Speculative Fiction Writing
Title: SpecFic Writing Group
Location: MadLab
Description: A group for writers interested in science fiction, weird fiction, slipstream, horror or fantasy.
Start Time: 19:00
Date: 2010-06-02
End Time: 21:00
Seven writers attended the first meeting of the Speculative Fiction writing group a couple of weeks ago. We discussed what we were interested in writing, what we hoped to get out of the group, and how it should work.
We decided to try meeting twice a month, with the option to go down to once a month if it seemed like a better fit for the group. We will be meeting from 7-9 on Wednesday nights in the top floor of MadLab on Edge Street. In June, we’ll be meeting on the 2nd and the 23rd. Not everyone who wants to be involved in the group will be expected to come every time.
We agreed to model the group on the Turkey City SF Writer’s Workshop, which is explained in full here. (Also have a look at the rest of the Turkey City lexicon, a much-loved and very funny guide to what NOT to do when writing speculative fiction.)
Essentially, they way Turkey City works is everyone who wants to come to the group has to have a piece of writing of their own to be critiqued: a short story or chapter of less than 7,500 words (often a great deal less!) These will be circulated a week or so before the group meets to give everyone time to read them and comment on them (we will be setting up a dropbox account where we can all upload and download the stories online).
During the meeting, group members take turns offering their constructive criticism and responses to each person’s piece while the writer in question clams up and takes it like a man… and presumably takes notes in order to improve their work.
We talked about the option of having less-serious sessions once in a while or guest speakers, which is something we can look at as the group evolves.
We may set up an email list but for the time being these posts on the MadLab website will be mission control. Anyone is welcome to come, with the caveat that this group is specifically for people who are writing speculative fiction, which means all flavours of sci-fi, fantasy, horror, slipstream or weird fiction.
Questions? Put ‘em in the comments below…
Also, any ideas for twitter hashtags? I was thinking maybe #specficmcr…?
Tags: MancSpecFic
Sounds really good, can’t wait to attend the next one. I was really disappointed I missed the last one already
I also had a question/suggestion. Is it maybe a bit too much to do a short story each every two weeks? This means everyone has to right a short story, polish it best they can (let’s face it every one wants to put in their best work) and also read the short stories that everyone else has written.
Then on the night there are two hours to go though 49 reviews (seven writers each critiquing 7 other writers).
Is it perhaps an idea to still meet up twice a month, but each only to write a short story once a month and distribute these stories over the two sessions a month. This will give everyone more time to write and polish their story as well as giving everyone more time on the night to critique.
Plus for those that only want to attend once a month it will be easy to just slot them in between the other reviews planned for that month.
Just an idea of course. Either way I’m really looking forward to being there next time, story in hand
Yes, I think this might work better – what do others think?
Sounds a cool idea and I’ll be be venturing to the next session.
Hello. I’m sorry, I’m probably being a bit stupid here, is the information about the drop box going to be posted on this site?
Erm… we haven’t worked that out yet, Ben. Paul is setting up a dropbox account, will ask him where he’s up to with that and if we don’t post it here we’ll collect emails and send the info that way.
Yeah I wanted to ask about that as well. I assumed someone would just create a google account, say writersmcr@gmail.com, with a few having the e-mail address login details and all the other writers e-mail addresses in the contacts list to send them to the rest of the group. Or alternately each writing/uploading their work in google docs and sharing it with the other writers instantly. Just my two cents.
Okay guys, we are in the process of setting up dropbox, an online file sharing system, which we will use to share our writing. We’ll send you the info about how to sign up via email, so we need your addresses if you want to take part. Either post them here or, if you don’t want to share your emails on this website, please email them to me at (my email is simply my firstname dot lastname at gmail dot com) saying you wish to be added to the list.
Once we have the folder set up on dropbox, we need to add our stories quickly if we are to crit them for the next session (only 8 days away). I will try to put something on twitter as well so that nobody misses out, but if you don’t see this in time to upload your own writing please just read the other stories/chapters on the site for the meeting june 2.
[...] evening I popped along to Manchester for my first visit to the new speculative fiction group at Madlab. It was all rather splendid. We all went along having already read each others work and took it in [...]