Houston Science Fiction / Fantasy Writers by Tomeworks

Are you a word nerd who writes speculative fiction? This group is a low-pressure social hub where you can meet with other folks interested in writing science fiction, fantasy or horror. We spend part of our social meeting discussing a facilitated topic like "worldbuilding mistakes" or "how to describe alien species," but we also discuss writing process and problems related to SFF and have open discussion, play board games, and generally have a good time. :) We also hold a monthly write-in to help you get our words in on your WIPs.
Occasionally, we hold hands-on intensive workshops on specific writing topics. These usually last longer and are often on a weekend.

Do's and Don'ts

1. Be kind, be courteous, be sensitive. We are LGBTQ+, diversity, and neurospicy friendly. If you can't be convivial with people who fit those descriptions, don't join the group. (Of note, We hold most of our events at Melange Creperie. It can get loud, but it also has an open floor plan and easy access to comfortable outside areas if you get overstimulated easily.)
2. We do not do review swaps and do not allow solicitation in the group, meaning do not come to the meetups with your books in hand attempting to pitch a direct sale to other authors who just want to hang out/write, depending on the meeting. We do introductions at the socials, so if you'd like to discuss your book, that's the right time to do it; Let others come to you if they're interested.
3. We are not a critique circle, but we are open to facilitating new closed critique groups. You can fill out our form for selection here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSekABusmnrJRrjVsIHhnp_Vg2LATqg7FP-KVxDmSUj2BGc6tA/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=108240387964518214771. When we get enough compatible-seeming members to make a new group, we will reach out to you. However, if you'd like to make inquiries because it's been a while since you submitted, you can email us at editors@tomeworksedits.com to make sure nothing zany happened with your submission.
4. This one is a little tricky. Please do not spend money on Meetup+ to come to our events. We know there has been a crapton of monetization efforts by Bending Spoons since they've bought Meetup, including making it look like you have to spend money to RSVP to individual events by joining Meetup+. This is intentionally confusing on their part. We do not get paid by Meetup if you join a tier for early or extra access. If you see a pop-up prompting you to get a subscription to RSVP or anything like that, look for the "skip" button to get around it. Our events are free. HOWEVER, we do have a Pledge drive to pay for the platforming fees since they've driven the cost of being a host up so significantly. We encourage you to donate to that if you'd like us to keep Meetup as our primary venue for announcing events.

Events and announcements are also found on our Discord: https://discord.gg/kTJqhFe776. Of note, this is also the Discord for our editing clientele, and not everyone on the server is a Houston local.

Group Photo by Brian Strasert.