Anyone found a way to set up an informal writers group?

[larkstar]

Generally we are all quite isolated, beavering away or looking out of the window of a tiny creative space we all try to create in our original lives. I have the same problem as a musician/songwriter - it's really hard to find like minded people, people you want to be around, talk with, reissue to, support/encourage and possibly work with. I've been to a couple of local writing groups but never found the right people. I have one long standing writing friend/confidant - we clicked on a pretty writing forum about 15 years ago and message every week.... But she's in Finland and I'm in the UK! In the late 90's I set up and ran an open mic for singers and songwriters at a local cricket/hockey club - I did that for about 18 months and then moved out if the area so that came to an end - I reckon I may have to try and set something up myself unless you have some ideas or stories about how you found other members of your writing tribe. No doubt there are people out there who want to "belong" but, as I found, the problem is finding the right kind of people - I met my writing friend because we saw, read and commented on each others work (in progress) on a public forum. Unfortunately she's had a lot of problems in her personal life these past few years and so her writing has (understandably to me) come to a halt for the time being - she has much bigger issues on her mind ATM but... the friendship and support continues.

Auto (in)correct! Hopefully... You'll work then all out.
pretty=poetry, for instance.

Very best thing - if you’re serious about developing your skills - is to join a course. Search out something specific - songwriting or fiction or playwriting or whatever. That’s where you’ll find other serious, like-minded peers. Plus tutors who will push you to improve. Plus gateways into professional work.

‘Informal’ inevitably means an absence of commitment …

I said informal perhaps meaning ad hoc in terms of organising meet ups but really I wanted to see and get to know people who I can meet with on a semi regular basis. It's possible I'm sure to make a few connections by attending a course - I have looked/am considering that. I've no interest in professional work or real interest in publishing - I retired at 60 last year but I've been doing music and other types of creative work for a long time. The thing I have never really found is enough like minded people to mix with, see and talk to in a regular basis.

I also split from a long time musician friend of 20 years around the time the COVID lockdowns started so... I'm looking for connections on both fronts TBH.

No one will do anything on a regular basis unless there is a formal structure to enforce it! That’s the problem.

And creative work needs boundaries. How long before your informal group members are at each other’s throats claiming offence, advantage being taken, plagiarism?

People interested in professional work do seek out formal structures. I can’t think of anything worse than a loose grouping of determined amateurs - all praying that no one else strikes lucky.

It needs to be a regular group. My local one meets up in a cafe on the same day each month and there's a few tables reserved at the back of the cafe. You can organise it through a social media group - either find one local to you or set one up. Perhaps go along to your local library and put a notice up there or ask them about promoting the group.

And you can't control who goes, which means you might get the occasional odd bod or arsehole-type but that's par for the course (particularly in amateur groups).

I'm perhaps at fault here for posting off the cuff (as I tend to do) and not framing my needs accurately. I'm not sufficient looking for a group to learn new skills from - that's always useful and you never stop learning or seeing our understanding things in new ways (I'm an ex teacher and private tutor). I have been in two local writers groups but they were small and well established - one was very focused on everything competitions which was of some interest but I didn't find people I really clocked with and that's what I was looking for. It struck me that perhaps coming into writing non fiction and poetry about my daughter's illness and other life writing from decades of mingling with songwriter's, musicians and singers that there is a common problem. I was thinking about this more after I posted. I've been lucky (with hindsight) to have had a couple of long friendships with a couple of like minded people - one a singer-songwriter-guitarist like myself and another with a poetry writer/ceramicist/glassmaker/singer/puppet show maker/creative arts event organiser. The first I met 22 years ago just chatting on the school playground and other on a writers forum about 15 years ago. Finding and meeting musicians and writers isn't incredibly difficult but finding the people you have chemistry with is hard. Rare. I guess what's missing is a sort of dating style app for creative people. Now, maybe this idea of a creative support network doesn't matter to some people but I've found my two friends important in helping to keep me inspired, motivated and engaged - they are people I trust and value. We've all done little creative projects together - some worked and some didn't. We share work in progress, talk about ideas, give feedback and even co write as well as standing things that we've read or seen. I was just wondering how to find people to add to my creative support network.

