What we’re about
Welcome! We're a fiction writing group of like-minded individuals gathering for writing confidence, advice and support.
Our community is here to give fiction writers a place to meet other writers, hear what others are writing and improve your own skills. If you could use some practical advice on developing your storytelling skills, our workshops and events will give you more confidence about being a fiction writer.
See a full list of what's on: https://www.meetup.com/londonwriterscafe/events/
Read on for more about us and how we roll.
We have members who write from all levels, abilities and genres and we aren't at all snobbish about 'worthiness' or literary merit. All we care about is if the story is well told or if it needs more work. We have writers working on stories for adults, young adults and children.
Our group was founded in June 2006 in a lovely pub near Liverpool Street with only a few members and now we're a bustling community of 4,400 so we must be doing something right! Most of us are in the process of writing fiction (novels, short stories and scripts) at every stage, but it doesn't matter if you've been writing for years, or mere months, we're here for every kind of fiction writer and we'd love to meet you.
On that, we don't believe in groups where everyone is forced to share/contribute/offer feedback *shudder* so we'll never pressure anyone to read before they're ready.
Read more about what makes a quality writing group.
That's all for now. We hope to meet you very soon and happy writing!
Lisa x
Email: londonwriterscafe{@}gmail.com
Follow what's on via Eventbrite.
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Socialise with us via London Writers' Cafe
Instagram: @LondonWritersCafe
X: @LDNWritersCafe
LinkedIn: @ldn-writers-cafe
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Read Your Short Story to a Publisher LIVEWilliamson's Tavern, London£18.00
Join our short story salon for all fiction writers who revere storytelling in the short form. This salon is dedicated to writers in our community who want professional editorial notes on their works-in-progress.
Tom Conaghan, Publisher of Scratch Books, an outfit dedicated to the art of short stories, will be critiquing our stories in person and providing editorial feedback on the spot.
If you'd like to read, you're invited to bring an opening sample (500-1,500words) of a short story to read aloud to Tom, and the rest of the room, on the night. Your excerpt must be from an unpublished short story. I hope we will have a number of writers who want to read their story for live feedback in this exclusive session. We will spend roughly ten minutes on each reading and associated feedback from Tom. I've asked Tom to give constructive critique so each writer will come away from their reading with an element to praise (yay) as well as a piece of practical advice on how to improve.
For any writer working on short stories, take this as an opportunity to hear how your storytelling lands with an expert in the form and gain practical advice on how to better your writing skills. This isn't about writers who are ready for publishing, but all writers who love creating the shorter form and want to learn more.
If you want to read, please comment below 'I'd like to read' and I will add you to the agenda. If you intend to read, please print and bring five copies of your story for our reference.
For writers who aren't yet ready to read, but you want to attend and hear Tom's feedback on others' stories, please book your seat to be there in the round. Seats are the same price whether you are reading or not. There are guests tickets available for non-members if you'd like to bring a writing friend who isn't (yet) a member of London Writers' Cafe.
I can't wait. If you have questions, please ask below and I'll respond.
Tom Conaghan is the publisher of Scratch Books - a small press dedicated to the craft of the short story. His reviews and essays have appeared in The Observer, The TLS, The Irish Times, The LA Review of Books, amongst others. He runs the Scratch A4 competition and has been a judge of The London Magazine Short Story Prize and the Edge Hill Prize for Short Story Collection.
Date & Timing: Monday, September 22nd from 6:30pm - 9:30pm. Doors open 6:30pm for a 7:00pm start and finish by 9:30pm. There will be a short break in the middle.
Location: Williamson's Tavern, 1 Groveland Ct, London EC4M 9EH, best accessed via Bow Lane. The closest tube stations are Bank, Moorgate and Monument.
Cost: £18.00 to pay for venue hire, fees, preparation and event organising. Please follow the steps to pay via PayPal when you RSVP. Refunds or credits will only be offered if the meetup is cancelled by admin. Please change your RSVP to 'Not Going' if you can no longer attend as we often have people waiting and we'd hate for them to miss out. Download the Meetup app to manage your RSVPs more easily.
