Finding Your Writing Community - Guest Post!
- J.H. Jones
- Oct 23
- 3 min read
I met CLAIRE A MURRAY through the motivating write-in sessions that she leads--and I'm so glad I did. She draws on her writing expertise to foster creativity and inspire action in others, which has encouraged me to continue along my writing journey. One area in which she shines is mystery short stories, and her PLAY THE HAND YOU'RE DEALT: A CRIME/MYSTERY SHORT STORY COLLECTION demonstrates her mastery of the art form. Earlier this year, she was the lead editor and contributed to SOWEST: DANGER AWAITS! --a blend of historical, contemporary, paranormal, serious, and humorous stories, where each story features an Arizona setting. Stay up to date with Claire on Facebook, and follow her YouTube channel.
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In September, SoWest: Danger Awaits! released with a launch party at The Poisoned Pen Bookstore in Scottsdale (AZ) and streamed on their Facebook and YouTube pages. As a contributor and the lead editor of this 25-story anthology, I interviewed 17 of the 25 authors that evening. The event helped me see my growth as a reviewer, critique partner, and writer/editor.
When I seriously committed to fiction writing years ago, I was fortunate to find a mentor who recommended a critique group and a writers organization. Both came with a bonus: camaraderie with kindred spirits. We were and are a combination of aspiring and experienced authors with a passion for telling our stories.
The critique group gave me ongoing feedback, but I also learned from the feedback given to others. I learned that what I spotted in others’ writing, I was sometimes doing in my own.
Sisters in Crime (SinC) provided writing learning opportunities within a larger group context. Their online Guppy chapter also offered (and still offers) workshops, discussion forums, and a host of other services, including a short story critique group, created a growth path for me. I now belong to four chapters, as each provides something the others do not. I also belong to Mystery Writers of America and the Short Mystery Fiction Society.
I moved 2,600 miles away from Boston and still wanted a critique group that met regularly. After taking a class at the Piper Writing Center of ASU about three years ago, a half dozen of us formed a critique group that meets virtually twice monthly. Membership changes from time to time, but our small core of between five and six members fits a need for each of us.
As my writing journey grew, I expanded beyond seeking and giving critiques to also providing beta reads, book reviews (for Kings River Life Magazine), presentations/ workshops, hosting write-ins, mentoring new authors, and editing our chapter anthologies.
My journey was made possible by my mentor’s early encouragement and introduction to groups that would benefit me. You don’t always find the right group right away, so never be afraid to explore options. Some authors need a group that has the same focus/genre as their own works, while others do well in a mixed group. The important thing is to find your group, and if it isn’t there, create one. And as you grow, pull others along with you!
It’s heartwarming to guide someone into their first successful submission, and more so when you see them have another success. Sharing what you’ve learned in your journey sets them on a path where their creative spirit is free to explore their boundaries, while challenging them to work toward their best and not stop at “okay.” This helps them become a better writer and a successful author.
CLAIRE A MURRAY is the author of Play the Hand You’re Dealt: A Crime/Mystery Short Story Collection and numerous short stories that have been published in anthologies and online magazines. She writes, paints, hosts write-ins for connection, inspiration, and sanity, and reviews books for Kings River Life Magazine. Lead Editor for two anthologies, 2023’s SoWest: Wrong Turn and 2025’s SoWest: Danger Awaits!, Claire belongs to Sisters in Crime—and is president of the Desert Sleuths chapter, the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and Mystery Writers of America. She is completing a suspense fantasy novel and the first book of a trilogy.
Get her collection of short stories here:
