By Teena Myers

Fellowship with like-minded people is important in almost everything we do. People who write spend hours alone with their thoughts and computer. Family and friends can be supportive. But they may not understand your passion and frustrations.

Finding a writing group that is a suitable fit can be a challenge. I spent years in a secular writing group that did not know how to help me with Christian writing. The experience was a mix of good and bad. Seeing how secular readers perceived my writing was beneficial. The bias and criticism could be difficult to bear.

Writers need feedback from other writers. One writer returned chapters with highlighted paragraphs, and a side note: “I know this is clear to you, but I don’t understand what you are trying to communicate.” Usually, a few sentences or words resolved the problem. Professional editors are expensive, which makes a writing group willing to highlight typos, missed words, and lack of clarity beneficial.

An author at a book festival told me about a Christian writing group. I made the two-hour round trip for years before a door opened to start a writing group in a Christian bookstore ten miles from my home. If you can find a group that is a good fit, the benefits of fellowship, feedback and encouragement outweigh the bad.