{"id":15882,"date":"2024-04-22T17:48:03","date_gmt":"2024-04-22T17:48:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carolhollandmarch.com\/?p=15882"},"modified":"2024-04-22T17:48:04","modified_gmt":"2024-04-22T17:48:04","slug":"are-you-looking-for-a-writers-group","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carolhollandmarch.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/22\/are-you-looking-for-a-writers-group\/","title":{"rendered":"Are You Looking for a Writer\u2019s Group?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" src=\"https:\/\/www.carolhollandmarch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/magic-book-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15885\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the basic rules of writing seems self evident. Don\u2019t confuse your reader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But how do you know if your writing is clear?&nbsp; Your characters relatable?&nbsp; The pace fast enough to hold a reader\u2019s attention?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How do we identify &nbsp;personal writing quirks that drag down our sentences? Like using <em>very, almost, began to, kind of, a bit, just, in order to. &nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Is our writing less direct because we use filter words like, \u201cHe saw the woman cross the street\u201d&nbsp; instead of \u201cThe woman crossed the street.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Are our tenses consistent?&nbsp; Is it clear who\u2019s speaking? &nbsp;Are paragraphs so long they become cumbersome to read?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Errors and misunderstandings about what makes prose clear and inviting can be hard to pinpoint in our own work.\u00a0 Grammar programs can help, and so can other writers willing to be honest and supportive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finding the right feedback group is important.&nbsp; You may want a genre-specific group, or one with writers who have about the same amount of experience you have. Try to be clear about your intention and what you hope to offer and gain from participation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For in-person groups, try <a href=\"https:\/\/www.southwestwriters.com\/\">Southwest Writers,<\/a> our local organization of writers helping writers. They have regular meetings, speakers, workshops, publishing opportunities and contests in addition to information about local groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.meetup.com\">Meetup<\/a> is another option for those who want in-person meetings.&nbsp; And, if you don\u2019t find what your looking for, consider starting a group. Local bookstores are a good way to find book clubs and meet other writers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are lots of online groups and communities. Here are some links to get you started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clevergirlauthor.com\/online-writing-groups\">https:\/\/www.clevergirlauthor.com\/online-writing-groups<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/iimskills.com\/online-writing-communities\">https:\/\/iimskills.com\/online-writing-communities<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Students have asked me if I teach in-person feedback groups. The answer is yes, I have in the past, and am considering starting another group for people ready to give and receive honest feedback to improve their craft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are currently working on fiction or memoir and are interested in joining a group, contact me at <a href=\"mailto:carol@carolhollandmarch.com\">carol@carolhollandmarch.com<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Include your name, contact info, what you are writing, and why you think a group would help you improve.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"288\" height=\"175\" src=\"https:\/\/www.carolhollandmarch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/group.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15887\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of the basic rules of writing seems self evident. Don\u2019t confuse your reader. But how do you know if your writing is clear?&nbsp; Your characters relatable?&nbsp; The pace fast enough to hold a reader\u2019s attention?&nbsp; How do we identify &nbsp;personal writing quirks that drag down our sentences? Like using very, almost, began to, kind &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.carolhollandmarch.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/22\/are-you-looking-for-a-writers-group\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Are You Looking for a Writer\u2019s Group?&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[125,126,128,130,132],"tags":[25,144,147,173],"class_list":["post-15882","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-carol-holland-march","category-classes","category-creativity","category-editing","category-fiction","tag-books","tag-carol-holland-march","tag-creativity","tag-writing"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.2.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Are You Looking for a Writer\u2019s Group? - Carol Holland March<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.carolhollandmarch.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/22\/are-you-looking-for-a-writers-group\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Are You Looking for a Writer\u2019s Group? - Carol Holland March\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"One of the basic rules of writing seems self evident. 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