Writing groups have existed throughout written history. From Plato’s Symposium to the Brontë sisters to Benjamin Franklin’s Junto, it’s a familiar model. A group of people with aspirations to write get together, share their writing (and often wine), critique one another’s work, and help each other hone their craft.

Some writing groups through history have enjoyed a great deal of success compared to others. There were other groups of writers working together in the same period as many of the writing groups we’re most familiar with. Why did they not experience the same lasting success? What made the Brontë sisters so successful? What did their triad possess that other writing groups in their time did not? What was it that has scholars and the general public still consuming their literature?

Perhaps it is a spark of genius that elevates some writing groups while others receive no wide acclaim, and that genius is to elicit a response from the reader that is potent enough for their work to survive long after the works of their peers.  Aspiring writers who do not possess the gift of working with themes and characters that resonate with their readers may become serviceable writers, but their writing does not capture the imagination and hearts of the readers. Texts that strike a chord with the reading public are lasting and celebrated because of the way readers connect with them.

The book, “Writing Groups: History, Theory, and Implications” by Anne Ruggles Gere looks at writing groups throughout history and their evolution into social groups that democratized scholarship in all sorts of communities. It is a very interesting starting point to look at the mechanics of writing groups and the theories behind their function.

Works Cited

Gere, Anne Ruggles. Writing Groups: History, Theory, and Implications. Published for the Conference on College Composition and Communication Southern Illinois University Press, 1987.