Ready to unlock the power of collaborative writing? Starting a writing group is a fantastic way to find accountability, improve your writing skills, and build a supportive community of fellow writers. This page will walk you through the process of creating your own writing group, from finding members to establishing shared expectations. Let's dive in!
We suggest that you complete the following steps to start your writing group. Feel free to modify the order, add or subtract steps, or create new documents to best suit your needs. The process below shows a more formal way to set up a group to give you some ideas to help you create your own approach. Be creative, casual, or formal with the creation process to suit your needs.
Choose what type of writing group you would like to create.
Invite potential members to an initial planning meeting. These people should be interested in the group type you selected. Consider looking for members from your department, major, class, college, or cohort. You can reach out by email, post on a class discussion board, or ask your friends or classmates. Be that first person who reaches out! Start the ripple!
At the planning meeting, (A) get to know one another and (B) flesh out how the group will run. You can use a few questions from the Writer Self-Reflection (below) and some questions from the Expectation Agreement (also below).
Schedule and set the agenda for your first official meeting. Groups tend to do well when (1) the ground rules are at least tentatively set, and (2) the first meeting has a date. At the end of the first or second meeting, create space for members to request any needed updates to how the group operates.
This self-reflection can help writers take stock of where they are in their writing journeys, where they can go, and what they are looking for in a writing group. We recommend choosing any two to four of these questions to use for your group planning meeting. Here is a link to copy the Google Doc template of the self-reflection questions to fill out for your planning meeting. Edit, delete, or add questions as you like.
What kinds of writing do you do on a regular basis?
What works well in your writing routine? Where do you like to write? What time of day? Do you listen to music while writing? What can you prepare beforehand to help you write?
What 3 or 4 adjectives best describe your feelings about writing?
What are 2 strengths and 2 challenges you have with writing?
Do you procrastinate when starting/during writing? If so, what distracts you?
What are your goals as a writer for the next 2 to 6 months?
Why do you want to join a writing group? What outcome do you hope to achieve by participating in a writing group?
How do you think you can help others in a writing group?
For a writing group to be successful, I think we should do __ and avoid __.
Writing Groups that succeed have a shared understanding of what the group is, how it operates, and what is required from members. It is important to negotiate and build a shared set of expectations before beginning. Answering these questions (or a subset) will help build consensus. While there are no right answers, all members need to agree. Here is a link to copy the Google Doc template of the Expectation Agreement to fill out as your group decides. Edit, delete, or add questions to fit your needs.
How often will the group meet and for how long?
What type of writing group are you making? What does a typical session look like?
Where will the group meet? If in-person, where on campus? If virtually, what platform?
What day of the week? What time of day? We recommend using the same recurring day and time. Use an online scheduling tool, e.g, Whenisgood or Doodle, to find a date/time.
How big will the group be? We recommend anywhere from 2 to 6.
What is the initial time commitment? For 1 semester, 5 sessions, the summer, etc.?
Are there “formal roles” for the group? If so, do roles rotate? How long are roles held? For example, group roles might include a “facilitator” (to keep meetings on task) or an “organizer” (to send reminders and answer questions between meetings), etc.
What kind of writing will the group review? A specific type? At a certain stage?
When, how, and how many pages can members submit for feedback?
What kind, how much, and what format should feedback be provided in?
How will members respond to one another’s writing?
Read the sample feedback request form for ideas on requesting feedback.
Will the writer provide a detailed request for feedback on the text?
Will readers comment on the draft itself, in a separate document, or over email? Will readers make oral comments at the meeting? Or will there be a combination of both written and verbal feedback?