Yesterday I talked about the ways a Writing Group can be unhelpful. But if used correctly, it can also be a valuable resource! Here are some ways to utilize a Writing Group: 1 - Ask for specific feedback. Rather than just sending your pages and asking, "What do you think?" Ask your group to answer specific questions: - Who is the main character of the story? - What is their goal? - What are their stakes? - Do you care about their goal? - What is their backstory? - Where did you laugh? - (Anything else that you specifically want feedback on). With guidance, your group understands how to be helpful to you, and it focuses attention on the areas you need insight on. 2 - Organize a table read. Rather than an unstructured conversation, suggest alternating each week with printing out script pages and assigning roles to your group members. It is extremely helpful to hear your script read out loud. You can hear the dialogue and hear what readers stumble on. Make sure you assign the Action Lines (not yourself!) As the writer, you should be in the position of listening and taking notes on what you need to fix. 3 - Have a Blue Skies brainstorming session. Whether you're talking to comedians or amateur internet sleuths, try having a guided conversation for brainstorming characters or set pieces. Instead of asking for specific story solutions (puzzle pieces you can work out on your own time), choose a bucket for the group to discuss. Have everyone throw out wild stories from their lives, joke ideas, or things they've read about. Assign someone the role of taking notes. Then later when you're choosing plot points, you have a wealth of inspiration to draw from. This is beneficial when you've been spending too much time holed up in your house by yourself banging your head against a wall. Screenwriting is a collaborative medium, and it's best when there are people working together in an inspiring way. Working with other writers can be a boon for a creativity. You just want to make sure that you're structuring these conversations with a specific, helpful agenda, or you risk wandering about wasting each other's time with unhelpful conversations. *** If you don't have a Writing Group, you can book me for an individual one-on-one consultation! Link in the comments below.
I like and encourage the idea of a writers group. Personally I’ve tried a few. Mostly I have found groups mostly comprised of “hobby screenwriters.” ( never worked in filmmaking writing one script for several years that would require a $100m) While I support them in their efforts and expanse of their imagination. Personally I subscribe to being the least experienced in the room as a platform for advancement. Because if your the most experienced, you’re in the wrong room.
Early in my career, I would have hated a writer's group. I was much too insecure about my writing. Now, I love collaborating, and it is usually my favorite thing in the process. But 20 years ago? I would have been poison. Avoid people like me 20 years ago. Look for people like me, now.
When I started, I was in a writers group. It was not a good experience. That was due to the dismissive domineering attitude of the most experienced person in the group. I now organize my own script readings. I turn to writers I know and respect for feedback, and also pay for notes. And my film friends and actor friends are all willing to sit and chat about character. All these points are excellent, and useful, but they don't require a writers group. No group, is far better than a toxic group.
Writing groups can be clutch for creativity. Structure makes it pop. What’s your experience with ‘em?
This is great advice, especially being specific about the type of feedback you're looking for. Giving useful notes is a skill, and not everyone will be good at it. But you increase the odds by asking for focused feedback!
as someone running writers' groups, I agree 100%!
Great post!
AFF 2023 Finalist + AFF 2024 Second Rounder | International Post Production Specialist | Production Manager | Project Management | Localization | Storyteller
5moA writer group is obviously great when you're surrounded by the right people, but I've experienced the greatest strides in my own writing when requesting feedback from actor groups. It forces you to hear your script in the voice/voices of another. You hear what works, what doesn't, and all the shades in between. More importantly, you see the room for interpretation that can occur and how you may need to be more precise with your words and intent. Our job is to "show not tell", but sometimes you have to "tell". Knowing when and HOW to tell genuinely feels like a super power. And perhaps most beneficial, the actor is going to review your script from a different lens than a writer. Actors are trained to fill a specific role and will hyper-fixate on character voice and motivation. If the actor's bored, you'll know it. And if the actor's asking "Wait, what the hell am I doing here?", it forces you to defend your work and/or more importantly, acknowledge the weak points in your narrative. They will also give suggestions, so it's an excellent opportunity to learn to read the note behind the note. So yeah, I'm a strong proponent of writers routinely leaving their dungeons to seek out actor groups.