There were many parts of this new structure. Each member was given the opportunity to participate or pass, depending on what they needed. Each exercise was open-ended, allowing the members to be as creative as they liked. We commented positively and sincerely on each piece of writing. Most importantly, Janet and I never asked the participants to do anything we were not going to do ourselves. We participated in every activity and shared only when we were comfortable doing so. Janet and I modelled, carefully, the way we wanted the group to behave. We wanted to express that there were a variety of ways to engage with the group.

With a group of this nature and size it is important to remember that the facilitator is very much a part of the way the group works. I was no longer only a teacher: I was a leader, facilitator, coach and equal participant. I was risking just as much as the other members of the group. This created a trust and camaraderie that a pure student/teacher relationship could not.

I made a point of building on the strengths and connections of the members of the group. We polled for opinions and asked for help. We had two members who had been a part of similar groups in the past and asked for their expertise and advice for writing exercises and activities. I also made a point of commenting not only on their strengths as writers but as people. Our members became very devoted to this group and I praised their dedication, skills, and determination in class and in their home lives. By my acknowledging them, their commitment to the class increased. This commitment gave the group a stable membership that slowly began to gel and form a cohesive community.

I also paid very close attention to how the writers were engaging with the exercises. Which ones worked, which ones did not work? Who enjoyed them, who did not? Were the members being literal or figurative with the prompts posed? What were they saying? What were they not saying, but implying? Sometimes an exercise just didn't work the way I expected it to. By listening closely to the words that were written and the responses of the group members, I could tell if I was doing a good job. I knew how each person was doing, inside and outside of class. I knew if I was posing appropriate questions. I could hear when adaptations needed to be made. I also could glean themes and topics for further discussion. Since these themes and topics were fresh in the participants' minds, it made our prompts more effective and engaging for the class. They felt a part of the system. They were a part of the system.