Writing Alone, Writing Together: A Guide for Writers and Writing Groups

by Judy Reeves

Book Overview

The lonely life of a writer need not be. According to this book, there are ways to break that isolation and find encouragement and support within groups of like-minded people. Sections include "Writing Practice Groups," "Creating Writing Prompts," "Group Leadership," and even "What to Do with the Bores, Whiners, Control Junkies, and Thugs." Whether the group is oriented toward writing the great American novel or a book of family memories, this useful...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1577312074
• ISBN13: 9781577312079
• Release Date: September 2002
• Publisher: New World Library
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 7.4" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

She does it again!!

This is a great resource, whether you are trying to piece together your own writing group, deciding how to choose a group to join, or hoping to reinvigorate your current group. Ms. Reeves offers plenty of practical advice, with true-to-life examples. This is a great follow-up to her collection of writing prompts, A Writer's Book of Days, which I have used almost daily for the past four years!

Comprehensive, practical, and inspiring guide to writing

I found this book very helpful with the nitty gritty stuff about organizing my writing and working with a critique group and classes. It was also quite inspiring and full of ideas about how to write, where to write, who to write with, how to critique, how to revise, etc. It helped enormously when three other writers and I formed an online critique group. Any questions we had, the book answered. It also gave invaluable suggestions for improving our group and our writing.The author, Judy Reeves, has lead all kinds of writing groups and classes and gives concrete examples of what works best. Her book is well-organized, and an enjoyable read to boot.

Superb Resource for All Writers

Judy Reeves' latest writer's helper is chock full of supportive hints, tremendous insights and guidelines to forming, participating and getting the most out of a writing group. In her clear, concise and genial manner, Ms. Reeves breaks down the "ins & outs" of what writing groups can offer to either neophyte or established writers. It is apparent that Ms. Reeves has garnered much understanding and is excited to share information on how to participate in a writing group-the pages and margins of this book are brimming with assignments, suggestions, prompts, quotes, checklists, everything a writer might need to get going. This book walks the reader/writer through scenarios and suggestions, offering advice of how to start or find an established group and what to do once you are there. She hits on some of the basics, like how to make time to write in our busy lives, to understanding the "Qualities of a Good Group, all the way to dealing with the dreaded "Bores, Whiners and Thugs." She's masterfully included a "how to" guide for the process of reading and critiquing other's people's work. Her "Guidelines for Writing Practice" are worth the cost of this book alone. As with her previous book, "A Writer's Book of Days," Judy Reeves goes for the bull's eye and gets it.

As good as A Writer's Book of Days

As an author and writing teacher, I was more than pleased that Judy Reeves put so much of her good energy into the writing of this very necessary book. It's obvious that she's drawn on a wealth of personal experience and poured it all into these pages. Nowhere else does there exist such a comprehensive compilation of fears, facts, and fiction about the art, craft, and hard work of being a writer, whether you're Writing Alone or Writing Together.Highest recommendation

Writing Groups How-To

As a teacher of creative writing, I hear horror stories about writing groups. I also hear stories about how helpful they've been. For years I've looked for a book to recommend to my students for putting together the latter kind--writing groups that respect and support the creative process. This is that book. If you've ever thought of starting or joining such a group, Writing Alone, Writing Together is required reading. It's the most comprehensive book ever written on the subject. Need I say more?~Hal Zina Bennett, author of Write From the Heart and more than 30 successful books.