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"A Group of One's Own" authors shown left to right are Laurel Lloyd Earnshaw, Deborah Regan, Sue Wereska, Karen Desrosiers, and Charlene Pollano.

‘A Group of One’s Own’ By Heather Mackenzie features@seacoastonline.com Eight years ago, three local women started meeting at McDonald’s to form the Southern New Hampshire Women’s Writing Group (SNHWWG). That group expanded, and now five of the members collaborated to write a book to teach other women how to do that as well. “A Group of One’s Own: Nurturing the Woman Writer” does just that — and more. Karen Desrosiers, Laurel Lloyd Earnshaw, Charlene Pollano, Deborah Regan and Susan Wereska, over a period of two years, managed to set aside great blocks of time devoted to writing their book. Coordinating the schedules of five busy women is not an easy task, especially when they must leave husbands and children at home. Fortunately, they’d been meeting frequently for years, and had made it clear that, in their lives, writing was a priority. The introduction to “A Group of One’s Own” begins with, “Can a women’s writing group save your marriage, improve your sex life, and help you lose twenty pounds? Okay, so maybe we don’t have the miracle cure for all life’s desires, but we do know a way you can achieve your writing dreams whether you’re an accomplished writer or a beginner.” According to these women, one of the best ways to meet your goals is through the support of your friends. A writer’s group offers women — and men — a place to seek encouragement, motivation and constructive criticism. The members will rally around you when you receive a rejection letter, they’ll celebrate your successes. And, perhaps most importantly, they’ll give you a reason to write. “Friends can take writing to a new level,” says Laurel Lloyd Earnshaw. Writing the Book After putting together an outline, sample chapters and a market analysis, the women sent the proposal to about three-dozen publishers. Some publishers wanted to change the concept — such as adding men to the mix. The Story Line Press offered a final home for the book without such drastic changes — but it wanted it within four months. The proposal alone had taken more than a year. The SNHWWG met every week after that and held two writing retreats. At the first retreat members tweaked the outline, assigned the various chapters and drank wine (they had a lot to celebrate.) At the final retreat, they went over the manuscript line by line, comma by comma. They’d work from 8 a.m. until midnight. The book is divided into three parts. In the first part, they teach you how to build a healthy, productive writing group, or how to seek out one that has already been established. They also give tips on how to give and receive criticism, how to find the time to write, and how to get your writing published. In the second part, they offer samples of their own work to illustrate the effect the group has had on their writing. And the third section provides resources to help you on your way — examples of mission statements for the group, writing goals and favorite books. Actually, the only thing this book doesn’t have is recipes to serve at the meetings — and that’s only because the publisher didn’t want to mix cooking and writing genres. Deborah Regan sums up the experience of writing and publishing “A Group of One’s Own:” “It’s so easy to have an idea, but so much work. To go after (the book) and to see it published — it’s a really good life lesson.” Starting your Own Group In the beginning, only two of the writers had seen their work in print. After a few years, all the members have been published. The women all believe that the SNHWWG was instrumental to their successes. When starting your own group — or joining another — it’s important to know your expectations. Do you want a group where you read your own work every week? Once a month? Once a year? Discuss these expectations with the existing members and come up with a plan with deadlines you can meet. Also, one helpful hint is to have someone in the group who is at your same level and works within your genre. The SNHWWG dabbles in a bit of everything, from stories for young adults to personal essays to feature stories to travel writing, but they all share a common bond — they are all working on novels. This helped unify them as a group, and allowed them to branch out and explore other areas of writing. Find a central location to meet at, and instead of meeting at your homes, meet in restaurants. This lowers the stress level because no one has to cook or clean or play hostess. Someone does have to take charge of the meetings however, to make sure everything stays on track and that there are only minor distractions. You should also let your family and friends know how serious you are about writing. “Non-writers frequently don’t understand,” Karen Desrosiers says. Your writing group knows what you’re going through, and you can turn to it when things get rough. It’s enough to get family members to respect your goals, even if they can’t comprehend why you feel the need to set them. Celebrating your success is almost as important as doing the writing. This is a lifestyle where, as Regan says, “the rejection letters come fast and furious.” When something gets published, or a high-end goal is met, turn to your group to share in your joy. It’s not all just hard work. After Publication Since the book’s release, the women have given more than 30 public readings, sometimes sharing the floor with other authors. They’ve spoken to more than 400 people as far away as Vermont and south of Boston. When they read at the Coop in Harvard Square, they knew they made it. Have they lost any audience by marketing this book for women? No. According to them, about 50 percent of their audience at readings have been men, men who claim that the book applies to them, too. Seacoast Online posts the top Stories from Seacoast Newspapers everyday. For even more news pick up a copy at your local newsstand, or subscribe today!

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