What we’re about
A group for those who always wanted to be a writer. An inclusive and supportive community welcoming those picking up pen & paper for their first time, and those who have done it for years and achieved substantial milestones... and for everyone in between!
This is more than a meetup group. HOW TO BECOME A WRITER is a welcoming home for writers of all kinds. We will foster a diverse community of writers who are on a journey of learning and crafting with words... and we invite you to join. Events will be both online and in-person (in Jakarta, Indonesia).
ABOUT THE COMMUNITY
This is a place for sharing and celebrating each other's successes; for learning from each other's struggles and experiences; and for helping each other overcome the blocks preventing us from becoming the best writers we can be.
Our community is open to everyone without discrimination on the ground of arbitrary traits, social constructs, or levels of experience. We value diversity, inclusivity, respect, and authenticity. We won’t tolerate harassment or discrimination of any kinds.
We have a low barrier to entry for anyone interested in writing. The writing itself is difficult; joining our community should be easy! A crucial tenet of our community is to realise that we are all on a journey. Members are asked to be respectful of each other and join with an attitude of solidarity and openness. This community should help us elevate each other!
Our community is also a place to share helpful resources, important news, writing competitions, useful contacts, and the like!
ABOUT OUR EVENTS
We will have both online and in-person events (in Jakarta, Indonesia). The group will host a blend of workshops, practical excercises, fun writing challenges, showcases, community discussions, and more! From time to time, we will invite special guests to share their experience, expertise, tips, and suggestions. We will also host a dedicated, spam-free online community (WhatsApp or Discord – link to follow) and share helpful resources for writers to get started and bring their writing to the next level!
You can browse past and future events on the group page, and don't hesitate to ask any questions in the comments!
WHOM IS THIS GROUP PERFECT FOR?
Writers of all genres and expertise are most welcome to join! Novices might have ambitions and enthusiasm that have abandoned established authors; seasoned writers might experience blocks that beginner writers might not have yet encountered. Our differences make our strength: We will be able to learn from each other's experiences in different genres and media. There are unifying traits in all types of writing! Finding them will help us become better writers.
No one should feel obliged to share any of their experiences or writings until they are ready to. Introverts and folks who'd like to be active listeners are most welcome, too. Writers in this community can also informally ask and offer their help (for example, for feedback on pitches, or to finding beta-readers).
ABOUT THE HOST(S)
Corrado Nai would describe himself as a science writer although he has experimented with many genres (including poetry, short stories, and one unpublished novella). He has a written features and commentaries for New Scientist, Smithsonian Magazine, Asimov Press, Small Things Considered, Fungi Magazine, Science, Reactor, and many more. He’s a recovering academic with a PhD in microbiology and has written and edited dozens of papers and theses.
Corrado Nai is currently writing a science comic about the forgotten woman who used a dessert (agar-agar) to revolutionise science and medicine, Fanny Angelina Hesse (website | Instagram) for which he raised over 10,000 USD on Kickstarter. He recently launched a Patreon page. Corrado's been a meetup host and organiser for over three years.
HOW TO JOIN AND SHAPE THIS COMMUNITY
Joining this group come with a monthly fee of 3 USD to cover the running costs of the meetup app for organisers, to make sure we can keep organising plenty of events, and to reward the efforts of the organiser. We have a free 90-day trial phase to allow people enough time to decide which event they want to join. Membership needs to be paid before attending their first event. I kindly ask to pay membership through the meetup app or by pledging support with a membership on Patreon (Tier 1 = 2,49 USD/month is OK!). Membership gives access to all events during 30 days after payment, as well as all events of Jakarta Creatives (usually held in person in Jakarta).
I’d be happy to allow members to host their own event for free as long as it is aligned with the community goals, spirit, and philosophy. Just drop me a line!
Upcoming events
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WORKSHOP (in person): Introduction to Screenwriting for Film and TV 🎞️🍿
Noi Coffee & Kitchen, TIS Square, MT Haryono St No.52 Unit 12, West Tebet, Tebet, South Jakarta City, Jakarta 12810, Jakarta, IDScript, script, script.
That's truly the first and foremost element of what determines the impact of a film. The direction, the art, the cinematography, all derivatives of the walled-off world presented in the screenplay. How strong are the characters? How packed are the dialogues? How satisfying is the third act? Without these, no matter how fantastical the world or how famous the cast, the film won't work.
Beyond that, the art of screenwriting poses a terrific exercise. How do I convey my ensemble of colorful characters going through a plethora of hijinks within 90 minutes whilst ensuring that the audience will want to sit through them? In other words, how do I write effectively?
From the structure to trimming the fat, from a strong premise to three-dimensional characters, from rich dialogues to utilizing twists, we'll learn not the entire depth of screenwriting, but where and how to look for them.
In this presentation, the host will explain his writing approach, his experience working with filmmakers and narrative-designers to explore the world of story-telling within the confines of professional film-production.
A writing journey can be a ton of fun, profitable, and something inspiring other writers to find their own path to success. The 45-minute presentation will be followed by Q&A and discussion, so that you can ask anything you wish to ask!
This event belongs to the series of "How to" workshops related to writing. We have ad before:
- How to SELF-PUBLISH & build an AUDIENCE as a writer 💪👏 with Jakarta Creatives
- ABC of CROWDFUNDING (Workshop) 🤑💰😎 How to fund your WRITING PROJECTS!
ABOUT THE VENUE
NOI Coffee & Kitchen is a cozy and hospitable cafe located in the strategic Tebet highway in the TIS Square. There's both smoking and non-smoking areas.
- Let's meet directly there. The host will be seated on large tables for the group. Most likely on the 2nd floor.
