Fiction-Writing Workshops at Massolit: January-April 2019

Sat 23rd
Mar
Fiction-Writing Workshops at Massolit: January-April 2019

The English-language writing workshops at Massolit began in the summer of 2015. English-speakers who enjoy writing fiction and wish to share their stories with other writers for peer analysis, feedback and criticism are welcome to join. Several stories are discussed at each of our meetings, and everyone must come to the meeting prepared with feedback about the stories being discussed.

The upcoming meetings will be on the following dates:
Saturday, January 19th (5:00 pm)
Saturday, February 23rd (5:00 pm)
Saturday, March 23rd (5:00 pm)
Saturday, April 27th (5:00 pm)

Attendance is free but requires prior registration. The group will meet if there's a minimum of 5 people registered and at least two submitted stories to discuss. We welcome new members! Please contact us if you'd like to join: scotiavictoria@gmail.com

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

– "Do I have to sign up in advance?"
Yes, to join us at a meeting you have to sign up in advance so that we know how many people are coming (we’ll meet if there are at least 5 people) and also because you need to spend the days leading up to the meeting reading the stories at home and preparing feedback for the authors. To sign up, send an email to: scotiavictoria@gmail.com

– "I write poetry. Can I join?"
Our workshops are only for prose (short stories). A story that verges on non-fiction (such as personal essay, narrative non-fiction, etc.) is also okay.

– "Do I have to submit a story to join?"
No, at the moment our meetings are organised on an individual, one-off basis, and since we usually read only 3 stories at each meeting and like to have from 5 to 10 people in the discussion, we need more readers at each meeting than writers. So it’s fine to join us if you’d like to just read and discuss. You can join us at first as a reader and then submit a story for discussion at a future meeting.

– "What do you do at the meetings?"
At the meetings we discuss stories we've written with the aim of helping each other improve our writing. We meet in Massolit at 5 pm. At each meeting we discuss several stories (usually 2 or 3). The stories should be 10 pages or less (but we’re flexible). We decide in advance whose stories we’ll read at each meeting, and then one week before the meeting the organiser emails the stories that will be discussed to all of the registered attendees. We spend the week leading up to each meeting reading the stories at home and making notes for the authors. We write down what works well in the story, what doesn’t work and why, how the story can be improved, etc. We focus on plot development, characters, use of language, etc. When we get together, we don’t read the stories out loud (because we’ve all read them at home) but get straight into discussing them, taking turns giving opinions and advice. After the discussion we give our written notes to the author. Anyone attending the meeting is expected to read each story carefully, take active part in the discussion at the meeting and prepare feedback for the author.

– "I’m not a native speaker of English, but I like to write in English. Can I join?"
It depends on the quality of your writing in English. If you’re able to write like a native speaker, with no linguistic errors, then yes, you can join. The way to check if your story is suitable for our workshops is to email it to us: scotiavictoria@gmail.com. We’ll be able to tell after reading your story if this is the right group for you. There are a few other groups in Krakow for ESL students who enjoy writing in English.

– "I don’t know much about literature, and I don’t want to read any stories. I’m just interested in listening to you in order to improve my English. Can I come to your meetings and just listen?"
When discussing the stories we’ve written, we want to have a cosy, friendly and intimate atmosphere. So, we don’t allow people to sit and observe us. Anyone who comes has to take part in the discussions and be an active member of the group.

– "I’ve written a lot of stories but none of them have ever been published, and I’d really like to get them out into the world and develop my confidence as a writer. Is this a good group for me to join?"
Yes! This is the perfect group for you. Please contact us. :)

 

This event happens in Massolit Books

Massolit Books
ul. Felicjanek 4
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