• After we convinced you to find a writers group last entry, I figured it was time to help you understand why you should do a writers group. The benefits of groups are immeasurable. A writers group is the perfect way for other writers to look at your work and give you feedback and direction to help you develop your project further. A writers workshop or group is great no matter what stage of the game you're at, and here's the reasons why and how it can help you become a better writer.

    Brainstorming: When you first are brainstorming a new story idea, talking with others and sharing your idea can help solidify your plan. While it's just in your head, the story isn't given all the nutrients it needs to develop into a full idea. Working on other peoples projects and telling them about your idea will get them to ask you questions and force you to think about your piece to a greater depth.

    Early Writing Stages: When you're just starting to write the piece, a writing workshop can tell you more about how your perspective is working, the strength of your narrator's voice, and the clarity of your writing. What's more, it can help as the other creative writers ask you about the story. Ultimately, you'll get an early look at what does and does not work in your story, and even gain some new ideas along the way.

    Finished first draft: After finishing the first draft, your writers group can help find the weaknesses. Where are the inconsistencies in your story, what scenes lack believability, what plot elements seem to be missing. These things are hard to pick up on your own because so much of creative writing comes from your head and so, the vision you have might be stronger than what's on the paper. Fellow authors can help identify these problems.

    Finished work: At the end, a writers group can help you perfect your piece. The authors can help you with line editing in your novel, and even help you craft your query letter to send to publishers. While bigger suggestions might come at this point in time, many of them will have to be ignored as the book is done, but some may be worth considering.

    In the end, working in a writers group can be a tremendous help, whether you are writing memoir or writing a fiction book. No matter what your goals, or your book's status, a writers group is the perfect addition to your writing itinerary.