on novels. The week prior to their meeting each one e-mails a chapter or scene to the five other members. All of them print out everyone's submissions at home, read them and do a basic critique ahead of time. Then they are able to meet for discussion and sharing. After the meeting each person gets to take home all the marked printouts of their work. It's the best system I've ever participated in. This parallels what many online critique groups do, except that the discussion part doesn't get to be face to face. Finding a compatible group of individuals, whether online or in the real world, is imperative for successful interaction. I wish I could locate such a group where I live but alas I live rurally and so far haven't located other writers nearby. I travel a significant distance to attend a well established writers’ group for which critiquing is only one activity. The members write in all genres and at all levels of experience. It’s a pleasant group of very congenial people but is too large (10-18 usually attend). Because of necessary time constraints, readings are limited to about 500 words. Even at that, there isn’t sufficient time for thoughtful critiques of each piece. We have developed some excellent critiquing guidelines, but it’s difficult to put them into practice so most members resort to brief banalities.

Far better is the group of six that my daughter belongs to (in a different city). All members are working on novels. The week prior to their meeting each one e-mails a chapter or scene to the five other members. All of them print out everyone’s submissions at home, read them and do a basic critique ahead of time. Then they are able to meet for discussion and sharing. After the meeting each person gets to take home all the marked printouts of their work. It’s the best system I’ve ever participated in.

This parallels what many online critique groups do, except that the discussion part doesn’t get to be face to face. Finding a compatible group of individuals, whether online or in the real world, is imperative for successful interaction. I wish I could locate such a group where I live but alas I live rurally and so far haven’t located other writers nearby.

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