Debi Graham-Leard

After I joined the Cape Cod Writers Center several years ago, I heard that there was a well-established writing group near me  in the town of Stoughton, MA. Knowing how important it is to get feedback from readers, especially other writers, I joined them immediately and have never looked back.

This group is comprised of several teachers, a retired insurance agent, an engineer, and a grandmother, among other members who drift in and out of the group as life permits. The manuscripts vary from coming of age stories to historical novels to mysteries and everything in between. At any particular meeting, we will have between four and eight participants, all eager to hear and be heard as we make suggestions to improve each others efforts to put a story on paper.

Sometime after joining, I was asked if I’d be interested in forming a new writing group with another writer who lived in south Plymouth, about an hour’s drive from my home. My answer was an enthusiastic “YES!” We meet at least twice each month. Members have joined and dropped out, our number has gone up and come back down, but we remain a viable resource of gentle critique with only improvement in mind.

When yet a third group was formed in my area via a website called “Meetup.com”, I thought I could handle the extra work involved to not only prepare my own piece for submission, but to review the writings of the other members. After several meetings, I came to the conclusion that three was too many and dropped out.

And so, I have settled back into my original two groups and am content. Each member zeroes-in on a different aspect of the writing, which carries a value beyond compare.

My advice on writing groups? Find one where you feel that most members are making valid suggestions to improve your story, and keep on writing!