At risk of sounding foully pompous I think that writers' groups are probably very useful at the beginning of a writing career.

Don't tell me the moon is shining, show me the glint of light on broken glass.

Writing is a solitary occupation.

I think the crucial thing in the writing career is to find what you want to do and how you fit in. What somebody else does is of no concern whatever except as an interesting variation.

God help me, he thought. God help all us poor wretches who could create and find we must lose our hearts for it because we cannot afford to spend our time at it. (“Mad House”)

Breaking through writer's block is like thinking out of the box: Both require an ability to imagine a world outside your four walls or rearranging them to get a better view.