The Importance of Writing Groups

I know this goes without saying, but lately I've realized just how important it is to have a writing group. The consequences of not having one can be really bad, especially for an inexperienced writer like me.
Writing groups do two MAJOR things for its members.
1) Members of a writing group can bounce ideas around and come up with new or better ones. I can reach a conclusion that takes an hour by myself in ten or twenty minutes with a couple of creative people in the room. Not only do they help come up with new ideas, but they can improve an idea that an individual has already come up with. When I need help with an idea, its best to have a few people that read or write a lot.
By improving the ideas that you have, the writing group can also come up with new ones that stem out of the old lame ideas you had in the first place.
2) Members of a writing group can raise you up or tear you down, depending on your need.
If you've just finished a huge chunk of writing and you're feeling proud of himself, that hubris can get to your head pretty quick. A writing group can help with that by offering constructive criticism. If you're feeling down because the members of your group pointed out a bunch of flaws in some writing you had, don't. That's what a writing group is for. They want you to do well, and sometimes that means letting you fall down and get scraped up a little bit.
The other thing they can do is raise you up when you're feeling down. If you're depressed because you have to rewrite an entire short story because there were some characterization issues, your writing group can help by offering some ideas and suggestions that might help get you back on the road.

I know it's common sense for a writer to have a group or two, but after being on my own for a long time I've realized how important it can be to SHARE your ideas once and a while. Even if you don't have a formal group, you can still talk to friends who read a lot or who might even be aspiring writers themselves.