However, whilst online in an effort to tick off another one of those ten boxes, I couldn't resist an indulgent sidestep and came across this piece over the the Book View Cafe about writing groups, as in the danger of getting too comfortable, and members of the group writing for one another rather than a larger audience. It strikes an important chord. There's no doubt that workshops and writing groups can be a great help, but like all things that involve ideas, other people's emotional baggage and strength of character, and navigating the turbulent waters of more than one person's agenda, if you're not careful, primal monkey instincts can kick in to the detriment of the very work you're trying to improve.
Developing a group-think is, I must admit, one of the things I've become increasingly wary of, and of which I do see signs of throughout the industry. It's not nefarious, not part of a deliberate scheme to dominate the world, just what happens when people with similar tastes drift closer together, enjoy each other's company and support each other's efforts, help their mates, compromise to keep things happy in their little writing bubble, reinforce each other's sameness, and eventually put aside the inclination to shake things up every now and then. It's about losing the ability to strike out contrary to the troop.Writing groups are good, writing groups can be fun, and critiquing is often immensely helpful, but remaining conscious of your own actions and thoughts and motives within the group is vitally important. We are, after all, supposed to be the purveyors of revolutionary ideas, acute social observations and derring-do. It's only when the group asks you to conform and you reflexively oblige that the creep towards blandness begins.
2 comments:
Interesting post. I've been in an online writing group for quite a few years, now, and I can see how I might be writing for them. The only story I've written recently that wasn't acceptable for critiquing by my group (it was sf, which the group doesn't accept) is the only one that nearly made it into an anthology. (So near yet so far...)
I'm going to have a good think about what you've said. On the other hand, my group consciously reads widely and tries different writing styles, so I think we're keeping ourselves from converging too much.
You almost got into an anthology? Congratulations! And it was an sf story? Here, have another congratulations. That’s great. If you made it that far, the rejection was just a matter of editorial tastes, so I hope that story is out there circulating.
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