A Guide to Bardsy's Directed Writing Groups

Bardsy's method begins with the idea that novels start in authors' minds and end in readers'. We also know that writing is primarily a solitary activity; however, the "every writer is an island" mindset only goes so far, especially in light of the aforementioned premise. You need outside perspectives to ensure your novel will succeed. That’s where Bardsy’s directed writing groups come in.

Under the guidance of a trained educator and traditionally published author, your fellow group members will serve as surrogate readers, allowing you to gauge how your work lands so you can revise effectively. While acting as reader stand-ins, group members offer specific feedback (i.e. this is confusing), a sense of story (this character needs motivation), and provide the best kind of emotional support (as a fellow author confronting these issues, this is working). Each of these things are valuable on their own; in combination, they can change your trajectory.

If you've never attended a directed writing group, fear not! Here’s everything you need to know to maximize your gain and offer the same to your group members. Then we'll end with a shameless plug detailing what makes Bardy's groups special. Further, if you've dropped out of past groups because of know-it-alls or group members who don’t do their part, know that Bardsy has solved those problems.

Getting the Most From Your Directed Writing Group

Like most things in life, what you get is a function of what you give. Also, we know many writers tend toward introversion, so these rules will also help grease the social wheels. A willingness to learn, commitment to completing your novel, and taking the time to offer kind and constructive input on your fellow participants’ work will pay off. We’re so certain that we even offer a guarantee. To ensure you receive the greatest benefits possible from your writing group, this is the best, proven practice.

Preparation:

The ability to offer thoughtful critique is not innate. Providing critique is a skill, one you develop through effort and practice. Our PI™ advances the learning curve by serving as a checklist you can compare each selection to, seeing if the piece meets the criteria for “good” or “great” storytelling.

Your best work takes place before the group starts. After polishing and posting each work, read those of other members. If you can, don't wait til the last minute, but know that that supposed failure is not as bad as most believe. The only thing you absolutely never should do is line edits. Trust us on this, it will be the subject of a future blog. You can take notes insofar as they help you with the following.

Once you’ve read through a selection—as a normal reader would—you’ll want to reflect on the piece holistically, keeping the Publishability Index™ in mind, if you've reached that level. After identifying issues, step back and evaluate them, “weighing” them individually to determine which impacts the story most. You must repeat this process to identify what's working in the piece—more on this shortly.

Look at this final weighing stage as triage. You’re prioritizing the issue most preventing a story's coherence. Revision is an iterative process, the route to success lies in solving big problems, then medium then the rest. Rough drafts are rough, so it's easy to help the author by prioritizing issues that might kill those that may bruise. Just as you wouldn’t ignore an arterial bleed in favor of wrapping a sprained wrist, you’ll address major issues—lack of a clear inciting incident for example—over a minor issue such as cumbersome dialogue

This prep work increases efficiency and palatability. Compare feedback from someone who has prepared appropriately to someone who hasn’t, and you’ll immediately notice the difference. Performing this type of developmental evaluation has another crucial benefit: increasing your ability to examine your own work.

If we shield ourselves from all feedback, we stop growing.
- Brené Brown

During the Group:

When it's your turn to offer feedback: always, always always lead with an aspect the author’s target reader will find satisfying—a heart-pounding chase in a thriller for example. This is not some throwaway "good job;" this is vital. Understanding what doesn’t work isn’t enough, your fellow writers also need to know what’s excellent about their work. Not only does this meet an emotional need, offering a source of needed encouragement, it helps them recognize what is working so they can keep that thread. Talking about the good also helps the author develop their work's value proposition, the selling point necessary for marketing.

Only after leading with the positive, clearly raise the priority issue—providing context and detail as needed; this should take less than three minutes if you've thought it through. Remember the Golden Rule: ask yourself how you would like issues in your work communicated and go from there. After detailing the primary issue, quickly mention at most two minor issues—clearly communicating that they are less important. Usually, these are unrelated to the main problem and are thoughtful suggestions that the author can easily implement—or not. It's their work and therefore their choice.

If you don't go first in rotation, sometimes another member may "steal" your thoughts. This is a great thing! You and they have read the same piece and have agreed. Acknowledge their thoughts, both to save time and show you agree. Expand only if you have something valuable to add, making sure not to pile on. Further, don't try to come up with another major issue, if you truly agree, the author has enough to think about.

