Are you looking for other writers like yourself? If you're reading this, you already have access to one of the best resources available to a writer. Online writer's groups and workshops offer opportunities for learning, socializing, and career advancement, all from the comfort of your own home.

These writer's groups come in three flavors: social, structured, and informal. Each has benefits and drawbacks, depending on what you're looking for in a group and your skill level.

The Social Group

The social group is generally a collection of writers or interested persons who meet according to a schedule and discuss their areas of interest.

Pros: This is a great place to meet writers in the same field(s) you're interested in. As in any endeavor, networking with your peers is invaluable. You can learn about current market trends, projects others are working on, and what the best coffee is when you really need to stay awake. Group's like this are also good for relating your own experiences and learning about the experiences of others--which can remind you that, though you may write alone, you are not alone in writing. These groups often contain more published writers than other groups, though many published writers won't identify themselves.

Cons: Aside from socializing with fellow writers, these groups offer very little to further a writing career. Stories are not critiqued, nor can you always depend on the advice and comments you hear. Turnover is high, making it difficult to develop "relationships" with other writers. Often, discussions digress to the same level of chat you can find in any general interest chat room.

The Structured Group

The structured group has specific requirements for membership, like critiquing two member stories a month. When these groups meet, they follow formal agendas and use a protocol structure.

Pros: Members of these groups are usually more serious about their writing than what you find in a social group. Writing tips and activities are of a higher caliber. It's also a great place to get your own writing critiqued by a large group of writers in your genre. The critiques you do for others teach you how to break stories down, figure out why they work or don't work, and see other plot, setting, and characterization styles. This alone offers more than many writing classes can, because you learn by doing, and can apply that knowledge to your own writing. Besides, it costs a whole lot less. The core members of these groups are often very knowledgeable in the genre, providing specific advice on markets, editors, and agents. These groups also attract guest "speakers" which include published writers, editors, and agents.

Cons: Turnover in these groups is high, and the caliber of people varies greatly. The waiting list for critique dates can often exceed four to six months, and the quality of critiques varies with the caliber of the people. Some members do a very minimum job, or make comments that are, to put it mildly, discouraging. Beginning writers often do not know the rules of writing, nor when they should be ignored. More advanced writers sometimes forget what their early writing was like, and are too harsh on beginners. And there are the members who join only long enough to get a story critiqued and then drop out. A major concern with these groups is that it is very easy for them to become nasty and counterproductive, so choose structured groups with care.

The Informal Group

You won't find these groups advertised. They are smaller reading groups formed by members of the larger structured groups, or by writers who know each other. They sometimes have set standards, but are more often a collection of like-minded writers.

Pros: Membership in these groups is kept small, so everyone knows everyone else, and support is plentiful. Turnover is low, creating lasting relationships, which are very important for social and professional development. Prolific writers get quick feedback on short stories and novel chapters, without worrying about doing a specific number of critiques to remain a member. Marketing information is more specific, often involving a specific editor's actions in regard to a specific story.

Cons: This is a personality-driven group. You must choose motivated, dependable people or it will fall apart. Even with dependable people, the number of critiques you receive back on a given submission are few. A bond of friendship can even be detrimental if you feel so obligated to critique someone else's work that you sacrifice time from your own.

These are the three flavors of writing groups. Beginning writers exploring cyberspace for the first time should start by attending open chat sessions and social gatherings. You'll learn online etiquette, and discover where the structured groups are and what people think of them. When you're ready for a structured group, attend its meeting and watch the group interact. If you're still interested, join. Informal groups generally form among writers who have developed a mutual trust and interest.

Writing groups are one of the best writing resources available to you. Choose them with care, participate, and watch your writing career take off. On America Online, go to keyword: Writers.

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Hamilton Mac Alester (hamilmac@aol.com) runs Mind Flight, a fifteen-member informal writer's group on America Online, and is a member of the AOL Science Fiction Writers Workshop.

Copyright © 1996 by Hamilton Mac Alester. All Rights Reserved.