Houston Science Fiction / Fantasy Writers February Meetup

Our February meetup will be primarily a general discussion meetup. Our general topic: Games and writing! Among other things, consider the following:

• Game-play in the Writing Process - Dice, cards, role-play and hex maps.... How can we use the games and gaming tools to develop characters, build worlds, plot events, and make decisions?
  
• Games as Inspiration - How can games inspire our writing? We all know someone who has based a story on a D&D campaign. Are there other games that have or can inspire worlds, characters or events for our fiction?
  

We will of course, also read and discuss the writing exercise if there are any takers. (See prompt below!)

About our Meetup generally:
Currently we gather for a low-pressure chance to socialize with other folks interested in writing science fiction, fantasy or horror. Topics tend to range from "why I'm here at this group and what I like to write" through specific questions about writing process and problems to discussions of sf/f/h works and debates on ideas of general interest relative to writing sf/f/h.

We post an optional writing exercise, and if there are takers, we read and comment on their work. To participate in the exercise, write a science fiction, fantasy or horror piece 1000-2000 words in length based on the prompt below. If the text of the prompt is in quotes, the full text should appear somewhere in your exercise. If the text of the prompt is not in quotes, the concepts should appear in your exercise, but the phrase itself is not required. Bring 5 typed/printed copies to the meeting for people to read.

If the prompt inspires you to a piece that is longer than 2000 words, bring 5 copies of the first 2000 words as your exercise submission. If you'd like, be sure to bring a copy of the complete work in case a member wants to read the whole thing.

Some of our members are seeking critique circle opportunities. While this group does not currently function as a critique circle, it is an opportunity to meet others who might be so inclined, or who may be interested in one-to-one critique exchanges. We are considering the possibility of developing a critique circle as a companion to this group, and have started the preliminary discussions. More on that in the future!

Optional writing exercise prompt for February: dice, coins, and a horrible sinking feeling...