The type of group you alluded to in your second post I can't relate to at all - I guess that relates to your experiences.

But I don’t see how you’d expect new people to slot into a dynamic that’s taken decades to construct? That would surely be an unreasonable expectation?

I've made quite a few friends on line over the years - people I message regularly and have done so for years - the problem is that they are nearly all in other countries. I would like to find people I can meet up with locally. I have recently noticed this hole in me life since drifting apart from my musician friend and my writing friend going through rather a rough time in her private life.

I wrote software for 20+ years and has my own websites for 13 years. It's wouldn't be beyond the blinds off possibility to create a website or even an app to help facilitate connections between creative people... Unless such a thing already exists.

This is something I think about a lot, how to find the right creative support, and I agree there is something missing.

I got as far as sketching out some ideas for a 'something' and doing some (very early stage) market research, a couple of years ago, before my work went off in another direction and I put it on the back burner. I'd love to have a chat with you about this @larkstar, if you fancy it.

Sorry I'm not quite with you. Anything that's hard to define is fascinating to me - I'm a physicist - worked on a particle accelerator for one thing - it's like a hallmark - anything that's hard to put into words is interesting and is often why I choose those things to write about - like clicking with people. My friendships with the two I've mentioned grew over a long time but there was definitely a connection at the beginning. I reckon all relationships are unique constructs that are built in a very ad hoc fashion by the people in them over time: nobody is having to slot into any pre-existing hole. One strategy is simply to meet as many different people at possible... It's just not that practical. Maybe I go back to some of the forums and try a bit harder to find people to work with - I met a bass player on a musicians forum I got on with and visited him a couple of times until his personal life ran into some major problems... On a day to day basis I just don't meet many musicians, painters, writers, etc.

Do have any close supportive creative friends/collaborators and how did you meet?

Yes, I do. They arise out of shared backgrounds in professional training and formalised structures. There’s no way I’d be interested in a gathering of random people from the Internet.

I am a little concerned that you are making yourself - and potentially others - identifiable via this thread. If that was not your intention …

I would also love to connect with writers and other creatives in the informal way you describe OP. There are supportive threads on this forum which help. Sometimes it’s enough for me to travel to a spoken word event in another area, or sign up for a one day workshop. It’s not about professional advancement so much as about fellowship with kindred souls.

@Guillebeaux exactly. I was pretty sure I wasn't alone - I was wondering how best to solve it. The problem with signing up for courses - virtual or otherwise is that you meet relatively few people and generally they don't live anywhere nearby - it's expensive to shell out £600+ for a residential to meet a dozen people... The dating app model is one way to go.. I'm looking at various apps ATM and I made a number of friends (that I still keep in touch with) on a very simple, not very well known early social media site that shut down maybe 10 years ago - I've seen something that worked very well. It's just another ping pong ball bouncing around the inside of my empty head ATM.

Please keep us updated via this thread! I’m interested to hear what you come up with next.

@Guillebeaux I think you've articulated it beautifully - "It’s not about professional advancement so much as about fellowship with kindred souls."

I too am searching for this @larkstar and have found little joy in online forums.

There is something called Guild, but I'm not sure if it would work for this. There is a writers group on there (which I have joined) but it's not very active and feels a bit like a vehicle for the woman who runs the Cheshire novel prize to promote her services.

I would love a place to meet and engage online, and then maybe arrange periodic meet ups in real life. If it worked, I would be prepared to travel for it.

@BecauseOfIndia Do you feel like what you're looking for would work best to be limited to writers? Writers who write a particular kind of writing? Writers and musicians and artists? Or any creative people regardless of medium?

Your local library! That's what I use and it is great

I’m in a writing group that someone just set up one day and advertised in local Facebook groups so it’s definitely doable. If the person setting it up devises rules and a structure people can drop in and out. You just need to take a bit of ownership so that it retains its original form.