Mickey J. Corrigan on Writing Groups

We have author Mickey. J. Corrigan sharing with us today the joys and pitfalls of writing groups. Please welcome Mickey...

The Joys (and Pitfalls) of Writing Groups

Mickey J. Corrigan

I've been a professional writer and editor for many years, but I didn't join my first writing group until 2012. A decade earlier, I'd attended an ongoing poetry workshop in Boston. The workshop leader was a legendary poet  and the ever-changing group hosted a long list of amazing writers. It was fantastic. That's where I learned to write a poem, instead of jotting down prose and arranging it in short lines. The group met in a classroom and the leader served as our teacher. He had worked with local legends like Anne Sexton, so we knew we could trust him to guide us in the right direction.

Now I belong to several writers groups in Florida. We usually meet in a local chain restaurant and sit amidst the din of harried diners. Group organizers moderate the time spent on each person's writing. Leadership is more of a shared venture. There is no venerable writer to whom we all turn for guidance.

However, I do love my writers groups. The people tend to be bright, open, and intellectually inquisitive. They provide me with the opportunity  to share a few pages of a story or novel and be present when people read the work. I love it when somebody laughs out loud. Or groans. And their confusion about something that seems clear to me indicates the writing needs more effort. Enthusiasm shown in the groups has inspired me to complete work I had thought I might abandon. And members' critiques have demonstrated a wide range of reactions to material I thought would elicit a standard response.

However, writing groups can be merciless. When you hand someone your writing and ask them to critique it, they will look for ways to make changes. Some people over-analyze. They rearrange everything. They have a better idea, a better opening line, a much better ending.  If you send the same piece to them in published form, they tend to see it differently. Usually, they are more accepting and will read to enjoy or comprehend rather than to modify.

So it can be a challenge to bring your work to a writing group. And it can be worthwhile. I think the most productive format for a writing group includes a skilled leader with years of writing and publishing experience. Another successful format is a tight group formed by like-minded peers who appreciate one another's work and know how to advise in ways that enhance rather than merely change the work.

As an editor, I often advise new writers to try to find a local writers group. The experience can be enlightening and educational. It can help shape a writers' voice. And it's the best preparation I know for dealing with rejection. Ugh. That endless stream of rejection every writer must face when they turn work over to agents, editors, publishers and readers. We all have to learn how to deal with that.

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Mickey J. Corrigan is the author of a handful of novellas and the novel Sugar Babies, a sexy thriller. Her newest novella is the first book in The Hard Stuff Series from The Wild Rose Press. Whiskey Sour Noir is a tough luck love story about a woman who works in a homeless shelter and falls in love with a convicted sex offender. Can she believe his claims of innocence? Love can be so bittersweet.

Visit Mickey here:

www.mickeyjcorrigan.com

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5828647.Mickey_J_Corrigan

Mickey's latest release is:

Whiskey Sour Noir

Tami Lee Conkers knows her own mind, and she knows she has gotten herself into trouble by falling for the handsome, well-educated Cat Avery. She knows better, as the man is a registered sex offender who has served his time and now tends bar, but she believes his claim of innocence.

Having lost everything—career, family, home and reputation—Cat thinks he has figured out who set him up for the crime he didn't commit. He is determined to seek revenge. All around him, life is going from bad to worse until Tami Lee comes a callin'. Without Tami's help, Cat's life is over.

As the world spins out of control around them, can Tami justify leaving her life behind for one man? 

Buy links for Whiskey Sour Noir:

Amazon