6–6:10 p.m.: Welcome and check-in
Share your name, something you have written or thought about since our last meeting, and one thing you need from the group tonight.
Oct. 1 meeting
Writing group agenda
Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026 · 6–8 p.m.
Kinston-Lenoir County Public Library · Led by Kristy Kelly
Useful feedback, confidentiality and character creation.
Unfinished work belongs here. Reading aloud is optional, and passing is always welcome.
Open printable agenda (PDF)6:10–6:25 p.m.: Our confidentiality promises
Discuss and agree on how we protect each other’s writing and personal stories. Briefly review the website’s private, group and public choices.
6:25–6:40 p.m.: Practice useful feedback together
With the writer’s permission, read a short excerpt. Practice naming a specific strength, asking a genuine question and offering a suggestion that matches the writer’s request.
6:40–7:15 p.m.: Feedback circles
Work in groups of three. Give each writer a 10-minute turn, then spend five minutes identifying what made the feedback useful. Writers may bring a paragraph, poem, scene or question.
7:15–7:20 p.m.: Short break
Stretch, refill water and reset.
7:20–7:40 p.m.: Build a character
Create someone with a want, an obstacle, a secret and a recognizable voice. Use the character questions below, then write a short scene.
7:40–7:55 p.m.: Meet the characters
Share a few lines with a partner or the group. Listeners name a revealing detail and ask one question that could help the character develop.
7:55–8 p.m.: Close with a next step
Name one revision, writing session or character scene you will work on before the next meeting.
Our confidentiality promises
- We keep group-only writing and personal disclosures within the group.
- We ask before forwarding, quoting, photographing, recording or posting someone else’s work.
- Sharing a draft for feedback does not give anyone permission to publish or reuse it.
- We respond to the writing without making assumptions about the writer’s life.
- Writers choose what to share, what feedback to request and which suggestions to use.
Private means only the writer. Group means approved group members. Public means anyone can read it.
Group guidelinesA 10-minute feedback turn
- One minute: The writer explains the draft and asks for a specific kind of feedback.
- Two minutes: The writer reads a short excerpt, or everyone reads silently.
- Five minutes: Readers offer specific observations and questions.
- Two minutes: The writer asks follow-up questions and names a possible next step.
Helpful openings: “The detail that stayed with me was…” “I wanted to know more about…” “I lost track of…” “Would you like a suggestion about…?”
Character creation
Give your character:
- A name and one detail that makes them recognizable.
- Something they want today.
- Someone or something standing in their way.
- A secret or contradiction.
- One sentence only they would say.
- One detail that places them in eastern North Carolina.
Scene prompt: Your character needs a favor from the last person they want to ask. Show the encounter through action and dialogue.
Leave with: One useful piece of feedback, one character worth following and one manageable next step.