Kitsap County Writers Group May Meeting

Here are the proposed logistics of the group, but this is just a starting point to get the conversation rolling. I encourage all members to contribute their opinions and ideas on any of these matters:

WHERE AND WHEN

• We will meet once a month. Tentatively in north Bremerton, since a lot of south Kitsap folks have joined and Bremerton seems like a nice mid-point between north and south Kitsap. Please vote for your preferred location in the Polls section, and share your thoughts in the messages. We can also rotate locations for fairness.
  

CRITIQUING METHOD

• I will encourage and enforce a civil and respectful critiquing environment, focused on what works as much as what does not work about the writing, not the writer.

• I am familiar with and enjoy the "Clarion" style of critiquing, and propose it as our model:
  
  
  
  • Sit in a circle/ around a table, and give each reviewer a set time (say 5 minutes) to provide a summary critique of a member's work (based on a more thorough written critique). They always must start with something positive.
    
  • During the critique, the author can?t respond.
    
  • After the critiques, the author can respond (ask questions, explain items that confused the reviewers, etc.), or just say thanks.
    
  • Each writer who provides a critique will in turn have their own work critiqued by the group using the same method.

    On a side note, I will also be more than happy to hand the moderator role over to anyone else, perhaps on a rotating basis, depending on how the group wishes to proceed. I am not a control freak, nor overly egocentric.
    

  
  DO I QUALIFY? (QUESTIONS OF SKILL AND GENRE)

  
  
  • Are you at the "pretty good but something?s just not clicking" point and want some help getting to "definitely good enough to be published?" Then the group is for you.
    
  • Are you already published and just looking for feedback, continued growth, and the good company of other writers? Then the group is for you.
    
  • If you are just starting out, or only dabble in writing, then my only request is that you be competent at least from a technical perspective, having a basic grasp of proper grammar and the standards of your chosen form (e.g. for fiction, what a plot is). The rest we can definitely help you nurture and improve.
    
  • As for genre, I don't have any particular restrictions in mind at this time. Poetry is always a bit tricky in a mixed group of writers, but we can discuss the best way to incorporate it, and assess its place in the group after the first couple of meetings.
    

  
  ARE YOU SHY?

  Join anyway! I think you will be surprised how many other writers feel exactly as you do, and will help and encourage you. A lot of writers are introverts -- witty and verbose in written word, awkward and feeling a bit dorky when dealing with live people -- so you will not be alone.

  I promise to enforce and promote a respectful and safe environment to the best of my ability for all who choose to participate.

  
  METHOD OF EXCHANGING WRITING

  
  
  • I propose that members email documents to the moderator, and the moderator can then distribute them via email to those who will be critiquing them. I find editing others' work is easiest if I can just do it on the computer. If you have a preferred alternate method, please let me know.
    
    
    
    • A note here on "writer's paranoia." If you are worried about the safety of your intellectual property (i.e. concerned that someone is going to steal your story or idea), in my experience this is a non-issue. I used to be paranoid about this myself, always putting the copyright info on my short stories, making sure to keep dated emails to myself as proof of when I wrote something, adding passwords to my docs, etcetera. But then I realized how silly this was. First, I am not a famous author whose work is going to be snatched up by a publisher, so it benefits nobody to steal my work. And more importantly, we all want to be published and recognized for how brilliant we are, not how brilliant you are.

      However, I don't want to lose members because they feel the security of their writing is at risk. So we can discuss options such as saving your docs as password-protected, non-editable/ non-copyable PDF files, etcetera if you wish.
      

    
    

  
  OTHER THOUGHTS

  
  
  • Members can of course always post tips and interesting resources on this site.
    
  • And please post your thoughts and opinions on:
    
    
    
    • Should the meetings include lessons or lectures on writing topics? Suggestions for such?
      
    • Should our meetings include any types of writing exercises? Either live, or assignments for the next meeting? Suggestions for such?
      
    • Ideas for how to celebrate each other?s successes?