What is a Writing Club?

A writing club is a group comprised of writers who meet together to share and critique manuscripts. People who write short stories, novels, poetry, plays, or even nonfiction articles can participate in a writing club in order to receive encouragement and assistance from others. A writing club can have meetings just about anywhere, but often convenes in a library, bookstore, private home, or a school.

There are several benefits to joining a writing club. Participating in a club allows writers to have contact with others who are interested in writing and understand the challenges of being a writer. Members of a writing club receive constructive criticism from their fellow writers so that they can learn how to polish the piece and make it stronger.

If a writer does not participate in some sort of writing group or club, it's difficult to be objective about her own writing. Receiving feedback on her work allows her to grow as a writer and evaluate her strengths as weaknesses. On the other hand, when a writer participates in a writing club, she must also be willing to evaluate the work of others.

Critiquing other writers' manuscripts helps a writer improve her own work. It allows her to see what makes a writing piece interesting or boring. Evaluating other writers' work takes time away from an individual's writing time, so members of a writing club must be willing to sacrifice their own creative time to help others.

If a writer wants to become a member of a writing club, she can find one by contacting the public library or a local university. Many writing groups will advertise for new members through local newspapers as well. It's also possible to find writing clubs on the Internet.

If a writer doesn't have time for face-to-face interaction with other writers, she can receive many of the the same benefits of a club by participating in online groups. Writers can provide feedback on each other's work, even if they live in different parts of the world. If a writer experiences difficulties finding a writing group to join, she can try to start her own. A writer only needs to advertise for prospective members by posting to online bulletin boards, placing an ad in the local newspaper, or tacking a request on the bulletin board of a bookstore or library.

Writing clubs provide writers with the opportunity to share their work and read the work of others who enjoy expressing themselves through the written word. Writing can be a lonely task, so joining a group of writers can be the ideal way a writer can improve her writing and assist others with their own manuscripts.