The Connection of Private Writing Groups

If you’ve ever thought of starting your own writing group, or are seeking one to join, this month’s blog is for you.

My writing class recommendations are based on instruction through schools or organized craft programs. However, my 27th writing endeavor of the year is through a private writing group.

Private writing groups are not affiliated with or administered by mainstream organizations. They don’t have the same limitations as commercial writing schools, can be more economical than traditional classes, and are usually lead with loosely-agreed upon guidelines. Private writing groups are selective but permeable, intimate but dynamic.

In 2018 I founded my own private writing group to more deeply connect with other writers. After attending a fiction workshop through Hugo House, I approached a few favorite classmates and asked if they would join me for ongoing critique and accountability meetings. The Wordsmiths were born. We were a quartet of newer writers, all with book-length works-in-progress, and all looking for consistent, familiar creative partners. We gathered online using WetInk to read and give critical feedback, and share resources and encouragement. We also met in-person. Eventually, the group retired, but forming The Wordsmiths was an experience that propelled my writing community involvement and confidence. I still enjoy encountering my Wordsmith alums in writing classes around the Pacific Northwest.

In 2020, classmates from my top-recommended writing class similarly spun off and created their own private group, Flash of Light and Daily Flash. Co-founders Heather Clague and Joseph Kim generously invited me to join their bi-monthly and daily-write sessions, which take place outside the structure of a traditional writing program.

Looking for a private writing group? Daily Flash is seeking new members. Details below.

“We formed a group of people who care about each other.”

-Co-founders, Heather & Joseph

In preparation for writing with fewer ground rules in this private group, we exchanged emails and confirmed expectations. There was no formal registration on a website. I didn’t set up a profile, or sign-up for a school newsletter. I made a modest payment based on a sliding scale to support the cause. Flash of Light and Daily Flash are run by writers who have organized themselves through word-of-mouth, and formed a commitment to strike-out on their own and write regularly.

Heather and Joseph’s group began as a bi-monthly meet-up with a limited number of writers. As Joseph explained, this was borne from a desire for connection: “Meeting in real time, there's a special energy. Everyone writing together and seeing each other's faces, particularly during the lockdown when isolation was the norm, we became a kind of virtual family.” The bi-monthly version of the group meets on Zoom for generative, encouragement; it’s not a critique group. Members take turns coming up the prompts. “The pieces are too raw and new,” says Joseph. “And there's nothing like eviscerating feedback to stop the creative process before it even starts. We focus on what works, what makes an impression, what has potential.”

When members of Flash of Light expressed interest in writing more frequently, a second component formed: A daily, prompt-based writing series, Daily Flash. About this, the co-founders say, “We're more interested in getting you off the launchpad, getting you excited to write and make it a habit.” Daily Flash is accomplished entirely by email. Each week, participants get a curated collection of inspiring, theme-based prompts, quotes, photos, and videos compiled by Joseph. It must be working, because one member's Daily Flash-generated story was selected as a runner-up for the Kenyon Review 2021 Short Fiction Contest. Her story is forthcoming in the January 2022 edition.

Joseph Kim is a native San Franciscan. He's a perennial seeker of a good story. He graduated with an MFA in Creative Writing and works as a freelance editor. He believes in traveling light, in every sense.

Joseph at MacDowell

Heather Clague is a practicing psychiatrist and aspiring writer who has been finding inspiration by writing into the cracks of time her life offers. When she isn’t writing or seeing patients, you may find her improvising at BerkeleyImprov.com.

I’ve had the privilege of writing with Heather since 2017.

It was a joy to meet her, and other FOL partners, in-person this summer!

I recently spoke with Joseph and Heather to compare notes on starting and maintaining a private writing group. Based on their words of wisdom, and my own experience with The Wordsmiths, I’ve put together the following tips for creating your own group or joining one in-progress:

1) Communicate expectations and intended outcomes. Decide if this is a critique or generative group. MyWordsmiths were the former; Flash of Light and Daily Flash are the latter.

2) Establish frequency and delivery methods. The Wordsmiths used an online platform and in-person meetings once a month. Flash of Light uses video conference on a bi-monthly basis, and email for Daily Flash. There are many ways to accomplish the connection and exchange.

3) Consider member writing experience and ability-levels. Especially if you’re joining a group-in-progress, be realistic about your fit with the other writers based on where you’re at in the journey.

4) Commit and schedule. Heather emphasized that the most important ingredients to group success are, “Members who are supportive and reliable.” Your group is counting on you to show-up, physically and creatively. If the group as a whole, or individual members, need a break, do that, but schedule a return date to keep the momentum.

5) Decide how permeable the group is, and when to expand or contract. Heather says, “It’s some work to get people together, and we want variety.” Private writing groups come in all sizes. Determine if and how new members will be solicited and selected, and a size that’s right for you.

5) Understand the time and work that goes into organizing a private group. I asked Heather and Joseph about the challenges to starting FOL and DF. We all agreed that the lack of a writing school infrastructure—registrars, back-up writing partners, a budget for paid teachers—and the time and energy it takes to organize, are not insignificant. If you start or join a private writing group, you’ll quickly realize why school-based classes can be expensive.

If you’re looking for a private writing group to build your daily writing practice, contact Joseph Kim at jkimwriter@gmail for more information about Daily Flash.

Forming your own, or joining a private writing group offers a chance to work with other writers in a closer, more long-term capacity. You’ll witness and share the group’s evolution and success. Heather, Joseph, and I call it connection. While the act of writing is often solitary, the community that develops around the ritual of private writing groups is an alternative to mainstream writing programs, and a growth opportunity for you and your writing. Whether it’s in a private writing group, or through a mainstream program, I hope to see you soon!

-Wendy

Flash of Light is accepting new members for their daily write sessions.

Contact Joseph Kim for consideration (jkimwriter@gmail.com).

-In memory of Joscelyn Gray, 1977-2020, writing partner and Wordsmith.-