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Gary Walker

So You Want to Join a Writing Group Part V: Find Your Tribe

Creative Nonfiction, Creative Writing, Gary Walker / By

Being part of a writing group can be a harrowing experience. No matter how seasoned a writer you are, it’s already difficult to share your work, whether it’s with people you know or complete strangers. Knowing you’re going to hear things you won’t like doesn’t make it any easier. Sometimes, people in workshops can be

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So You Want to Join a Writing Group Part IV: Walk a Mile in My Shoes

Creative Nonfiction, Creative Writing, Gary Walker / By

We all know what we like to read. Some people gravitate toward literary fiction, while others dig mysteries. That guy over there may not care, as long as he’s reading a good, compelling story. Your girlfriend might be a romance nut, and you might be into steampunk, cyberpunk, or biopunk. I may prefer books with lots

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So You Want to Join a Writing Group Part III: Beware of Hobbyhorses

Creative Nonfiction, Creative Writing, Gary Walker / By

When a writer begins spending time with other writers, he learns that there’s a long and intimidating list of writing rules in need of memorization. It goes something like this: Don’t use adverbs, do avoid clichés, don’t switch points of view mid-scene, do only use “said” as a dialogue tag, and—most of all, folks—show, don’t

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So You Want to Join a Writing Group Part II: Don’t Make Excuses for Your Work

Creative Nonfiction, Creative Writing, Gary Walker / By

Here’s the scenario. Today is your day to be critiqued by your writing group. One by one, your peers provide you with thoughtful feedback, analyzing the ins and outs of your work. Everyone is tuned in to your writing, catching a few things you missed—okay, let’s say a lot of things, which is the way

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So You Want to Join a Writing Group Part I: Not So Much with the Talking

Creative Nonfiction, Creative Writing, Gary Walker / By

When I was in my MFA program, there were only two non-negotiable rules of the workshop. The first was that we should always begin a critique by saying something positive about the work under discussion. This was nothing new to me, and it made good sense. After all, it’s just as easy to find weakness in

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