Rules of Engagement

It’s something to do with the nature of creativity, I suppose. But people in writing groups share intimacies.

They may not intend to write about themselves, but somehow the creative process forces them to introspect. It makes sense. How can you begin to understand the motivations of others, if you haven’t looked starkly at yourself?

Writing itself is an extremely personal process. Bringing it into the open can make the most confident person feel exposed. It know it has to happen eventually and you understand that you shouldn’t take criticism personally (Yeah right!).

Okay, let’s say no more about that. We all pretend to be mature (some more successfully than others), but deep down we all want to kill anyone who suggests we murder any of our babies.

We recently ran a creative writing weekend during which participants expressed fears about having exposed themselves. They felt incredibly vulnerable. We’ve always talked about the way to behave in writing groups. But this group made us realise that perhaps we should formalise it.

So for what it’s worth, here are our Rules of Engagement for writing groups.

•  A creative environment is always a vulnerable one.  It enhances intimacy and encourages confidences. The writers’ circle must be a safe space. Members must respect the confidentiality of other members.

•  Sharing writing can make members feel exposed. Each member must recognise this vulnerability and be gentle with each other.

•  All ideas must be welcomed without judgment. Sometimes the best ideas flow from those that at first seem ridiculous or unworkable.

•  Criticism must be constructive. Members must aim to be honest, but kind.

•  Try to bypass personal likes and dislikes. Look at whether you think a piece is working, regardless of whether you personally like or dislike science fiction / love stories / post modern literary fiction.

•  Try not to criticise the central premise or the themes addressed in the work. For example, it doesn’t matter if you believe the piece of writing is too right wing / too left wing / too white / too black / too feminist / or simply gives “the wrong message”. That’s not your business. That is the writer’s prerogative. It is your job to look at the way it’s expressed and see whether you believe it works, keeps you reading and makes an impact.

•  The job of a writers’ group is as much to keep members writing, as to offer constructive criticism, perhaps more so. We believe that a first draft is never perfect, and is sometimes far from perfect. A great deal can be done at the rewrite stage. So try not to be so robust as to cause other members to lose heart.

•  When a draft is finished, more robust (but still kind and constructive) criticism is appropriate.

• You’re all on the same journey. Not everyone writes well all the time. In fact, like anything else, writing varies for all sorts of reasons. Recognise this in   yourself and others. It’s not a competition.

• Above all, have fun. Enjoy the bond created by sharing something precious. Work with it, not against it.

We run face-to-face and correspondence writing courses - see www.allaboutwritingcourses.com for range and dates.