What we’re about
Spectrum: The London Science Fiction & Fantasy Writer's Group is a group of active writers in the Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror and other speculative fiction realms, who get together to critique each others work, share knowledge, and generally encourage one another. Members are serious about their writing, open to honest criticism, and willing to offer critical insight to their fellow writers.
You can find our website at www.spectrumwriters.com
Who this group is for: Writers of speculative fiction working on short story, novel and similar formats, including the odd poem. While we have the occasional screen writer among our ranks, please note this group primarily focuses on the published format.
Who should attend: Both aspiring and published authors are welcome; our membership is a good mix of both. Spectrum is a great arena to workshop your story, find out what is working, what might not be, and to gain insight from members with a wide range of perspectives and backgrounds.
How often we meet: We operate a hybrid format at the moment, using our very own Discord server for most of our online activities, as well as meeting in pubs, bookshops and event spaces in London. Critique meetings take place roughly every two weeks, and we have monthly special events and daily online write-together check-ins.
What is expected of you: We use a variant of the Milford method. At every critique session we examine a work submitted by one or two members, usually a chapter from their novel or a short story. Members are expected to read the submission before attending, with an eye toward providing constructive feedback to the author. Each member will be given approximately 2.5-3 minutes to provide feedback, and can also provide the author with more detailed written comments as well. The author then gets to respond to comments uninterrupted, and then there is open discussion for a few minutes. If we're critiquing two stories, we have a brief break and come back to do it all over again!
What you can expect: To get motivated and inspired, to improve your craft, to build confidence in your own work, to network with others, to learn about the publishing industry, and to have fun doing it!
For more details on how the group works, check out our website, and join our Discord server. See you there!
Upcoming events (1)
See all- Spectrum Critique Meeting (IN PERSON)The Leather Exchange pub, London, AL
Join us for an in-person critique meeting of short stories and novel excerpts, written by our members, at a pub in London Bridge!
An overview of how the critique meetings are formatted can be found on our website - please note that you need to read the stories we'll be discussing ahead of time and prepare your feedback for the authors.
Some things to keep in mind:
- We aim to post the new submissions for this session around a week or so before the event. Please wait until we have confirmed the new submissions are live before downloading anything. To access the documents, you need to sign up on our website and download them from the Members Area under 'Next Critique Session'; they will be clearly marked for this date, so please make sure you download the correct submissions.
- New members are absolutely welcome - please feel free to come say hello and see how the group works. We do ask that you participate by giving your comments to the people who submitted their work for this session, even if you have never done so before. Please check out our guide on how to give a good critique if unsure.
- RSVPs close 2 hours before the event. If you cannot make it anymore, please update your RSVP as soon as possible, so someone from the waiting list can go in your place and still have some time to read the entries to be critiqued. Failure to update your RSVP or let an organiser know you will not be attending can result in us revoking your membership, so please be considerate.
Lastly, we are fundraising for the year's running costs, and are asking for a small donation towards that at each session. You can pay online on our Ko-fi page, where you can even make your donation monthly, or speak to an organiser at the pub if you'd prefer to give cash. Monthly Ko-fi donors get a special role on our Discord, as well as discounts on any Spectrum-branded merch and special events tickets.
Hope to see you there!
