What Kind of Writers Groups Are These?
I’ve participated in writers groups I’ve loved—and others I couldn’t wait to escape. I’ve learned something from both:
A good writers group doesn’t happen simply because you put writers in a room together.
The culture matters. So does the leadership.
Storysmithing Circles are intentionally small, focused groups of writers gathered around something they want to learn. One Circle might explore memoir. Another devotional writing. Another the road to publication. Future Circles will explore other genres, techniques and parts of the writing life.
The subject may change. The kind of room we’re creating doesn’t.
I want our Circles to be places where we take our writing seriously without taking ourselves too seriously. Where writers at different levels can learn alongside one another. Where everyone has room to participate, ask questions, experiment and occasionally write something that doesn’t work. Because that’s part of becoming a better writer, too.
How We’ll Learn
For our craft-oriented Circles, much of what we do will follow a simple rhythm:
READ • NOTICE • LEARN • WRITE • SHARE
We’ll read good writing and pay attention to what the writer is doing. We’ll talk about why it works. I’ll introduce techniques and ideas you can use in your own writing. Then we’ll try them.
Depending on the Circle, that might mean a short exercise during our time together, writing between sessions, sharing something you’ve written, discussing examples, or developing a practical plan for what comes next.
This isn’t about sitting through a lecture. It’s about learning by doing.
What Happens When We Share?
One of the most valuable—and potentially most difficult—parts of any writers group is feedback.
Two principles will guide us: We critique writing. We don’t criticize writers.
And: The writer owns the words.
We’ll learn to offer reader information before writer instructions. Instead of immediately telling another writer how we’d rewrite something, we’ll learn to say things like:
I noticed…
I wanted to know…
I got confused here…
This line stayed with me…
You don’t have to be an accomplished writer to be an attentive reader. And learning to read another writer’s work carefully can teach us an enormous amount about our own.
Who’s Welcome in the Circle?
You don’t need to be published. You don’t need a writing degree. You don’t even have to feel entirely comfortable calling yourself a writer yet.
Some Circles will naturally attract experienced writers. Others will be ideal for someone trying a kind of writing for the first time.
What matters is curiosity, a willingness to participate, and a desire to become better at the work.
If the subject of a Circle makes you think, I’d like to learn how to do that, there’s a good chance there’s a chair for you.
Who’s Sitting in the Host’s Chair?
I’m Darin Michael Shaw, and I’ve spent most of my adult life working with words.
For 21 years, that happened primarily through pastoral ministry. For the last 13 years, writing has been my profession. I’ve written, ghostwritten and collaboratively developed books; helped authors discover and shape their stories; edited manuscripts; written hundreds of devotional reflections; and created countless pages of professional content. I hold Master of Divinity and Master of Arts degrees.
But much of what I’ve learned about writing came the old-fashioned way: Butt in Chair. Words on Page.
I’ll bring what I’ve learned to each Circle—not as the person who has mastered everything there is to know about writing, but as a working writer who has spent years learning the craft, practicing it professionally, and helping other writers find their way through it.
I’ll host. I’ll teach. I’ll facilitate. And we’ll learn by putting words on the page together.