When receiving feedback during group:

Listen, listen, listen! This goes beyond the adage of two ears and one mouth, try ten ears and one mouth. While this sounds easy, learning to accept critique without defensiveness is a skill that also calls for practice. After all, you’re emotionally attached to your work and instinctively want to defend it. Remember: you won’t be on a future reader's shoulder to explain your novel to them, so make a conscious decision to leave defensiveness at the door, knowing your fellow group members are acting in good faith. Never interrupt while feedback is being shared, and unless asked a question (by your coach), don't expect to say anything until everyone has had a turn. Focus on taking good notes for your revisions to extract maximum value from the comments.

The same professionalism you display when delivering feedback must triple— at least—when it comes to receiving it. This sounds corny, but feedback is really a gift from your fellow writers, so always be appreciative. Consider all notes you receive carefully, even if you don’t ultimately decide to act on them. In Bardsy groups, your coach will help filter the feedback you’ve received, using their knowledge and experience to help identify an actionable consensus. Keep in mind, your coach is always available for a one-on-one meeting to discuss your work and help you troubleshoot any issues.

What Makes Bardsy’s Directed Writing Groups Unique?

Bardsy’s directed writing groups serve a sole purpose: producing a novel that your target reader will love. This is accomplished through three key features: a trained, traditionally published author directing the group, carefully curated group members, and personal one-on-one coaching. In our directed writing groups, writers work to establish a coherent work, using the Publishability Index™ as a rubric and eventually a language for offering actionable feedback. You’ll work through your novel chapter by chapter, with members supporting you in multiple ways as you support (and learn from!) them. Here’s a more detailed breakdown of how Bardsy’s directed writing groups differ from typical writing groups:

Directed by experienced authors & educators

Every Bardsy writing group is led by a trained educator and traditionally published author. They use these experiences, as well as training in the Bardsy Method, to offer expert guidance and support. Your group’s instructor keeps members on track during the session even as they are offering their own feedback, going beyond mere facilitation.

You'll see this in the way they filter group feedback, preventing misinformation from being inadvertently shared. Once all other members have spoken, your coach will establish a consensus, and help you determine the next step you should take. Your group’s leader will also model professionalism in offering feedback, ensuring the group remains a safe, empathetic space for all members.

Feedback is a free education to excellence. Seek it with sincerity and receive it with grace.
– Ann Marie Houghtailing

Curated group members

Bardsy’s directed writing groups are carefully constructed—definitely not some haphazard collection of maybe writers you happen to know. Before being admitted, writers are evaluated to ensure their membership in the group will be beneficial not only to them but fellow members. We look at their potential, commitment level, and their attitude. You'll see that we use our free Success Plan in part as a kind of screener.

Attitude is a key predictor of eventual success. Storytelling/writing technique is usually, in our experience, far easier to improve than a poor attitude—rudeness or an unwillingness to prepare appropriately are instant disqualifiers. Grandiose Gary’s need not apply, as members are expected to have the willingness to learn (otherwise why attend?) and contribute to others' success.

At Bardsy, group members are invested in their peers’ victories, knowing their contributions to the other group members, and the model they set benefits them as well. This mutual investment fosters a collegial environment. Since each writer is pursuing their own success, there’s no space for competition and one-upmanship. Should it occur, the coach is there to intervene. In sum, you’ll receive feedback from other writers—through the lens of the PI™— and develop your own skills in a supportive environment, while collecting data on the most marketable aspects of your work.

A personal coach in your corner

Last, but certainly not least, your group leader acts as your personal coach. You’ll meet with them one-on-one outside the group in monthly sessions devoted specifically to your needs. In addition to helping you set and achieve your goals, your coach will offer wisdom and encouragement during the querying, marketing, and publishing process. The journey from writer to successful author is a long one, and your coach offers you guidance and support every step of the way.

Don’t let unpleasant experiences with other writing groups deter you. Bardsy’s directed writing groups offer a supportive space to work toward writing success. Find the outside perspective you need to take your novel to the next level, improve your developmental editing skills, and learn how to leverage your novel’s best assets to find your ideal readers, all under the guidance of an experienced coach.

Questions about our directed writing groups? Ready to give a Bardsy writing group a try? Let us know at joinus@bardsy.com and we’ll get you scheduled for a complimentary trial group session. If you’re not quite ready for the full group experience, that’s okay too. Attend our mini workshop, on Wednesday, May 28th at 4:00 PM Pacific or Saturday, May 31st at 10:00 AM Pacific and make a plan to achieve significant progress on your novel.

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