The Writing Squad

Prose Mini Goals
2021-06-08 17:30 - 19:00 UTC | Online
This Zoom meeting will last maybe about an hour and not longer than an hour and half.
We are seeing how we have done with the mini-goals we set ourselves last week, and maybe renewing them or setting new ones.
This is open to Squad 1-9 with a focus on prose writers, there are other groups for poets and scriptwriters. If you haven’t been to a previous meeting, you are welcome to join, just let steve@writingsquad.com know you want to come.
You will be sent a link before the meeting and you can go on Zoom from your computer or phone.

Script Mini Goals
2021-06-07 17:30 - 19:00 | Online
This Zoom meeting will last maybe about an hour and not longer than an hour and half.
We are seeing how we have done with the mini-goals we set ourselves last week, and maybe renewing them or setting new ones.
This is open to Squad 1-9 with a focus on scriptwriters, there are other groups for poets and prose writers. If you haven’t been to a previous meeting, you are welcome to join, just let steve@writingsquad.com know you want to come.
You will be sent a link before the meeting and you can go on Zoom from your computer or phone.

Poets Mini Goals
2021-06-02 17:30 - 19:00, 2021-05-26 17:30 - 19:00, 2021-05-19 17:30 - 19:00, 2021-05-12 17:30 - 19:00, 2021-05-05 17:30 - 19:00, 2021-04-28 17:30 - 19:00, 2021-04-21 17:30 - 19:00
This Zoom meeting will last maybe about an hour and not longer than an hour and half.
We are seeing how we have done with the mini-goals we set ourselves last week, and maybe renewing them or setting new ones.
This is open to Squad 1-9 with a focus on poets, there are other groups for script and prose writers. If you haven’t been to a previous meeting, you are welcome to join, just let steve@writingsquad.com know you want to come.
You will be sent a link before the meeting and you can go on Zoom from your computer or phone.

Prose Mini Goals
2021-06-01 17:30 - 19:00, 2021-05-25 17:30 - 19:00, 2021-05-11 17:30 - 19:00, 2021-05-04 17:30 - 19:00, 2021-04-27 17:30 - 19:00, 2021-04-20 17:30 - 19:00

THE BRIEF, WITH STEVE
2021-05-29 14:00 - 15:30 | Online
29th May, 2PM OPEN TO ALL GRADS*
CLICK HERE TO BOOK
Artist’s briefs can seem like they tell you everything and nothing, the commissioner wants you to be open and flexible, but also for you to tell them your ideas, they use words familiar to them but unknown to you.
In this practical conversation we will respond to a writer’s brief and identify the key elements you need to get across, and how to make the application only you could make.
*If you’re in Squad 10 and would like to be added to the reserve list, please don’t sign up, please email billie@writingsquad.com

HOW TO PITCH & WIN COMMISSIONS FOR STORIES THAT YOU LOVE WITH SIAN MEADES-WILLIAMS
2021-05-27 19:30 - 21:00 | Online
27th May, 7.30pm – OPEN TO ALL SQUADS
CLICK HERE TO BOOK
Pitching workshops can be all about numbers and bylines and not the joy of the work itself. Sian says, “I know this to be the case for me, because whenever I think I really need to do some more pitching! I find myself firing off generic pitches that my heart isn’t really in.
We will look at idea generation and development and then look more specifically at pitches. You’ll have a chance to dream up your own pitch and we will look at a couple in the workshop.
Sian Meades Williams is writer and editor and is known for her Feeelance Writing Jobs Newsletter, “I’m really keen for the pitching to be practical but still have heart to it – I think anyone can get a freelance commission, but I don’t think that’s where the joy and success of freelancing really is, I’d love to focus on that.”

The Space
2021-05-26 19:30 - 21:00
Sign up here
Think of it as your favourite library, a coffee shop, or a co-working space. It’s a room full of writers at work, and it’s a way of making a commitment to yourself to show up and write. Pop in to The Space to work on any writing project that you like – and in case you need inspiration, an optional writing prompt from Francesca will be emailed in advance, for you to use, adapt or ignore. Or she can send you it when she welcomes you in.
Come and go as your please, and feel free to make yourself a cuppa. We’ll work in silence but halfway through there’ll be the option of joining small-group break-out rooms for 5 minutes, for a quick chat.

