Mslexia

Mslexia, the magazine for women who write | www.mslexia.co.uk

Essentials

Q: How do I set up a writing group?

A:

◊ Decide what sort of group you would like to set up. The focus may be on writing for self-discovery, as a form of release, or therapy; or it may be on improving writing to publishable standard. In practice the two approaches will overlap – but it’s a good idea to establish where the emphasis lies.

◊ Think about what types of workshop you want to run. In work-in-progress workshops, members present writing for discussion and critical feedback. Limit to, say, 1,000 words, and send copies in advance of the meeting. In exercise-based workshops, members produce work in response to a set exercise, then read it aloud (or not). You may wish to invite guest facilitators with a special expertise to lead sessions; you’ll need to pay a fee and ensure a good audience; groups with a large membership will be better able to support costs.

◊ Decide on the when and where. Set the time according to the sort of person you want to attract: daytime meetings exclude working women. Late nights are bad for mothers. Fridays and weekends may clash with other commitments.

◊ A small group may meet in members’ houses – but be sure to rotate so one person doesn’t play host all the time. Larger groups need to find a quiet, cheap or free venue; e.g. the upstairs room of a pub, local library or community centre.

◊ Decide on your ideal number of members, and start recruiting. Send press releases to literary mags like Mslexia or Writers’ News, local arts listings, and put up posters with contact details in libraries, cafés, independent bookshops etc.

◊ For practical and financial support, try local authority arts development officers and Arts Council literary development officers (see www.artscouncil.org.uk; www.scottisharts.org.uk; www.academi.org – Wales). Also the National Association of Writers’ Groups (NAWG) at www.nawg.co.uk. Every area has a Council for Voluntary Services providing practical advice on setting up new organisations. For the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action see www.navca.org.uk; for the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations see www.scvo.org.uk.

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