Rebecca Wood Barrett is one of the founding members of Whistler’s Vicious Circle, and has given dozens of workshops on the craft of writing.

On Wednesday, she’ll lead a discussion at the Pemberton Library on writing groups and how to make the most of them and incubate a writing community or support network.

Even those who enjoy the solitude and privacy of time with the blank page can benefit from a support network, a deadline, a critique group, a bit of feedback or encouragement. As Whistler Question reporter Brandon Barrett wrote recently,

Whether you’re a novice (and when it comes to writing, aren’t we all?) or a seasoned author, the benefit to your creative process of gathering with a likeminded community of writers cannot be overstated.

I joined a small subgroup of the Vicious Circle last summer primarily as a way to push myself into writing for pleasure, even if it was only for a brief window each week or month.

With the amount of writing I do every week for my job, I was finding it harder and harder to dedicate time to the stories I wanted to tell and I could feel my creativity becoming stifled as a result.

And because us reporters are deadline-driven creatures of habit, the once-a-month format was just what I needed without overwhelming my schedule.

But beyond setting a regular timeline for your writing, the best thing I’ve gotten out of the group is the brief glimpse into the minds of other creative people, something writers don’t get afforded all that often as they toil away in solitude.

The discussions that take place in my five-member group are less about the writerly craft itself than the creative process.

It was surprising to me how hearing someone else dissect their story or their characters or the underlying motivation behind their writing could so easily spark something in my own work.

What’s more is I found myself understanding my own writing on a deeper level by having to explain it to a group of other writers. It keeps you honest, and in my experience that only leads to a better story.

Also, the relationships you end up forming through a writing group can be just as beneficial to you personally as they are creatively. Sitting in front of a group of strangers sharing work you’ve showed no one else on the planet can certainly be daunting at first. But as the group dynamic evolves over time, these strangers turn into something more. I’ve shared some of the most intimate and personal details with my group — things I haven’t even told friends or family. And the best part, is there is no negativity or passing judgement; it’s the ultimate safe space.

So if one of your resolutions this year is to finally pursue that writerly dream of yours, joining a writing group is the perfect first step to get you on your way. You’ll be a better writer and person because of it.