Trish Reporting in!

So thrilled we've got our blog!

Hoping that the live meeting at the Atlanta Bread Company went well. I'm sorry I couldn't make it... the video chat with the last one got me juiced for more writing. :)

Perhaps a good kick-off post would be to talk about good writing groups?

I know I belong to a few, and Kim has a group at Barnes & Noble, and Anthony, I think you've mentioned another group before?

A lot of conventions I've gone to talk about joining writing groups, and there's generally a split on if they are useful or not... with the end "judgment" being that "it all depends on the group."

DragonWriters was my first writing group, and the fact we've kept up with each other for almost 8 years now, put me in the general opinion that writing groups are great things. Though we've had our lapses... and I, personally, have been really crappy about returning critiques to people in the past few years... the fact we are all here and keep chatting with each other is a positive influence in my life. As the stars aligned in 2002, we happened to put together a wonderful group of writers - people in general - and I feel that energy whenever I get to chat with anyone in the group.

On the critiques, in general, I also think the group gives a particularly high level of critique. We make our comments with the idea that we want each other to succeed, and it shows. Wanting each other to succeed doesn't mean we only say how much we love a story. No, in fact, some of the most in-depth and toughest critiques I've ever received come from this group. But, no one seems to forget that we're doing this because we want to see each others' names in print - that we want to buy each others' work. I've never felt _hurt_ by any critique from a DragonWriter.

THAT is what makes a good writers group, and if more people were able to find a group with that kind of chemistry, there would be a lot less complaints about them at conventions.

What is it that works with all of your writing groups? What defines a "good" writing group for you?