Writers’ groups are meetings where authors gather to read their work and get critiques from others. They typically meet weekly or every other week. Usually writers of just about any genre and skill level are welcome. Whether you are reading or commenting you can learn much at critique groups. This article is about getting the most out of a group as a reader, not a commenter.

Leave your ego at home

Some writers come to groups with the mindset of “My work is perfect! It can’t be improved on.” They’re not in the group to learn or discover how to improve their story. They expect to hear “I loved your story!” and “Don’t change anything.” These people are right about one thing: their story can’t be improved on because they’re not going to listen to sensible suggestions on improving it.

Don’t respond to suggestions you disagree with

Don’t argue. Don’t explain. Don’t say, “That’s coming up in the next chapter.” If you don’t agree, fine. Say thank you and go on to the next critique. Ideally, this point should be part of the group’s guidelines because it’s a principle that’s often violated. Then the group leader can interrupt and say, “Our guidelines state that we don’t respond to critiques.”

Read at every meeting

Writing is hard work. It’s easy to procrastinate. But if you plan to read at every meeting then you must, of course, have written something for that meeting. The meetings serve as an incentive to write.

Learn from the critiques of other writers

Some writers, sadly, don’t pay attention while their colleagues are critiquing other writers. You can learn much by listening to the comments about other works. At the least you’ll learn to not make the same mistakes others have made.

Don’t go over the assigned reading time.

In most groups, writers may read for about 10 minutes. Usually, someone times the reader and signals the end of reading time. But some writers think the rules don’t apply to them and keep right on reading, or bring far more than they can read and ask, “Can I just finish this?” A good moderator will say, “Sorry, no,” because, in fairness to all, time should be adhered to. How many words can you read in 10 minutes? It varies for everyone, but this is a good place to start: the average newscaster reads at about 180 words per minute. You may read slower, you may read faster. Read out loud and time yourself before you attend the meeting. Bring no more than what you can read in the allotted time.

Number the lines on your story

If your group permits hard copies or displays them on-screen during a virtual meeting you can number your lines. This makes it easier for a commenter to point out the passage they are referring to. (If you’re using Microsoft Word it’s easy to add line numbers: click on “Layout” and “Line Numbers.”)

Seriously consider all suggestions

You’re there to learn. You can learn from excellent suggestions. You can even learn from some that may not be all that great. But respect your colleagues enough to listen to and ponder their thoughts.

To find a writers’ group, Google “writers’ group near me.” If you join one and follow the above suggestions you’ll find groups to be one of the most valuable tools in improving your writing.