- A creative environment is always a vulnerable one. It enhances intimacy and encourages confidences. The mentoring programme must be a safe space. Members must respect the confidentiality of other members.
- Sharing writing makes members vulnerable. Each member must recognise this vulnerability and be gentle with each other.
- All ideas must be welcomed without judgement Sometimes the best ideas flow from those that at first seem ridiculous or unworkable.
- Criticism must be constructive. Members must aim to be honest, but kind.
- Try to bypass personal likes and dislikes and address whether you think a piece is working, regardless of whether you personally like or dislike science fiction / stories / postmodern literary fiction.
- Try not to criticise the central premise or the themes addressed in the work. For example, it doesn't matter if you believe the piece of writing is too right-wing / too left-wing / too white / too black / too feminist / or simply gives “the wrong message”. That’s not your business. That is the writer’s prerogative. It is your job to look at the way it’s expressed and see whether you believe it works, keeps you reading and makes an impact.
- The job of a writers’ group is as much to keep members writing, as to offer constructive criticism, perhaps more so. We believe that a first draft is never perfect, and is often far from perfect. A great deal can be (and always is) done at the rewrite stage. So try not to be so robust as to cause other members to lose heart.
- When a draft is finished, more robust (but still kind and constructive) criticism is appropriate.
