Finding a Writing Group

"Stipula fountain pen" by Power_of_Words_by_Antonio_Litterio.jpg: Antonio Litterioderivative work: InverseHypercube - Power_of_Words_by_Antonio_Litterio.jpg. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons.

So, you want to join a writers' group, but you have no idea where to start. That's what the Internet is for.

I had kind of wanted to join a writers' group for some time, but I didn't know where to find one. For me, it was as simple as joining Meetup.com. I did this on a lark. One of the interests I put down was writing, and a bunch of writing groups popped up.

Of course, this might not be the route you wish to take, but a simple Google search of "writing groups" might turn up some interesting local surprises. I found this post on finding writing groups just with that simple search.

Check out Yahoo Groups as well. Or Yelp. Check out your local paper, library, or bookstore. Once you start looking, you might be amazed at how many groups are out there.

You won't know if a writing group is right for you until you try it out. A couple members of my current group talk of previous groups they attended and how bad they could be. But, if you find a group that doesn't work for you, all you have to do is stop going.

What if you can't find a group that works for you? You could always start your own. If you know some writers, you could all start getting together. Or you could advertise (on Meetup or elsewhere) to find like-minded writers.

How did you find your writers' group? Did you have to try out many groups before you found one that worked for you?