Script Mini Goals
2021-05-24 17:30 - 19:00, 2021-05-10 17:30 - 19:00, 2021-04-26 17:30 - 19:00

EXPLORING IDENTITY AND OUR PASSIONS THROUGH CABARET WITH MELODY SPROATES
2021-05-20 19:30 - 21:00 | Online
20th May, 7.30pm – OPEN TO ALL SQUADS
CLICK HERE TO BOOK
In this session we will explore how we can use our identities and personal stories to create work for live performance and cabaret by taking inspiration from pop culture, theatre, film and our personal interests.
We will discuss what cabaret is, look at some examples and we will explore fun and unusual ways of getting our ideas out on the page. We will work towards developing a short cabaret idea through writing exercises, and look at different methods in which we can tell our stories (Lip sync? Drag? Music? Poetry? Spoken word? And more!)

AWESOME PROSE READING CLUB - HER BODY AND OTHER PARTIES
2021-05-18 18:00 - 19:30 | Online
18th May, 6pm – OPEN TO ALL SQUADS
CLICK HERE TO BOOK
One of the very best ways to become a better writer is to read widely and thoughtfully. Building on Emma and Matt’s great work in establishing the Awesome Play Text / Screenplay Reading Club, Francesca will be hosting the Awesome Prose Reading Club to focus on how we can read as writers.
We will be reading Carmen Maria Machado’s collection, Her Body and Other Parties. The text can be bought here.
In her provocative debut, Carmen Maria Machado demolishes the borders between magical realism and science fiction, comedy and horror, fantasy and fabulism. A dark, shimmering slice into womanhood, Her Body and Other Parties is wicked and exquisite

SFF Mini Goals
2021-05-17 18:00 - 19:30

Unblocking Writers for Good with Jeremy Dyson
2021-05-15 14:00 - 15:30 | Online
15th May, 2pm – OPEN TO SQUAD 10*
CLICK HERE TO BOOK
Every writer knows the feeling. That’s all it is – a feeling. Jeremy Dyson shares his favourite tips for neutralising the fear of the blank page garnered from over 20 years of professional work.
*If you’re a grad, and would like to be added to the reserve list, please don’t sign up, please email billie@writingsquad.com

Extracting the Poem from the Dream with Rachel Long
2021-05-13 19:30 - 21:00 | Online
Thursday 13th May, 7.30pm – OPEN TO SQUAD 10*
CLICK HERE TO BOOK
Dreams are proof that we are all poets. Each night we create night-time anti-narratives driven by image.
As writers we’re told to keep a notebook on our nightstands (and sometimes we even take that advice) but even if we achieve the small miracle of remembering and recording a dream, how do we translate it into a poem?
In this workshop we will learn how to distill our dreams, how to sharpen that washy quality they so often have. We’ll extract the dream’s logic and metaphor so as to write new poems that pop with otherworldly movement and colour.

The Space
2021-05-12 19:30 - 21:00, 2021-04-28 19:30 - 21:00
Sign up here.
Think of it as your favourite library, a coffee shop, or a co-working space. It’s a room full of writers at work, and it’s a way of making a commitment to yourself to show up and write. Pop in to The Space to work on any writing project that you like – and in case you need inspiration, an optional writing prompt from Francesca will be emailed in advance, for you to use, adapt or ignore. Or she can send you it when she welcomes you in.
Come and go as your please, and feel free to make yourself a cuppa. We’ll work in silence but halfway through there’ll be the option of joining small-group break-out rooms for 5 minutes, for a quick chat.

Squad 10 Mini Goals
2021-05-03 18:00 - 19:30

Editing Your Poems with Charlotte Wetton
2021-04-29 19:30 - 21:00 | Online
Thursday 29th April, 7.30pm – OPEN TO ALL SQUADS
CLICK HERE TO BOOK
There’s no right or wrong way to edit a poem and no way to guarantee results. So this workshop will consider ways of approaching the redrafting process. Using examples, practical exercises, top tips and sharing discussion, we’ll explore different editing techniques and how we can mix it up and try new things while remaining true to ourselves. You’ll leave feeling tooled-up and inspired to edit.
