By Alice J. Wisler
Even though I was happy to see the notice on the library bulletin board, I didn’t realize how much it would contribute to my writing success. Someone wanted to know if others in our area were interested in forming a writers’ group. I jotted down the number to call.
Weeks later, dozens of writers met, each with grandiose ideas. People felt we should invite speakers and hold events, luncheons, and conferences. But over time the enthusiasm dwindled and we had to settle for less. Only seven of us—all women—committed to meeting each month at a fellow writer’s home. After a few months, we realized we had not settled at all. Our critique group—which we christened The Seven Serious Scribes—was not a replica of a larger group with fancy schedules, but a close-knit gathering focusing on our immediate writing needs, our flimsy and vulnerable works-in-progress, and our deep desires to be published.
Every month, we brought our printed pages to share—some brought fiction; others had nonfiction. We established rules. Each of us got 20 minutes in the limelight where we read our prose aloud. We were old-school and had an egg timer that we set. When the timer went off, it was the next writer’s turn to pass around her excerpts for critique. If you’d brought too many pages, there was little time for group input. Five pages worked best.
One of the members was a retired English teacher. Although sometimes her words (“That’s not the plural!” and “You can’t use an adverb there!”) grazed my thin skin, over the years, I valued her knowledge because it improved my sentence structure and grammar. Back at home at my computer I’d incorporate the changes she and others made into my manuscript.
Taking something to each meeting to share meant writing something. There were times when I fine-tuned a chapter for my contemporary fiction just hours before our group met. Being present at the meetings kept me producing, editing, and moving forward—especially when there were days I wanted to give up.
Perseverance was crucial. Having encouragement from my group to continue, to set goals and accomplish them, were vital components of my early life as a novelist. When I got a literary agent to represent me (after being rejected by at least fifteen), my critique group rejoiced. When my agent sold my novel and garnished a nice advance, we celebrated just as we did when others in the group sold articles to magazines and had books published.
My heartfelt gratitude to the six other scribes was expressed in the acknowledgments of my debut novel. The women were appreciative to see their names listed there. They came to my book events at libraries and bookstores. They were the cheerleaders every author needs.
It’s been 20 years since I saw the notice on my library’s bulletin board about forming a writers’ group. Whenever I meet a writer who is just starting and wants to be part of a group, but has not found one, I always suggest putting a notice on a library bulletin board. Watch what happens!
Bio: Author, blogger, workshop presenter, and business owner, Alice J. Wisler, lives in Durham, North Carolina. She eagerly awaits the publication of her seventh novel, The Writer’s Drink. Visit her website to learn more: alicewisler.com.