A bit about Scratch Books:
We are Scratch Books. We are named after a strange sensation - the feeling of stroking the soft fur of a cat, to discover later as you walk away, that it scratched you. Which, for us, is what a short story is like...
https://www.scratch-books.co.uk/Tom will be bringing copies of Reverse Engineering, which contains seven of the best recent short stories, disassembled by their authors for sale on the night for £10.
It's an innovative anthology revealing the inspiration, the ideals and the work involved in a great short story. Reverse Engineering brings together contemporary classic stories with their authors’ discussions of how they were written. An essential book for everyone interested in how fiction works...with short stories and interviews from Jon McGregor, Irenosen Okojie, Jessie Greengrass, Sarah Hall, Mahreen Sohail, Chris Power and Joseph O'Neill.‘Reverse Engineering will be of huge interest to both practitioners and fans of the short story and to anyone interested in how art gets made. An anthology to inspire and encourage anyone who reads it.’
Colin Barrett, author of Young Skins and Homesickness‘This impressive collection reads like a celebration of the craft of story-writing itself. The triumph of Reverse Engineering is that despite accepted norms of short story craft, every author offers something different.’ The Observer
- Fiction Feedback Workshop (Saturday special)The Artillery Arms, London£15.00
A special Saturday session for those who can't make weekday evenings. In our regular feedback workshops, we have three writers sharing a sample of their writing for immediate critique, advice and encouragement. Critique is always constructive and moderated by your host.
You learn more by listening to the writing of others and the feedback their piece receives on the night than you can imagine. We've been running these sessions since 2010 and there's a reason they fill up so fast!
For people reading, pieces must be 3,500 words or less as you'll have about 45mins for reading and discussion on your excerpt from around the table. Most people bring 3,500 words from their novel or a short story of all genres and styles.
If you'd like to read, please post a comment below. Please don't ask to read until you have booked your ticket to attend.
If you are reading, please bring enough printed copies (at least 10) of your pages so members can make additional feedback/editing notes for you during the reading. All copies will be returned to you after the feedback has concluded.
New members are always welcome in these groups. Most people come along to a few sessions before offering feedback, commenting or requesting to read but it's up to you. If you want to read right away, great, but if you want to come along and see how we roll first, that makes sense too. Again, you'll be surprised by how much you can learn from others by listening to the pieces and their feedback.
After the workshop, most of us head to the bar for a social drink or two and extended conversation about the joys and woes of writing.
TICKETS: £15.00 and please follow the steps to pay via PayPal when you RSVP. Williamson's have raised their hire fees and so ticket prices have to reflect that additional spend. It's also my role to organise and lead these sessions so ticket price incorporates my labour in hosting these sessions for you. Thanks for understanding.
PLEASE NOTE: Refunds or credits will only be provided if the meetup is cancelled by us. We cannot offer refunds or credit for another session if you decide not to attend on the day. Please change your RSVP if you no longer plan to attend. We often have people on the waiting list and we'd hate for others to miss out.
Location: The Artillery Arms, 102 Bunhill Row, London EC1Y 8ND. Closest stations are Old St, Moorgate & Barbican. Grab a drink and come to the private room upstairs. We start promptly so please try and be on time.
Try the official Meetup app to receive last-minute updates and notifications about our events as they happen to your phone. Download it now.
These workshops are hosted by me - Lisa Goll, Boss Lady at London Writers' Cafe - I'm a publishing professional with more than twenty years of working within the publishing industry. Added to that, I've been leading LWC workshops for writers since 2010 too. See more about me on LinkedIn or Insta me @LisasShare @LondonWritersCafe
Question? Post a comment below.
- Fiction Feedback WorkshopThe Sutton Arms, EC1, London£15.00
In these regular writing workshops, we have three writers sharing a sample of their writing for immediate feedback, advice and encouragement. Critique is led and moderated by your host.
You learn more by listening to the writing of others and the feedback their piece receives on the night than you can imagine. We've been running these sessions since 2010 and there's a reason they fill up so fast! Usually, we have a group of up to 20 writers attending.
For people reading, pieces must be 3,500 words or less as you'll have about 45mins for reading and discussion on your excerpt from around the table. Most people bring 3,500 words from their novel or a short story of all genres and styles. If you'd like to read, please post a comment below. You must have booked your place before making a request to read.
If you are reading, please bring enough printed copies (at least 10) of your pages so members can make additional feedback/editing notes for you during the reading. All copies will be returned to you after the feedback has concluded.
