Writing Groups

Some writing groups are just awful.  Here are a few tips on how to loose people in your writing group.

1. If you have members who look young, don't assume a mentor-ship role.  Remember you don't know this person, you don't know what kind of behavior would offend them.  Kiddo, you remind me of my son/daughter, champ, tiger.
   (It's condescending, ridiculous and absolutely takes the focus off the most important thing: the work.)
2. Poor communication.  If you send four, five or six e-mails to one place and you do not get a response chances are you have the wrong e-mail address.  Have the wherewithal to figure that out.
3. People Work.  Some writers actually work.  The reason why they joined a writing group is because they can't live off of their work.  Allow for the person to have some time before writing nasty e-mails about how unprofessional they are because they didn't answer by the deadline that was created.  It's selfish to believe that everyone is just waiting around to answer every little e-mail sent.
4. Collaborate don't Dominate.  Sorry, just felt the need to rhyme there.  I've had someone claim they were collaborating with me, only to change my story completely around.  Needless to say I wasn't happy with it.  And I know some of you might say that I'm too close to the project; but consider this: It wasn't even the same plot.
5. Don't send a million e-mails.  There would be no time to write if the members spent all day answering and reading each and every e-mail.

I don't know I just think those kinds of disruptive qualities really rub me the wrong way.  Sometimes writers just aren't meant to work together.