Hello, So I am, like many others, obsessed with going to our local library and using all the resources it has to offer for my writings! I've gotten to know one of the librarians quite well and the other day she suggested maybe stopping into the writing group that meets every 2 weeks at the library or maybe looking on sites such as meetup to find one locally. I had thought of it before, but have never acted on it. Has anyone ever joined one and have any pros or cons to share? I think the issue I would have is that I am only 23 and rather shy, especially about my works in progress. I am afraid that the genre I like to write, more so fantasy, and perspectives/writing style might be very different from others in those kinds of groups. Truly I have no idea, so any advice would be greatly appreciate and thank you for sharing your experiences!
I've had great success with a writer's critique group. But I did go to four different groups and only one of them was excellent. One I felt unwelcome, one didn't have a lot of skill to offer. One is a new one I've not been going long enough to say. But one I've been going to for a couple years and it's taught me how to write, literally. You won't know unless you try it.
I'm quite shy as well and am always very reluctant to share my writing (counter productive, I know!) so I had the same idea a few years ago. I personally didn't have a good experience when I joined the local writers group, but then I went along to a creative writing evening class and it was really enjoyable. I wouldn't worry about the genre you like to write in, I came across a huge mix of styles and genres in both. I think it depends on the people, how it's run and what you'd like to get out of it. You won't know until you go and see what it's like. Give it a whirl.
ABSOLUTELY ABSOLUTELY YES YES YES. Join one. I LOVE my fellow writers. There is just no substitute for a live meeting and getting to know other people who love to write in real life. They are just such a tremendous source of feedback and inspiration and information. I've been very lucky to find one I love. I have occasionally heard of people who join writers groups and they turn out to be composed of jerks and jackasses. If that happens, just look for another one. But all the ones I've encountered have been great.
