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"The Successful Writing Group: Embrace a Mentor" - 20th Anniversary Edition Writing is a solitary activity, but writers are not solitary creatures. We need people, and we thrive in the company of other authors. Many times, we gather to share our stories so we can improve our craft. Those gatherings we call "Writing Groups." We learn from the best of each other: The people who encourage us to keep writing, help us learn the business, and - though it might be hard to hear - tell us when we've screwed up and how we can do better. It's the people who both honestly critique us and teach us better techniques who are the most valuable to our long-term success as Authors. Those people are the Mentors. Not all writing groups are good for us, though. Some groups are filled with members who hurt us. Their critiques are not given with love and support but with jealousy and vindictiveness. Some writers critique to harm, aiming their comments at the heart of the writer instead of the words on the page, or worse yet, they take pleasure in outright killing another writer's spirit. I call those people the Freeloaders. They take all of the good that a writing group has to offer, but they give nothing of value in return. Using my 20+ years as a member and leader of various writing groups in different parts of the country, I discuss what qualities to look for in a Mentor; various Freeloaders to beware of; how to transform a toxic writing group into a healthy group one member at a time; and the various methods of leading writing groups that I've found most effective. Because the Successful Writing Group is the one that embraces its Mentors and grows its Authors.
