In this course, we're going to talk about how to start a successful writers group. I'd like to begin with a story.

In the mid-20th century, two men started a group called The Inklings. Their names were C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. You may have heard of some of the books they wrote. Their group was very successful, and they wouldn’t have been as successful as writers if they hadn’t started a writers group.

Other famous writers groups were The Bloomsbury Group included Virginia Woolf, E. M. Forster, and John Maynard Keynes. Stratford-on-Oden had Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, Ezra Pound, Gertrude Stein, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Bestselling authors and authors who wrote timeless classics were often part of writers groups.

The challenge is that most authors are shy. They want someone else to start the writers group. They’re introverted and don’t want to put themselves out there. For them, it’s exhausting. 

But it can be totally worth it.

The Leader

There has to be a leader. There’s no group without a leader. Someone has to start the group and prime the pump. That person might be you.

If you think it might be you, this course is for you. It will help you figure out what you need to do to start a successful group. The good news is that there are tons of authors in your town waiting for somebody else to start the group.

Starting a writers group is easier than you think because no one else wants to do it. Everyone’s hoping someone else will. As soon as you put yourself out there, people will gather around you and help make the group a success. Every town is packed with introverted, shy writers waiting for someone like you. You are what people are longing for.

The Group

You don’t need a huge group. Three or four faithful people can make a great writers group. I think C. S. Lewis’s group had eight or ten people at its peak. It often had just four or five.

Now, that’s not to say running a writers group is easy. It’s a lot of hard work. But it’s better than not having a group at all. Without one, you’re putting yourself at a disadvantage. You’re making everything harder for yourself by not investing a little effort into starting or joining a group.

If there’s already a writers group to join, do that. Otherwise, I encourage you to start one yourself.

A writers group will more than pay for itself in personal motivation. Nothing keeps you accountable like having a group of people e looking to you for inspiration. It forces you to step up your game, which might be exactly what your writing needs.

Starting a writers group also gives you connections you wouldn’t have otherwise. It makes writing more fun and less lonely. Life is too short to live it alone. Life is too short to write alone.

Starting a group gives you resources you wouldn’t have had otherwise. Ultimately, it makes the world a better place because you’re not just helping yourself write better; you’re helping others write better, too. 

Other authors are waiting for you to lead them.

What This Course Covers

Here’s a quick overview of what we’ll be covering in this course:

• How to pick a meeting format
  
  
• Where to meet in real life
  
  
• Where to meet online and which technologies to use
  
  
• Community management tools for connecting between meetings
  
  
• How to find great group members
  
  
• When to meet and how to run a meeting
  
  
• Advanced issues like transitioning leadership, multiplying your group, and dealing with difficult members
  
  

I know what I’m talking about here. I’ve been running writers groups since college. My first one was when I was a student. I’ve been part of probably half a dozen groups and started many more, including meetup groups, church groups, and others.

I’ve learned a lot of lessons the hard way, and I’d love to share with you what I learned the hard way so that you can learn the easy way.

In the next session, we’ll talk about how to pick a meeting format and figure out which one is the right fit for you.