The Christian Science Monitor ran an article recently concluding that group discussions kill creativity.
The reason: "Even when a meeting is for the best intentions of exploring ideas and working on problems, egos clash and time is wasted as participants go off on tangents."
If you've attended a writing group that may ring a bell.
I'm not against them in principle. They can be very useful because we all need to get some feedback on material when we've grown too close to it to be objective. But the article points out the two main dangers:
EGO: This can take several forms. One is the insecure writer who feels that tearing down what you've written somehow makes his better. Another is the writer who tells you how he or she would write the story, rather than helping you see how to write it better your way.
TANGENTS: Often there's someone who, when you share your story in which there's a cat, feels compelled to tell you about their kitty--at length. Unless there's someone running the meeting, it can be difficult to get people back on track.
What you're looking for is a writing group with supportive members and a leader who keeps things going at a good clip; otherwise you may be wasting valuable writing time.
(For supportive help with your writing, get "Your Writing Coach" from Amazon or your other favorite online or offline book seller.)
