Writing Groups: An Introvert’s Nightmare or Saving Grace?

Before I considered myself a writer, I was a journaler.

Journaling was my way of processing the world and my mental health challenges through bits of poetry, streams of consciousness, and little scribbles when I couldn’t find the words. My writing was explicitly solitary, and the idea of sharing my writing with another living soul was a big fat NOPE in my estimate. And that was fine for me for a while.

Then I started taking my writing more seriously. I began playing with short stories and book ideas, and I had this little itch in the back of my head to explore publishing. That’s when the Impostorism stepped in, and it brought its friend Perfectionism. I became frozen. I avoided writing at all costs. I came up with a million reasons why each piece wasn’t good enough. While my introspection and introversion drove me to writing, the solitude nearly made me give up.

Thankfully, my desire to write overrode my desire for safety, and I found the courage to try out a writing group. Since then, I’ve grown in my confidence, had my first two published pieces, and expanded my skills as a writer more than my old journaler self could have ever imagined! Perfectionism and Impostorism are still there, don’t get me wrong, but writing groups helped get them out of the driver’s seat.

Let’s take a closer look at what writing groups can offer to support writers through the mental minefield of creativity.

Normalizing the writer experience

Writing can be a downright pain in the ass. There, I said it. We’re constantly in a wrestling match with our brain, which comes with a life’s worth of baggage. Perfectionism, impostorism, burnout, writer’s block—these are all struggles that most every writer will run into at some point in their career. Writing is vulnerable, and when you want to start sharing that vulnerability with the world, there are going to be some hang-ups. But the beauty of writing groups is the ability to share those hang-ups with other people who know exactly how you’re feeling. They know because they just had a mental breakdown yesterday about this exact same thing, and they’re so glad you said something because they were starting to feel like they were losing their mind. Writing groups normalize the madness and the mess that goes into writing and help us take the next step forward.

Setting up a consistent writing schedule

Some people can stick to routines like I stick to my peanut butter addiction—every chance I get to put peanut butter on something, you can bet it will be done. If you’re able to stick to a routine with your writing, consider yourself lucky indeed. For the rest of us, writing groups provide an opportunity for accountability with our writing schedules. We’re more likely to show up when we know someone will be there with us, sharing in the experience. And if the schedule is set in stone, we’re less likely to turn on “The Good Place” for the 20th rewatch. Instead, we’ll settle in with our computer or drive to the local bookstore or coffee shop to meet our writing group and crank out those words.

Finding community

We love our nonwriter friends, but sometimes it’s so nice to be around people who understand the writing journey. How often do your nonwriter friends and family want to hear about your WIP? How many of your friends even know what a WIP is? Finding community and friendships in a writing group means you have someone to laugh with when your characters aren’t behaving; people who won’t say something ridiculous like, “Don’t you control the characters? How can they be misbehaving?” No, Carol, I don’t. They run the show, I am merely a vessel.

Improving your skills

Writing groups give you access to peers, critique partners, and often industry professionals, who are also pursuing better writing skills. Have you ever asked friends or family to beta read for you? You may have received vague responses like, “Oh, I loved it! Your English teacher would be so proud,” or, “I didn’t quite understand everything, but I’m sure you know what you’re doing.” They aren’t able to articulate what it might be missing, so you aren’t any closer to improving the piece. But the people in your writing group have most certainly taken courses or workshops somewhere along the line, and the group can come to your aid when you’re feeling stuck or need some advice on improving your craft. Some groups are even led by editors or book coaches! And, as long as they’re intentionally set up to be this way, they are safe places to share your writing and get feedback that’s both encouraging and constructive.

Accessing learning opportunities

Speaking of workshops, many writing groups include access to workshops for learning opportunities. Topics I’ve seen covered include how to structure a story or scene, how to self edit, how to find an agent, and how to market your book. If your writing group has a monthly fee, these workshops might be included in that rate, which means you don’t have to pay anything additional each time. Compared to writing classes that can cost upward of $500-1,000 per class, you could get more out of a writing group over the long term than you might out of those one-time classes.

Each writing group is different and will offer its own structure, schedule, and style, and it’s only a matter of finding the one that feels good in your sweet introverted soul. Since joining that first writing group, I’ve sat in on several groups to find out what structure of community works best for me, which led me to eventually start my own writing group with my colleague and co-captain, Gabby Goodloe, called The Writer’s Helm, where we are able to implement a fun, adventurous spirit into our group that puts the writer first.

Not every writer needs a writing group, and not every writing group will be the right fit. But any writer feeling a little lost at sea in their solitude should feel empowered to go out and find their people who will help them grow in their confidence and craft.