THE GREAT INTENDERS
a Writers' Group
in Humboldt County, California
Who We Are and What We Do
We are a writers' critique group with six active members. We are all published authors, working in various genres, and each of us has a major work or long-term project in progress. Our emphasis is on producing our best possible work with the intent to sell.
The founding writers came together in June of 2000 with a common vision that included a metaphysical outlook on life. While their projects covered a wide field, this outlook guided their commitment to help each other and to produce work intended to elevate readers to a loftier plane. Like any organic process, the group has evolved over time. Though only one of the founders remains, we aim to keep our dynamics as honest and focused as originally conceived.
We're both writers and readers. Our aggregate interests range all the way from the classics and ancient civilizations to the arts and sciences, literature and health, sports and religion, the possibility of alien contact, the near-certainty of enlightenment and the absolute certainty of getting published in this lifetime, and a lot of other things -- all peppered with a generous serving of humor and not necessarily in that order.
We strive to create a safe, noncompetitive environment where we can all feel comfortable sharing our work. Any ideas a writer brings to the group belong to that writer. Ideas arising out of brainstorming sessions around the writer's work also belong to that writer. Thus, suggestions are freely given with no expectation of credit or compensation.
Since the group started, typical works under review have included fiction, screenplay, biography, humor, essays, how-to and self-help. During our meetings we read each others' writing (see Critique section below) and share learning and marketing resources. We do not critique poetry, or technical or other non-literary writing.
Current Members and their Works in Progress
- Nancy Only -- food column and Humboldt County cookbook
- Lance Hardie -- speculative fiction
- Dick Stull -- eco-sports murder mystery
- Janine Volkmar -- historical mystery
- John Daniel -- murder mystery
- Mary Wilbur -- horticulture, gardening, and mystery
- Betsy Husband -- travel articles
Meeting Format
Though we are a leaderless group, we elect a Facilitator by consensus at the beginning of each meeting. Since we may read as many as 50 pages during a single meeting, we have to make the most of the time available. Hence we adhere strictly to our meeting format and do our best to avoid misunderstandings of time, place, and agenda. Writers are responsible for letting the Host know if they plan to miss a meeting. The Host is the member at whose house we meet. Given enough notice, the Host will notify the rest of the group so we make only enough copies for those present.
Unless we agree otherwise beforehand, we meet on Wednesdays at 1:30 PM. Each meeting has three phases: Check-in, Centering, and Critique.
CHECK-IN (3-5 minutes per person)
We start each meeting by "checking in" with each other. If a new person is present we also go around and introduce ourselves. Writers inform the Facilitator how many pages they've brought and if they need to leave early. The Facilitator then determines the order in which the work will be read, giving preference to those who must leave early.
CENTERING (3-5 minutes)
A short centering or attunement exercise helps us rid our minds of mundane concerns, become clear and focused for the task at hand, and move us out of our egos and into a state of trust and cooperation. Barring an inspiring reading brought by a member and agreed to by all, we maintain silence for a short period during which all present may engage in their own personal centering or meditation practice.
CRITIQUE (30-40 minutes per person)
The critique phase is central to our focus: it helps us to improve the overall quality of our work and stimulates creativity, growth, learning and trust. Though writers may exchange long reads with one another outside the group if they wish, the bulk of the critique is done on the spot, in the group.
We strive to give each other the same kind of thoughtful, thorough critiques that we want to receive ourselves. Mindful that our purpose is to critique the work, not criticize the author, we strive to be positive, respectful, kind and helpful in this process.
The writer passes around copies of his or her work, explains briefly what it is and specifies what s/he wants us to read for. As we read the material, we write our comments and suggestions directly on the author's review pages.
Next comes the feedback process. With one person speaking at a time, each reviewer offers comments, suggestions, marketing ideas, etc. During this time, the author remains silent, listening, making notes and resisting the temptation to defend the work. This can be hard to do, so the Facilitator needs to be vigilant here -- that's why the Facilitator has a whip.
After everyone has had a turn with a critique of the work under review, the Facilitator declares Open Discussion. Everyone, including the author, may now ask or answer questions, respond to comments, offer additional insights, debate ideas, etc. The marked-up copies are then passed back to the author, and we move on to the next person.
This meeting format has worked well for us and we plan to continue using it.
What to bring
Bring up to 10 double-spaced, printed pages (approximately 2,500 words) of your work, with enough copies to pass around to the group. It's okay to come empty-handed once in a while: your comments and suggestions alone will be helpful to others.
Submission standards
- Black ink on white paper, single-sided --
okay to use blank side of previously used paper
- Font size: 12-point Courier (or equivalent) or larger
- Approximately 1" margins
- Page numbers on every page
We like to socialize a bit before and after our work, and sometimes in between. Though we have no organized system for munchies and drinks, some of us bring something when the Muse of Munchies has whispered in our ear. The Host will generally provide something in any case, though not reliably pleasing to all.
We may have an opening in the future
To be fair to ourselves and review the maximum amount of work at each meeting, we have agreed to limit our membership to six writers. If a vacancy occurs, we may consider the addition of another writer to the group. The "ideal candidate" is someone...
- who is committed to writing (any adult prose genres
except poetry and tech writing)
- who shares our commitment to the group process --
attendance, punctuality, honoring the needs of others
- who produces a steady stream of work for weekly critique
- who is writing to sell
- whose past work has been accepted by an editor and
subsequently published -- at least three instances
(self-publishing doesn't count)
- who is computer-savvy in the ways of word processing and email
- who has read widely in many fields
(note our range of interests above)
When the occasion comes up to consider new members, we like to follow a step-by-step procedure. Before inviting prospective members to join our group, we ask them to attend two consecutive meetings as guests, bringing their writing and fully participating in our process. After a prospective member has attended two meetings, the group decides whether to extend an invitation for permanent membership. The Membership Coordinator notifies the prospective member of the group's decision by phone or email.
Want to follow up?
If you feel that your orientation resonates with ours
and that our "ideal candidate" qualities
are mostly true for you most of the time,
send an email query to
The Great Intenders'
Host Writer in the Sky
|
