What makes a writing group function well? Some thoughts on the DeadLies:

 -            Meet on a regular basis

-            Fulfill regular commitments

o   Agreeing to read to the group

o   We started out writing a story based on a prompt (which worked for us in the beginning, encouraged people to write on a more regular basis, leading slowly over time to a more disciplined practice to where we no longer need prompts).

o   Unwritten rules of conduct – working out conflicts and ideas through regular communication.

o   Aiming for relatively equal contributions to the group dynamic although like in any group, there is one person who is doing the heavy lifting right now and keeping us organized and on track (I’m looking at you MGS). There is a fair division of labour when it comes to ideas, but  MGS got the website up and running and continues to run the morning Zoom meetings,  JGS shares her experience on editing and how to submit stories, how JGS and AB have won writing prizes, and how LK and I along with the others have all committed to writing blogs and meeting regularly despite various life setbacks and commitments.

-           Genial, affable personalities with a wide range of interests when it comes to what we read and write.

-            How did we start? We formed in 2015, out of a group of people who chose to take crime writing classes with FGT, who ran them out of her bookstore. MG Sondraal and I are from the same session, but the others took the series of classes at different times, all of us interested in being part of a writing group and ready for the commitment of being in said group. FGT helped guide the formation of the group and set the agenda, set up the schedule of meeting every two weeks and showed us a way of structuring our group. Over time, it became more egalitarian as we all became more comfortable being a part of the group. Caveat, this is my perception of our experience. We encouraged each other and there was something very inspiring about being a part of a group that produced work on a regular basis.

-            There were some dark years during the pandemic when some of us, ok, me, produced very little creative writing but the group buoyed me and encouraged me not to give up for which I will be forever grateful.

-            Over the years, there has been a member who died, two who left and one who joined so now there are five of us.

-            We may have discussed this before; we meet by Zoom every other Tuesday evening, this is the venue where we might read something to the group, get feedback, discuss stumbling blocks in the story we are currently working on and get advice on how to proceed. Have I mentioned before how handy it is having a professional editor in our group? Thanks Jillian! Every other week, we email an accountability report to the group.

-            Functions as both a writing and critique group.

-            We meet in person a couple of times a year and in 2025, we are planning to expand that to four times a year, once a season.

What if you’re in the lucky position of being in two very different writing groups?

-            My other group formed in an organic way without much preplanning.

-            No leader.

-            Began as two of us in a community choir who discovered they both like to write in coffee shops, began meeting regularly on Sunday afternoons. At work, my new office mate saw me working on NaNoWriMo 2023 before work and we got to talking, she asked if she could join us, so then we were three. She had two other friends also interested in joining us so then our group expanded to five people. Later, in conversation with another choir member, discovered he is also a writer, so now there are six of us.

-            We could be described as a loose collection of people who meet every Sunday to write. We are not a critique group, we are here to write. We usually spend ten to fifteen minutes catching up on what we are all working on and then we start writing.

-            We are all writing different things including crime fiction, romance, graphic novels, epic fantasy, science fiction and short stories.

-            We use the Pomodoro method, 25 minutes of writing, 5 minutes of chat, another 25 minutes of writing.

-            Generally, get three to four sessions in during the two hours.

-            Helpful for those of us who like working with someone else nearby. For me, it is motivation as everyone else is writing and it’s inspiring being with others who are exploring their own creative ideas in a concrete manner. I feel much less distracted than if I try and write on a Sunday afternoon at home on my own.

-            People join when they can, usually at least two of us, often three or four of us.

-            We meet at a coffee shop in a central location downtown Victoria which is easy for all of us to get to and has free parking nearby.

-            As it’s a regular occurrence, it has become part of my weekly schedule and in the past year, I have easily written more than in the previous four years combined, so it has been a boon to my productivity and practice of craft.

In my mind, the two groups are different and fulfill different needs – I have been teased that I am cheating on one with the other! One group jokingly suggested that maybe it’s more like a polyamorous situation and I have settled on the term “consensual non-monogamy” to best describe my situation. Everyone should be so lucky!