The reading list roundup page is such a great idea! I will be referring to that often, thank you.
Writing groups are so tricky to form but so magical when the right people come together. When I graduated from my MFA program in 2011 (haha, how? wtf is time?), I spent a while organizing and running some writing groups out of my local library to try and capture the workshop energy I was missing after grad school, but the vibes were always off. Specifically, people only showed up when it was their turn to be workshopped... that fell apart quick.
Around 2013, after I'd done Sarah Selecky's online writing course, I connected with a few of her other students and we formed an online writing group that met over Skype every couple of weeks for many years. It was so lovely!
Eventually, we disbanded (but stayed friends) and recently, another couple of writer friends and I formed a very loose writing support group. We meet up on a video call once a month to connect and talk about our plans. Then we check in regularly over text, share our wins, and also share where our plans fell apart. We can send pages to each other if we need readers.
My tips would be to ask around in your online writing courses or platforms where you're already connecting with like-minded writers. See who else is seeking a writing group, and once you have a few people (I agree with you Andromeda, 3-4 members is the sweet spot!!) set up your expectations and needs and get going! Writing people are the best people, and yours are totally out there!
lololol wtf IS time, I was just thinking about that this morning.
This is such a good point -- meeting people via a class is a great opportunity!! I know a writer who said she took a class that turned out to be awful but she met two other people there and they formed a writing group, so they go something out of it!
Kristin, that is a great tip I forgot to mention. There are lots of great online classes out there--sometimes just a day or weekend long, and some much longer. It's an excellent way to sample people's personalities and work, so you know if it's worth approaching them for further sharing.
I tried one of those Beta read matchup groups and...it was not a success. I wanted it to be but i guess writing-group lightning can't strike twice. I am currently in perhaps the best writing group EVAH. That list of writing articles is a delicious treat, thanks, and congrats on making it to 100!
OMG I am so honored that my question became a post and horrified that it took me so long to get to your newsletter. I save it for when I have time to really read it because I get so much out of it, and well, as Kristin said below, WTF is TIME??? I am so excited to pore over your list (THANK YOU, CAITLIN!) and add a bunch of new titles to my list, and while not a thriller, I suspect you would both be into The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami. I am in a writing group that I adore- the coolest women that I met in my MFA, but this was when my focus was CNF, and now I am fully into fiction, and I feel like I might need another fiction/thriller/suspense writer to share pages and talk those specific challenges with. I will for sure look into your suggestions, which are great. Thank you for this newsletter which is superb!
The reading list roundup page is such a great idea! I will be referring to that often, thank you.
Writing groups are so tricky to form but so magical when the right people come together. When I graduated from my MFA program in 2011 (haha, how? wtf is time?), I spent a while organizing and running some writing groups out of my local library to try and capture the workshop energy I was missing after grad school, but the vibes were always off. Specifically, people only showed up when it was their turn to be workshopped... that fell apart quick.
Around 2013, after I'd done Sarah Selecky's online writing course, I connected with a few of her other students and we formed an online writing group that met over Skype every couple of weeks for many years. It was so lovely!
Eventually, we disbanded (but stayed friends) and recently, another couple of writer friends and I formed a very loose writing support group. We meet up on a video call once a month to connect and talk about our plans. Then we check in regularly over text, share our wins, and also share where our plans fell apart. We can send pages to each other if we need readers.
My tips would be to ask around in your online writing courses or platforms where you're already connecting with like-minded writers. See who else is seeking a writing group, and once you have a few people (I agree with you Andromeda, 3-4 members is the sweet spot!!) set up your expectations and needs and get going! Writing people are the best people, and yours are totally out there!
lololol wtf IS time, I was just thinking about that this morning.
This is such a good point -- meeting people via a class is a great opportunity!! I know a writer who said she took a class that turned out to be awful but she met two other people there and they formed a writing group, so they go something out of it!
Kristin, that is a great tip I forgot to mention. There are lots of great online classes out there--sometimes just a day or weekend long, and some much longer. It's an excellent way to sample people's personalities and work, so you know if it's worth approaching them for further sharing.
I tried one of those Beta read matchup groups and...it was not a success. I wanted it to be but i guess writing-group lightning can't strike twice. I am currently in perhaps the best writing group EVAH. That list of writing articles is a delicious treat, thanks, and congrats on making it to 100!
Who needs more than one great writing group! Ha!!!
OMG I am so honored that my question became a post and horrified that it took me so long to get to your newsletter. I save it for when I have time to really read it because I get so much out of it, and well, as Kristin said below, WTF is TIME??? I am so excited to pore over your list (THANK YOU, CAITLIN!) and add a bunch of new titles to my list, and while not a thriller, I suspect you would both be into The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami. I am in a writing group that I adore- the coolest women that I met in my MFA, but this was when my focus was CNF, and now I am fully into fiction, and I feel like I might need another fiction/thriller/suspense writer to share pages and talk those specific challenges with. I will for sure look into your suggestions, which are great. Thank you for this newsletter which is superb!