TnT: writing circles.

[azuire]

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I've just moved to a new place and there's a local writing group recruiting.

Now, I know they say writing is a solitary art and most of us have taken to the internet to share our work (case in point: this community), but I've never been part of a group that meets up every week or so to discuss writing, and I've rarely met another writer in person. I have to admit I'm curious.

What do you think of these writing circles? Any stories to share?

Comments

[ex_pippin880]

I've only done that sort of stuff in creative writing units at university. It got weird sometimes, like when we were critiquing a girl's script, and this other girl in the tute kept going "do you think Orlando Bloom would play [dude character]? I think he should. And then you can [play [girl character] and get to make out with Orlando Bloom!" even though the writer had said she wasn't planning on those characters having a romantic relationship.

There was the tutor who'd claimed she loved all genre fiction, and welcomed genre fiction, and then when I presented a genre piece to the tute went "oh I don't know about genre, you'll have to find someone else to critique it, all I can say is I liked your use of italics" and the most pressing concern from my peers was that a lady character's underwear was not sexy enough, and then I went to one of the genre tutors, he told me it was terrible science fiction, even though it was actually fantasy-based.

There was the girl who couldn't figure out an ending to her story, and became annoyed when half of the tutorial started going "what if the old woman was a ghost?" "or the MC was a ghost!" "or a zombie!" "or a time-traveller!".

And, of course, the time that I mentioned a couple weeks ago, when after I had lambasted a girl's main character for being so obviously unsympathetic and cruel to her dying dog that the happy ending felt hollow and undeserved, I found out that it was an autobiographical piece, and she got really upset with me.

Then there was the time someone weaselled their way out of being critiqued because they were scared of me. Good times, good times.

[cariadwen]

One time, when I was going to a professional creative writing class and the tutor told us we couldn't write stories about ponies because it was too middle class and unfair on poorer people.

I told her that the village I came from had more horse ownership than indoor plumbing. And that travellors (gypsies) when rehoused in high rise flats in Ireland kept their horses on the grass outside. And what was wrong with writing for the middle class or children who'd love to have a pony if only they could afford one?

Not that I wanted to write stories about horses, I just didn't like being told I couldn't.

She also told her we shouldn't write stories about pigs because it might offend Moslems. I left it to a very intelligent Moslem and a Jewess to argue against that one.

I liked her though, she did have some good encouraging advice and her poetry was wonderful.

Another creative writing class, this time held by my local library and free, had a well known SF, and Fortunean Times writer, known as the Rollerskating Reverend. He encouraged us to write Occult and Sf stories. He used to boom so loudly (much like Brian Blessed) that we were removed from the downstairs room we had in the main part of the library as it was disturbing the readers. :) Then the library had our stories illustrated in woodcuts and vanity printed. Then presented by the Mayor of Cardiff at a posh ceremony on St David's day. Only problem was that the vanity printers had left out half the stories including mine while including the illustrations. We didn't find out until we opened our copies at the ceremony.

[azuire]

It's very strange. I've heard a lot of horror stories about creative writing teachers who see genre fiction as inferior. I was lucky -- I had one who actually welcomed the stuff. But even then, I stay away from the official core classes. I prefer hobby-semi-serious people, like me.

[ex_pippin880]

Two of the three tutors were published science fiction authors. I had one of them (the nice one who was also a non-crap writer haha) twice, so it was mostly nice. One of the units was even split into two streams -- autobiographical and spec fic. :D

The third one though, she was just so infuriating because she'd spent all that time saying she luuuurved genre fiction, read soooo much of it, and welcomed and encouraged people to write genre... And then when given a genre piece went "I don't do genre so I can't comment on this". Because characterisation and flow and stuff are done COMPLETELY differently in fantasy, right?

[pipisafoat]

Just the university classes, really. The one I am in now, the poetry workshop, is great because the professor doesn't try to teach everyone and say nobody else knows what they're doing. She listens to us just as much as we listen to her - I mean, more, because there are more of us. She's got more street cred, but nearly every time we meet, she points out when someone says something she didn't know or hadn't thought of and whatnot. Which is extremely important imo.

I'd like to find such a group outside of a university in the future. The trouble there, as I hear (but have never experienced), is that there are all kinds of writers. Nothing against anyone, but in a group like that, it just works best if most everyone's on the same page. I'm not a novice at writing. I'm not a novice at critiquing. If you show up, hand me something you've written, and ask me to critique it full-blast, I'll do just that. Many novices can't handle it the way they thought they could, and that just ends badly for everyone. But if you get a group of more advanced writers - I'm not saying everyone has to be published, but this can't be the first short story you've ever written - everyone's on the same page, they've been through critiques before and know how to take it, know how to give it, know how to apply these critiques and bring back a more polished piece rather than saying "You're all wrong. This is perfect the way it is."

[azuire]

Ohh sounds like you have an excellent teacher. Lucky!

Re: the critique thing, SO MUCH YES. I'm always so tough a critiquer, and when I found someone who appreciated me looking through their work, it came as a bit of a shock. But then, I find that some people just can't be told they're awful.

[betweenthelines]

I'd really love to join a writing group or circle in my area, but I find that living in Utah prevents me from doing many things I might like due to the more conservative atmosphere and group of people that live here.

[azuire]

oh HELLO! <3 lovely to see you here.

I just looked up the nanowrimo site and it seems there's about six groups in Utah, with quite healthy numbers. would you like to check those out?