Toronto Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers

[We'll meet online using Discord. The Discord server is here: https://discord.gg/b4hkV5F2zR ]

Our virtual productivity get-together! We'll do a series of timed "sprints" with the goal of getting a bunch of words written. During the sprints, everyone writes on their own; between sprints we have short breaks of conversation. For those interested, we'll keep track of words written for each round, to see how much we can collectively write, keep ourselves accountable, and set records that we can try to beat in future productivity sessions.

Struggling with motivation and focus as you hammer away on your manuscript at home? Want to join a community of writers as we embrace the joys and pains (mostly pains) of writing together?

Bring your laptop, pen & paper, old-school typewriter, or futuristic writing gadget, and join an enthusiastic community of science fiction and fantasy writers as we work on our current projects in the same space. The format will be similar to our online writing sprints: 30-minute blocks of focused, quiet writing time (the sprints), interspersed with breaks where we can chat, ask questions, and share our writing experiences.

ONLINE MEETING: we'll meet in virtual space, using the Discord software for voice chat. The software is free. For preparation, you should download the software and make sure your microphone is working properly (You can also get Discord as an app, and use your phone to connect to the group).

The link for the Discord server is here: https://discord.gg/3fGAeHP

Come prepared with a Google Doc versions of your story so readers can leave comments/suggestions/edits using the "Commenter" mode, which functions the same as "Track Changes" in Word.

Our goals are to grow as writers, to support each other, and to improve pieces that are in development. Short stories, flash fiction, screenplays, or pieces of novels are all great so long as they adhere to the 2000-word limit.

Everyone is equally welcomed regardless of experience. This is a positive, supportive, and encouraging group in which everyone is equal. If you are new to the group, please take a minute to check out our "Values and Structures" document to get an idea of what our group is about and how the meetings are run. You can find that here: https://davidfshultz.com/writing-group/

For this feedback meeting, we will be discussing the novel "Reality Void" by Karen Kraft Sloan. People who RSVP will be given a draft to read in advance. Make sure you RSVP with enough time to read it!

About the book:
"Reality Void is a character driven, hard science fiction novel. It weaves together three perspectives: Shuh’Dhigh, an ancient race who seeded the galaxy with carbon-based life; humans; and greniil from Delmar Prime. Shuh’Dhigh have discovered a ‘galaxy eater’, an artificial black hole sent by an unknown species from another part of the universe to destroy our galactic home. To stop the eater, Shuh’Dhigh must secure an artefact left by a progenitor race that opens a portal to higher dimension space. Humans sent a starship, UNE Promise, to colonize Eden, a planet in the Tau Ceti system and home to Shuh’Dhigh. Ten thousand military and civilians travel twenty-three years to Eden in hibernation units – ‘hibes’. The purpose of Promise’s mission is not what it seems. Embedded in the ten thousand hibes are not only crew and colonists, but members of Concord, a shadowy political faction from Earth, intent on taking the artefact for itself. Greniil are bulky and humped-back with six appendages for ambulation and manipulating tools. Their name translates as ‘father people’ and they carry their babies – ‘underlings’ – attached to their bellies. Greniil stargazers discover the artificial black hole when it destroyed a star and its planetary system. The gazers call it a – ‘Katpak’ – a monstrous beast. A third crew of roamers (greniil spacers) was ordered to Delmar Seven (Eden) to claim the planet and find the artefact. A toxic cloud that protects Shuh’Dhigh’s world destroyed two previous greniil ships and left no survivors."

Length: 63972 words

The meeting will be on Discord: https://discord.gg/CXsczTH

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About the novel feedback meetings:

Everyone is free and encouraged to participate! If you want to participate as a reader, just RSVP to any novel feedback meetings that you'd like, and make sure to give yourself enough time to read the book in advance of the meeting. Space is limited, so RSVP if you are confident that you will be able to read the book and participate in the discussion.

Everyone who participates as a reader will get credits for contributing their feedback to the discussion based on the length of the novel (regardless of whether you have a novel you're ready to share for reviews).

To set up a novel feedback meeting for your book (or other completed work over 10k) just fill out this form: https://forms.gle/9k8ETSGKM3zGJosy6

Credits are accrued by participating as a reader for other people's books; a credit deficit is accrued when you set up a meeting for your book. The goal is to read the same amount (or more) of other people's words as others are reading of yours by signing up to participate in whichever novel feedback meetings you like.