Reading Group Guide

Here are a dozen questions that can serve as springboards for writing groups or reading groups.  If other interesting questions arise during your discussions, please send them via the contact form.

1. The majority of the Literary Ladies were born in the 1800s. How do you think their challenges still resonate with writers today? What challenges or obstacles do you think have been eliminated, overcome, or transformed, and what are new and different challenges that today’s writers face?
2. Which of the twelve Literary Ladies do you most relate to, and why?
3. The book’s topics span everything from finding your voice, to dealing with rejection, to the balance of writing with motherhood. Looking through the chapters, are there any other categories you would add? If so, what and why?
4. This book’s author writes that what is fascinating about the creative process is that sometimes ideas need their own time and rhythm to unfold, yet other times you consciously push them to blossom. Where do you fit? Are you a planner or a plunger? Do your ideas need to simmer, sometimes even for years, or do you need to jump right in to sustain your momentum?
5. George Sand described writing as a violent, indestructible passion. Think of the writers you know, including yourself. Does this apply? Does writing intrinsically involve such agony, or ecstasy?
6. Charlotte Brontë was deeply offended when critics judged Jane Eyre with its creator’s gender in mind. Do you think women authors are still judged differently than male authors? What kind of challenges do you see as particular to female writers?
7. ”Write what you know” vs. “write about what you love or would like to learn about”— which rings true for you, and which do you believe creates the most authentic, deep writing?
8. Job vs. hobby—what are the obstacles today’s writers have to face in order to make a good living from their writing (for example, bloggers)? Does writing for money serve as an impediment or a motivator?
9. The Literary Ladies express different opinions about loved ones and friends either hindering or helping their work. Do you think it’s important to find one or more people to champion your work? How do you react to disapproval? Who is part of your ideal support system, and how do you imagine the ideal reader?
10. How do you perceive the future of writing changing due to technology, reading behaviors, shortened attention spans, and other factors of the modern age?
11. How do you define writing success?
12. Who are some of your favorite contemporary Literary Ladies? Why do you think their work is important?