murder.booklocker.com

A forum on Crimespace asked this:  

• Do you belong to a writing group?
• Have you found it helpful if and when you did?
• In the long run, did it help your writing?

I was particularly intrigued by the response of Rick Bylina.

I tried five writing groups before I ended up at one I felt comfortable with for two years. With the more serious writers in the group, we broke away and created a more focused, smaller group.

Three years later, I think I need to go to the next level and find one or two writing partners. Despite a few stumbles, the groups remained solidly focused on the works and not the writers, but disappointments have dwindled the original eight down to four, with two teetering on leaving.

I suspect writing has a much higher attrition/failure rate than anyone really knows. Based on all the stories I’ve heard, I feel I’ve learned a lot and been fortunate. Many stories of writing groups are horror stories of pompous asses and prima donnas. [my emphasis]

Perhaps when my first novel gets picked up, I’ll have more confidence and some insight into the “real” expectations of agents, editors, and the buying public to go solo and find the writing soul mate or two with whom to bounce ideas and get honest feedback in a more concentrated fashion.

I’ve submitted eight novels (parts and whole) to these writing groups. To the more direct question, yes. I have tossed two novels (both with over 50K words written) because neither seemed to be moving in a direction that would lead to publication. I have continued on a third one they never liked, but now, after years of effort, it seems, according to my beta readers, as my strongest story yet.

There is this fine line between listening to the committee and listening to yourself. It is a lucky few who develop that ear early in their careers and manage to succeed because of it.

[Reproduced with the author's permission]