Boulder Writers Alliance Meetup

Calling all creative writers! The BWA Creative Writing Critique Group is open! BEFORE YOU COME email Rolin at rgeronsin@gmail.com to be added to the Google Docs folder to share documents for critique. Meetup does not allow file sharing.

AFTER YOUR 3RD MEETING YOU MUST JOIN THE BOULDER WRITERS ALLIANCE TO CONTINUE COMING!

This is for anyone working on a creative piece -- whether it be fiction, non-fiction, poetry, screen plays, etc. Participants will read through the pieces ahead of time, come up with helpful critiques, and discuss them at the meet up. Authors will need a copy of the critiques, whether through email or hard copy, so be prepared.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

• Review full guidelines in Google Docs folder
• Up to 7 pages
• Double-spaced
• 12 point Times New Roman or other easy to read font
• Must be present to receive critique
• Submissions are due one week prior, or, the Thursday before the meeting.

Please submit on time. If your piece will be late please let us know. If you do submit late you may not receive critiques from everyone.

We look forward to working with everyone and reading all of your work!

May's hybrid meeting--IN PERSON at the Boulder Library Main Branch ground floor Boulder Creek Room & ONLINE (see link when you register)--is Butcher by Joyce Carol Oates (USA, 2024) on Sunday starting at 2:30 pm (for 2 hours).

Dr. Silas Weir, the mid-19th century “Father of Gyno-Psychiatry,” is woefully under-educated and ill-prepared to deal with women’s health issues. Humiliated by his ineptitude, Weir is forced to take a position at the New Jersey Asylum for Female Lunatics, where the title of Oates’s 62nd novel reveals its chilling meaning. Not a tale for the faint of heart.

We are Writers Who Read. We use Literary Forensics to dissect a recent novel (published within the past 18 months) with the goal of uncovering how the author has utilized their skills for effect. Storytelling is an art, but it's not a mystery. Every writer must address the following:

• Structure, Timeline, Pacing, Suspense, Omission
• Point of View, including Voice, Character, Place
• Language, Tense, Imagery, Metaphor, Symbols
• Motivation: Making a story pop - generating a thrill
• Why this story? And why now? Industry considerations

We ask that all attendees read the entire book in advance of the meeting, and come bearing their discoveries of how the author has addressed each of the five points above.

More information about other Writers Who Read meetings and our WwR Podcast can be found at: https://WritersWhoRead.com

Though writing tends to be a solitary activity, sometimes having a partner or three nearby with their heads down, crafting away, can help our own concentration and process. It's also nice to know that we're not alone in this love of storytelling or trying to turn our thoughts into coherent sentences.

With that in mind, what if we all got into the same space to write?

We'll gather, chat when it makes sense, but mostly focus on the work we brought to do. For those who can, we'll start at 8:00 am, but there are no real time requirements. Drop in or take off as fits your schedule.

Simple, quiet, and hopefully productive.

Sign up here to let me know if you'll be there and we'll try to save you a seat at the big central table.

All the best,
Rick

Monthly zoom meeting for a critique group focused on literary fiction -- for this purpose, defined by excluding mystery, science fiction, memoir, western, romance, thriller, children's, young adult, middle grade, erotica, fantasy, creative nonfiction, horror, poetry, graphic novels, or essays.
Five writers will give feedback on each other's 2,000-3,000 word stories or excerpts each month. Documents to be shared for review one week ahead of time.