New members are always welcome in these groups. Most people come along to a few sessions before offering feedback, commenting or requesting to read but it's up to you. If you want to read right away, great, but if you want to come along and see how we roll first, that makes sense too. Again, you'll be surprised by how much you can learn from others by listening to the pieces and their feedback.
After the workshop, most of us head to the bar for a social drink or two and extended conversation about the joys and woes of writing.
TICKETS: £15.00 and please follow the steps to pay via PayPal when you RSVP. Williamson's have raised their hire fees and so ticket prices have to reflect that additional spend. It's also my role to organise and lead these sessions so ticket price incorporates my labour in hosting these sessions for you. Thanks for understanding.
PLEASE NOTE: Refunds or credits will only be provided if the meetup is cancelled by us. We cannot offer refunds or credit for another session if you decide not to attend on the day. Please change your RSVP if you no longer plan to attend. We often have people on the waiting list and we'd hate for others to miss out.
Location: The Sutton Arms EC1, 6 Carthusian St, Barbican, London EC1M 6EB. Closest stations are Barbican, Farringdon and Moorgate.
Try the official Meetup app to receive last-minute updates and notifications about our events as they happen to your phone. Download it now.
These workshops are hosted by me - Lisa Goll, Boss Lady at London Writers' Cafe - I'm a publishing professional with more than twenty years of working within the publishing industry. Added to that, I've been leading LWC workshops for writers since 2010 too. See more about me on LinkedIn or Insta me @LisasShare @LondonWritersCafe
Question? Post a comment below.
- Fiction Feedback WorkshopWilliamson's Tavern, London£15.00
In our regular writing workshops, we have three writers sharing a sample of their writing for immediate feedback, advice and encouragement. Critique is led and moderated by your host.
You learn more by listening to the writing of others and the feedback their piece receives on the night than you can imagine. We've been running these sessions since 2010 and there's a reason they fill up so fast! **see the note below about the change to seating**
For people reading, pieces must be 3,500 words or less as you'll have about 45mins for reading and discussion on your excerpt from around the table. Most people bring an excerpt from their novel or a short story of all genres and styles. If you'd like to read, please post a comment below.
NOTE: You must have booked your place before making a request to read.
If you are reading, please bring enough printed copies (at least 10) of your pages so members can make additional feedback/editing notes for you during the reading. All copies will be returned to you after the feedback has concluded.
New members are always welcome in these groups. Most people come along to a few sessions before offering feedback, commenting or requesting to read but it's up to you. If you want to read right away, great, but if you want to come along and see how we roll first, that makes sense too. Again, you'll be surprised by how much you can learn from others by listening to the pieces and their feedback.
After the workshop, most of us head to the bar for a social drink or two and extended conversation about the joys and woes of writing.
TICKETS: £15.00 and please follow the steps to pay via PayPal when you RSVP. Williamson's have raised their hire fees and so ticket prices have to reflect that additional spend. It's also my role to organise and lead these sessions so ticket price incorporates my labour in hosting these sessions for you. Thanks for understanding.
PLEASE NOTE: Refunds or credits will only be provided if the meetup is cancelled by us. We cannot offer refunds or credit for another session if you decide not to attend on the day. Please change your RSVP if you no longer plan to attend. We often have people on the waiting list and we'd hate for others to miss out. Failing to show up means you'll be flagged as a 'no show' and potentially removed from the group if this happens frequently. It takes only a minute to change your RSVP before the meeting starts. Manners cost nothing, folks.
Location: Williamsons Tavern is located in a tiny courtyard off Bow Lane in Cheapside, closest tube station is Bank. Address: 1 Groveland Ct, London EC4M 9EH. Grab a drink and come to the private room downstairs. We start promptly so please try and be on time.
Try the official Meetup app to receive last-minute updates and notifications about our events as they happen to your phone. Download it now.
These workshops are hosted by me - Lisa Goll, Boss Lady at London Writers' Cafe - I'm a publishing professional with more than twenty years of working within the publishing industry. Added to that, I've been leading LWC workshops for writers since 2010 too. See more about me on LinkedIn or Insta me @LisasShare @LondonWritersCafe
Question? Post a comment below.
