What I Learned As a Facilitator for the Federation of BC Writers

What happens when you finally get a chance to be a facilitator for the Federation of BC Writers and things almost go horribly wrong...just as you're getting started?

Over the last 10 months, I've had the privilege of serving as a facilitator for the Federation of BC Writers' non-fiction group, which I named the Low-Pressure High-Passion Writing Circle.

The group was made up of talented and passionate writers with a variety of world and life experiences, who all had stories to share. We met via Zoom calls monthly, providing non-fiction submissions in advance that we each critiqued via a centralized Google Drive with comments, edits, and questions to help each writer improve.

Everything started off just fine until, during one class several months in, something went wrong.

I was working on my family memoir about my father, our olive groves back in Croatia, and learning the family tradition of making olive oil in an effort to reconnect with him, and was looking forward to sharing the experience.

I thought the biggest issues I'd have with facilitating a writing group would be juggling the sessions into my schedule and ensuring that everyone received equal and fair time to receive their feedback from the group.

Maybe, I thought, the biggest issues would be punctuation, story arc, or point of view - all writing craft elements - but boy was I wrong.

So, when one of the writers in the group felt they had no choice but to drop out, I put the blame on my shoulders. The writer who left told me they felt they were being questioned about their story, about how something happened.

I felt terrible for them. I think most of the group did. It was a stressful situation. Something no one in the group expected. But it was also a valuable lesson.

It was a reminder that while writing circles are great at providing community, connection, and a safe place to be heard, they are still imperfect. Because writing circles, by design, are not intended to grasp just how much hurt an individual might be carrying.

This is why it is so important to focus our feedback on craft. Especially in non-fiction writing.

Which was exactly what we did. Going back to basics and discussing among ourselves that when we provide feedback, it should only be about craft. Like the theme, or the purpose of a scene, world-building or interiority.

After that slight but ever-so-important adjustment, I am happy to report our writing group thrived.

We had many wonderful discussions on a wide range of topics from love, death, loss, coming of age, and self-acceptance.

We had many writers with breakthrough moments during our sessions. Writers who found their voice, who found ways to express themselves in ways they hadn't before.

The writing improved. And so did the connection amongst the group. So much so that despite my 10-month volunteering facilitation coming to an end in early June 2026, this writing group is still going strong.

They will be taking the summer off, but they'll continue without me, in the fall and for the year and hopefully years ahead, because they've found each other, and their projects aren't finished yet. And because honestly, it's been a great place to connect on something they're passionate about - writing - and having a space together where they can make sense of the world: past, present and future.

In the end, I realize now that they gave me much more than I could have asked for. I learned from them kindness, patience, dedication, and the desire to learn and try again. I learned to always go in with an open heart, knowing that the rest will follow. And I will be forever grateful for the experience.