- Here is a link to the venue for more information: https://www.instagram.com/noicoffeeandkitchen/
- We encourage you to reach the event by public transportation. A Busway Station is just a 10-minute walk!
ABOUT THE HOST
Benjamin Bernard Chenier is an Indonesian filmmaker and screenwriter graduated from the Vancouver Film School's Screenwriting specialization, currently working in the Indonesian film and tv industry. An aspiring writer, Ben's first tv screenwriting venture went and found a place on Netflix—find "Dendam" (2024) starring Cinta Laura and other prominent actors. He is currently working on numerous projects and a future cinematic release. He will be helping introduce us into the film industry and the format of screenwriting.
ABOUT THE ORGANISER
Corrado Nai would describe himself as a science writer although he has experimented with many genres (including poetry, short stories, and one unpublished novella). He has a written features and commentaries for New Scientist, Smithsonian Magazine, Asimov Press, Small Things Considered, Fungi Magazine, Science, Reactor, and many more. He’s a recovering academic with a PhD in microbiology and has written and edited dozens of papers and theses.
Corrado Nai is currently writing a science comic about the forgotten woman who used a dessert (agar-agar) to revolutionise science and medicine, Fanny Angelina Hesse (website | Instagram) for which he raised over 10,000 USD on Kickstarter. He recently launched a Patreon page.
HOW TO REGISTER TO THE EVENT?
Please be on time as we want to start together. Please make sure you understand that we have a monthly membership fee in place. I kindly ask to pay membership fee through the app (3 USD/month) or by becoming a paid member of my Patreon page (👉🏼 www.patreon.com/corradonai | Tier 1 = 2.49 USD/month is OK!). Please confirm payment before at least a few moments before joining the event and be ready to show a confirmation of payment to save time. Thank you! Membership gives access to all events of HOW TO BECOME A WRITER for 30 days after payment as well as to all events of Jakarta Creatives for 30 days after payment, and can be stopped on a monthly basis.
For any questions not answered in the project description, feel free to post a comment in the event page.
To register, just click “Attend”! There are a few simple rules
- We kindly ask attendees who cannot manage to join to update RSVP at least 24 h before the event as a courtesy to other attendees and event organisers.
- Be on time! Don’t be early!
- People in the waitlist cannot attend, and are encouraged to check a few hours before the event if they got a spot
- Repeated no-show (3X) without updating RSVP will be removed from the group.
- Cancellation at the last minute is unfriendly for other attendees, organisers, and venue. Please cancel whitin 2 hours for exceptional circumstances only. Otherwise it will count as no-show!
- Attendees who bring a +1 are responsible to make sure that the guest understands and agrees to our rules of respect and inclusivity.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!
See you at the event!
Corrado & Ben2 attendees
•OnlineGIVE & RECEIVE FEEDBACK on your writings (online event)
OnlineHow many times have you asked for feedback on your writing on family and friends and received overly positive comments? How many times have you been frustrated with a feedback from an editors but have had little chances to discuss?
This online event is to receive feedback on our own writings but also to learn how to give contructive criticism. Both giving and receiving feedback on our own writings isn't easy... and this is exacly what we will do in this event. No prior preparation is needed!
Just be ready to share, if you want to, a piece of your writing of about 2,000 words (1,000 to 10,000 words is OK, too, but be aware that a shorter piece is more likely to receive plenty of feedback). Any kind of writing is much welcomed (poetry | fiction | non-fiction | essay | article | script | blog | music lyrics | whatever!)! Be sure you add a "trigger warning" to your piece, if needed. You can, of course, also join without sharing your writings, but only to provide feedback.
Three people joining the event will be randomly selected and can share their texts (we'll probably do share with Google Drive). Then we will allocate about 60 minute of quiet reading of these three texts. After that, we will take turns and discuss the pieces for about 60 minutes. Everyone is kindly asked to give their feedback in a contructive and respectful manner. We want to help and elevate and learn from each other!
Join this event online from anywhere in the world! I will share the video call link to all confirmed attendees a few days before the event.
The aim is that we will create a community of writers that will be able to support each other (I also explain more in the group description!). We will share useful online resources and informally ask and offer their help (for example, for feedback on pitches, or to finding beta-readers). Please keep an eye on future (online) events, too! Soon I'll share a link to a dedicated, spam-free online community (WhatsApp or Discord – link to follow).
Please be on time as we want to start together. Please make sure you understand that we have a monthly membership fee in place. I kindly ask to pay membership fee through the app (2.50 USD/month) or by becoming a paid member of my Patreon page (👉🏼 www.patreon.com/corradonai | Tier 1 = 2.49 USD/month). Please confirm payment before at least a few moments before joining the event and be ready to show a confirmation of payment to save time. Thank you! Membership gives access to all events of HOW TO BECOME A WRITER for 30 days after payment as well as to all events of Jakarta Creatives for 30 days after payment, and can be stopped on a monthly basis.
ABOUT THE HOST
Corrado Nai would describe himself as a science writer although he has experimented with many genres (including poetry, short stories, and one unpublished novella). He has a written features and commentaries for New Scientist, Smithsonian Magazine, Asimov Press, Small Things Considered, Fungi Magazine, Science, Reactor, and many more. He’s a recovering academic with a PhD in microbiology and has written and edited dozens of papers and theses.
Corrado Nai is currently writing a science comic about the forgotten woman who used a dessert (agar-agar) to revolutionise science and medicine, Fanny Angelina Hesse (website | Instagram) for which he raised over 10,000 USD on Kickstarter. He recently launched a Patreon page.
See you at the event!
Corrado1 attendee
Past events
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