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Abstract

opic.</p><h2 id="8bd0">Putting myself out there</h2><p id="0653">Although I’m not a very social person, my impulse for connection outweighed my fear of rejection and I reached out with a simple question.</p><p id="d86a">“I notice that there are four of us who are regularly posting on this Slack channel. Would you like to connect outside of the class on Zoom?”</p><p id="1bac">The first one said, “No, I’m too busy. I work full time and already have too much to do for this class.”</p><p id="1942"><i>That was discouraging.</i></p><p id="8fcb">However, the other two said, “yes”!</p><h2 id="42fc">Starting our group</h2><p id="4a2f">On our first zoom call we found out that we spanned three decades — one of us was in our 60’s, I was in my 50’s and another was in her 40’s. We also found out that we each had advanced degrees and we all lived on the West Coast.</p><p id="bb1f">Our first meeting was tentative. We talked about the class, our assignments and about the books we were writing. Even though we were navigating the awkwardness of a new connection, the three of us enjoyed getting to know one another.</p><h2 id="1630">Sharing our writing</h2><p id="7449">Over time, our relationship grew along with our trust. We began sharing more about our lives, and then we began sharing our writing.</p><p id="5701">At first, we were nervous about exchanging our prose.</p><p id="6b42">However, we took the leap of faith and began emailing five pages of our books-in-progress to each other each week. The more we shared, the more we craved the next installation of each other’s stories.</p><p id="c06c">It’s been over a year since our initial Zoom meeting, and we are still talking and writing. Since none of us have a paid Zoom subscription, I schedule four, half hour calls in back-to-back

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increments.</p><h2 id="6536">Our call structure</h2><p id="ef90">Our two-hour sessions are loosely structured. The first half hour is devoted to catching up on our lives and the remaining three half hours are divided up amongst the three of us — each of us getting feedback on what’s working or not working on our writing.</p><p id="cf43">There’s no cost to our writing group, but it provides us with incredible value.</p><p id="d1c9">Although the two other members of the group stayed with our original instructor, I went my own way. At times I felt lonely not being in the same class as my writing friends, however, the support of our group helped me to keep going.</p><p id="f8bb">Between our weekly chats, I continued my research. I read books and explored other teachers. I listened to podcasts on writing and participated in free, writing webinars.</p><p id="1e4e">I’m exceedingly grateful for my writing group and often wonder where I’d be without them. Would I still be writing? I’m not sure.</p><h2 id="fb32">What I’ve learned</h2><p id="f4df">Since I’ve gained so much from our weekly writing group, I wanted to share my experience with others. For anyone interested in creating their own group, this is what I’ve learned from my experience:</p><ul><li>Put yourself out there, the risk is worth the effort.</li><li>Think of who you can connect with — maybe it’s as easy as forming a group with writers that you like on Medium.</li><li>Start out slow — get to know each other before jumping into critiques.</li><li>Be generous — share what you’re learning with your writing partners.</li></ul><p id="a799">Writing can be a lonely venture. I feel fortunate to have found my writing group friends and hope that by sharing my story other people can find theirs too.</p></article></body>

How My Writing Group Provides More Than I Anticipated

We found each other on a slack channel

I remember how nervous I was to book my first writing class.

My finger hovered over the purchase button — should I, or shouldn’t I?

On the one hand, I was new to writing and knew I needed that extra push to get me going. On the other hand, I figured I’d learn by doing and perhaps didn’t need instruction. My impulsivity took over and I made the purchase.

Navigating the class

The class instructor was a Zen-like, bald man who took us through a series of slides each week. He encouraged us to “just write” and reminded us to, “find the love in our stories” or to “see our story like we were the wise person on the hill”.

It seemed to be hard-earned advice, but I found myself wanting something more. Although the weekly zoom sessions were informative, for me, they lacked a sense of personal connection.

An added benefit of the class was a Slack channel, and we were all encouraged to post on it. Each day a prompt question was posted that we were supposed to answer.

The questions were thought provoking, and I was craving a place for self-expression. I noticed that there were four of us who were posting each day — the same people sharing their reflections on a pre-assigned topic.

Putting myself out there

Although I’m not a very social person, my impulse for connection outweighed my fear of rejection and I reached out with a simple question.

“I notice that there are four of us who are regularly posting on this Slack channel. Would you like to connect outside of the class on Zoom?”

The first one said, “No, I’m too busy. I work full time and already have too much to do for this class.”

That was discouraging.

However, the other two said, “yes”!

Starting our group

On our first zoom call we found out that we spanned three decades — one of us was in our 60’s, I was in my 50’s and another was in her 40’s. We also found out that we each had advanced degrees and we all lived on the West Coast.

Our first meeting was tentative. We talked about the class, our assignments and about the books we were writing. Even though we were navigating the awkwardness of a new connection, the three of us enjoyed getting to know one another.

Sharing our writing

Over time, our relationship grew along with our trust. We began sharing more about our lives, and then we began sharing our writing.

At first, we were nervous about exchanging our prose.

However, we took the leap of faith and began emailing five pages of our books-in-progress to each other each week. The more we shared, the more we craved the next installation of each other’s stories.

It’s been over a year since our initial Zoom meeting, and we are still talking and writing. Since none of us have a paid Zoom subscription, I schedule four, half hour calls in back-to-back increments.

Our call structure

Our two-hour sessions are loosely structured. The first half hour is devoted to catching up on our lives and the remaining three half hours are divided up amongst the three of us — each of us getting feedback on what’s working or not working on our writing.

There’s no cost to our writing group, but it provides us with incredible value.

Although the two other members of the group stayed with our original instructor, I went my own way. At times I felt lonely not being in the same class as my writing friends, however, the support of our group helped me to keep going.

Between our weekly chats, I continued my research. I read books and explored other teachers. I listened to podcasts on writing and participated in free, writing webinars.

I’m exceedingly grateful for my writing group and often wonder where I’d be without them. Would I still be writing? I’m not sure.

What I’ve learned

Since I’ve gained so much from our weekly writing group, I wanted to share my experience with others. For anyone interested in creating their own group, this is what I’ve learned from my experience:

Put yourself out there, the risk is worth the effort.
Think of who you can connect with — maybe it’s as easy as forming a group with writers that you like on Medium.
Start out slow — get to know each other before jumping into critiques.
Be generous — share what you’re learning with your writing partners.

Writing can be a lonely venture. I feel fortunate to have found my writing group friends and hope that by sharing my story other people can find theirs too.