WRITING groups have always been a source of education, training and criticism that writers have turned to in order to become better at their craft. Studying the craft of writing in an educational institution is a worthy and important mechanism in the promotion of writing and the training of young writers, but this should not mean that the value of a writing group existing outside of established institutions should not be recognised.
In fact, it is possible that the informal writing group has been around for longer than formal, educational groups in institutions (such as those writing classes), and this is due to the very informal nature of writing groups – which, at its core, simply refers to a group of writers who meet and talk about, or do work relating to, writing.
With this definition, we can understand how it would be safe to suggest that ancient Greek philosophers who met on hillsides to discuss matters of the world might be considered a writing group, or how the learned men and women who met in the old salons of Paris were definitely a writing group. People have always gathered to discuss their work, and writers have always needed other writers to talk about writing, even before the establishment of formal writing classes.
I recently returned to the writing group system of learning and writing after a long hiatus and the interactions with my fellow writers in the short span of time that we have been meeting have helped me to really consider what the merits of writing groups are, and why it is essential for there to be several hubs of writers all across Guyana, and perhaps even within the diaspora.
1) SIMILAR PEOPLE, SIMILAR GOALS
The writing group system introduces you to fellow writers and, more specifically, writers who experience the same problems you experience and who may have the same goals as you do. In this way, the art-making process becomes one where it becomes possible for writers to not exist in a solitary space where they have to function on their own.
Being able to find a group of people who are similar to you in at least this one aspect of their lives is important because in a way it becomes almost therapeutic, knowing that you are not the only person existing in the world, struggling to live and write at the same time. Also, there is the fact that working with a team, even if it’s just having someone to give you feedback on your work or to encourage you to write, gives you confidence and a kind of assurance that all writers need to continue working in a society that still does not value art as much as it needs to.
2) NO EXPECTATIONS, NO PRESSURE
There are often very minimal expectations from members themselves when it comes to writing groups, but this is not a bad thing. Some groups might have basic rules regarding the way works are critiqued or the mechanisms that are used to create new work, but generally there are no particularly strong expectations that writers are faced with within most informal writing groups.
This means that there is no pressure that causes writers to buckle and ultimately fail at writing, nor is there no negative anticipation, of the kind that can sometimes come with expecting a grade for your work or having to impress someone in authority, that can cause one to write poorly. There are deadlines, sometimes, but there are really no other major penalties if a writer cannot show up or cannot meet a deadline.
This is one of the most important ways in which the writing group system works: writers are free to engage, work, and critique with very little of the elements that lead to the kind of destabilising pressure that may come from work or school or the home, or any major institution that governs our daily lives.
3) WRITING GROUPS ENGENDER WRITING
Writing with a group ensures that there is a significant support to keep one writing. There is always a team of people who contribute to creating a safe, productive space that engenders new and better work. Furthermore, several writers existing together in a writing group ensures that there are always a range of perspectives, styles and ideas, as well as a range of people to learn from. Therefore, not only is the presence of people who actively work at writing a motivating force that can lead to the creation of new writing, but writing groups also help writers to experiment and to try new forms and genres that they would not have tried before.
For these reasons, writing groups are an essential aspect of the literary community in Guyana. In an ideal society, there would be enough writing groups to benefit all of the people who are trying to be writers. This means writing groups in Berbice, Essequibo, Linden, in the diaspora, etc. In the new year, there has been one writing group that has already been set up and is currently active in Georgetown.
For people in outlying areas who are interested in setting up writing groups within their own communities or would like information on how to go about setting up such a group, and other helpful tidbits (such as the use of writing prompts and exercises, what to look for when critiquing a work, how to network with other writers, etc.), feel free to contact me at subrajsingh92@gmail.com.
This year, one of the missions is to ensure that by the end of 2018, there are active writing groups all across the country, with young writers who work together to help each other to build and maintain Guyana’s literary legacy.
