Jane Mackay's group makes a full evening of their writing group sessions, which always start at the same time, but in different venues: "We meet once a month at 6pm at a restaurant or cafe, where we spend about an hour eating and catching up with each other, then we retire to a coffee shop where we workshop the two or three short manuscripts that were submitted for that month," she says. Kim Steuterman Rogers' Kaua'i-based group took a more casual approach, even meeting occasionally in parks, to enjoy the island's gorgeous weather.
For these and other writers we heard from, the location helped establish the tone and supported the goals of their sessions: Mackay's group needed a space where the group could discuss work, but Steuterman Rogers and her writing partners largely sought inspiration. When thinking about meeting places, consider not only what's available, but what mood you want to set. Starting a writing group isn't that different from throwing a dinner party -- a dinner party where literature is the main course.
See what other writers had to say about their writing group sessions -- or share writing group stories of your own.