Shut Up & Write!® Manchester City Centre

Join us for an hour of writing and an optional creative writing workshop after! We’ve discovered that it’s strikingly helpful to write with other writers. See if it’s true for you at 10am on Saturday Mornings 😃

Be it a book, blog, script, essay, dissertation, resume, melody, poem or just plain work stuff, you are invited to write it with us. No one will see what you've written or give you unsolicited advice. Instead of just thinking about writing, come and get some real writing done.

SCHEDULE:
10:00 - Quick introductions 💬
10:15 - Timer starts: Write for 1 hour ⌛
11:15 - The End: Chat, take off, or have a loo break and stretch your legs before the writing workshop begins (optional) ✍️

AN OPTIONAL CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP happens after. Writing is very solitary. Connecting (and sometimes even commiserating) with other writers is a cool thing. 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 See below for writing workshop details!

BEING LATE IS OKAY: Show up and get settled, then check in with me after the session. If you were on time, please be willing to make room for the friendly latecomer.

CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP DETAILS:
The workshop will run from 11:30-1 pm.

SENDING/RECEIVING WORK:

1. Please send your submissions to **natswritingworkshop@gmail.com** to have them workshopped.
2. Please ensure you have sent your piece/pieces by Thursday at the latest each week for this week's workshop to ensure everyone has enough time to read before the session.
3. Submissions will be sent to everyone as soon as they have been received.
4. Please ensure you send me a quick email to let me know you'll be joining the workshop so I can send you the submissions.
5. You don't have to submit a piece to join.
6. When reading someone's piece, you can opt to add written notes on a Google doc/word document or by hand. AFTER the workshop, these can be sent to the writer once verbal feedback has been given (see below for more details on giving feedback).
7. If you are attending the workshop, please ensure you have read everyone's piece and have feedback ready on the day.
8. We will only workshop pieces for people who attend the group.
9. Pieces will be workshopped in order of how they are received (e.g. if Jill sends hers first, her work will be the first one we discuss).
10. Please send no longer than 4,500 words or 5 individual poems so that detailed feedback can be given.
11. If we receive more than 4-5 pieces (depending on the length) we may need to move some pieces over to the next workshop (these will be prioritized first before new submissions).

THE WRITING WORKSHOP:

1. SUMMARY OF PIECE: The workshop will start with a summary of each piece. Anyone can volunteer to summarize each creative piece and it should go something like this: "This is a 3,000-word extract of from a novel about a girl who meets a boy that she can't marry. The story deals with themes of abandonment and unrequited love."
2. WORKSHOPPING: Going clockwise around the circle, each member will have 5-10 mins (depending on the numbers we have) to share their feedback. The writer should listen to the feedback without giving any further elaboration on interpretations/ideas shared.
3. GIVING FEEDBACK: Some areas to think about when giving feedback may include: STRUCTURE (how is the story/poem structured and what's the effect of this?), CHARACTER (how do we relate/understand/respond to the characters?), PLOT (what's the plot and how do we know this? is it well-developed/underdeveloped? are we invested? why/why not?), TONE (what's the tone of the writing and what effect does this have on the reader?), THEMES (what themes are present in the writing and what's the effect?), RHYME/METRE (POETRY) (what do you notice about the rhyming scheme/metre, and what's the effect of this?), WORD CHOICE (how do the chosen words affect the narrative/meaning? are they the right words? are the word's original or cliches? has the writer effectively selected words to paint an image in the reader's mind of place/people/plot?).
4. WRITER'S VOICE: After everyone has shared their feedback on your work, you can provide a short response if you wish. It's helpful sometimes to see the intention of the writer versus the reception.

What Should I Bring?
📝 Whatever you need to be able to write!
🎧 Bring earbuds/earplugs if you want to block the cafe’s overhead music or the occasional conversation by other patrons while writing.
💻 Please bring your laptops fully charged as there are a few plug sockets in the cafe.

GUIDELINES: While the events are free to attend, we will use a cafe to write in, so please thank our hosts by purchasing something. We recommend coming 15 minutes early to have enough time to queue up and get your drinks/snacks. Please avoid bringing outside food/drinks into the cafe.