1. How many members?
We currently have five regular members: Helen Landalf, Marjorie Nye,
Julie Reinhardt, Anne Marie Heckt, and our newest member, Dana Mongillo.
2. How long has the group been together?
Helen
Landalf and former member Pam Wilkinson (who has since moved to
California) founded the group well over 10 years ago. The group’s
composition has changed over years, with many members coming and going.
3. Do you focus on single or multiple genres?
Right
now all of us are writing YA, but over the past year, we have also
critiqued each other’s poetry, picture book texts, and chapter books.
4. How often do you meet? Where?
We meet twice a month at member’s homes. Sometimes we meet at Chocolati Café in Greenwood.
5. What has been your group’s biggest challenge(s)? How have you resolved it/them?
Our
biggest challenge is that we love to chat – which is great, but then we
run out of time for critiques. We’ve resolved this by designating the
first 15 minutes of our meeting as chat/catch-up time. Then, at 4:30 on
the dot, we move into critiques.
6. What is the format of
your meetings? What seems to work best for the group (writing exercise
to start, then single/double critiques, etc.)
We run our
meetings like The Great Critique. Each member who wants a critique reads
up to 6 pages of their work aloud. Everyone else follows along and
writes comments on a copy of the pages, and then we take turns giving
feedback.
7. What is the key to a successful group dynamic?
Our
group works because we genuinely care about each other, as people and
as writers, and want everyone in the group to be successful. We are
careful to give positive comments as well as critical ones, and we give
honest feedback with the intention of helping each writer improve her
work.
8. Any quirky group rituals? Inspirational rituals? Favorite snacks?
Once
in a while, we go on a writing retreat together. This can be as simple
as hanging out for an afternoon in a neighborhood coffee shop or as
involved as spending a writing weekend together on Vashon or Whidbey
Island. We are all incurable tea fanatics!