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Our book club in Austin spent two meetings arguing about the ending of The Silent Patient
Half of us thought the twist was brilliant, the other half said it felt cheap and rushed. I got so tired of the same points being made that I made everyone write down their single biggest issue with the ending on a notecard before we talked. Seeing all the different problems laid out like that actually helped us move past just yelling 'I liked it' or 'I hated it' and get into the actual writing choices. Has anyone else tried a method like this to break a deadlock in their group?
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dakota4158d ago
That notecard idea is smart. I've seen book clubs get stuck on the same arguments for weeks. Getting it all on paper first forces people to actually think instead of just reacting.
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luna_wright8d agoTop Commenter
Right? The "forces people to actually think" part is so true. My friend's writing group used to have the same fight about "show don't tell" every single meeting. Then they started writing one example of each on a notecard before talking. It totally changed things. Last week someone actually wrote, "Okay, I see how my line about the character being 'angry' is weak. Here's a better try where he kicks a trash can." It stopped the whole cycle of just defending their own work.
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vera_robinson367d ago
Does this work for online groups too, or just in person?
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