Writers' Work is held the first Wednesday of each month, September through June,
at the Hearth 'n Kettle, Rte. 18, Weymouth.
Meetings are from 6-9 PM.
Cost is $25 and includes rolls, salad, buffet meal, non-alcoholic beverages, dessert,
a guest speaker, and an opportunity to purchase books.
All attendees are welcome to bring their books!
Come socialize and soak in the creative minds of those who attend.
Thank you for your participation and interest! Check back to learn about upcoming events.
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Writers' Work - March 4th
A Playwright Talks about Writing Dialogue in Novels
Judith Pratt learned to write dialogue because she wrote plays. And she could write plays because she was an actor and a director.
There are some basics to cover when writing dialogue in novels, and she’ll run through those.
However, recommendations like “give each character a unique, and consistent, voice” and “does dialogue move the plot forward?” are what playwrights must learn to do, and do well. Using examples from her favorite plays, she’ll focus on those two issues.
Judith Pratt has been an actor, a director and a theatre professor. She has studied playwriting with Lois Weaver, Arthur Kopit, Stuart Spence, Laura Maria Censabella, and Liz Duffy Adams.
Her plays have been produced in New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Kansas City MO, Austin TX, and Cape Town South Africa. Her short play, Metaphorical Shoes was published by Art Age Publishing. Cora’s Mountain was part of the Nor’Eastern Play Writing Showcase, Studying War was read at The Road Theatre’s Summer Playwrights 6, and Spiralling received a reading from Pannadora Festival, Long Beach CA, and a podcast from 12 Peers Theatre.
Most recently, Maize was selected by Louisiana State University SciArts as one of three recipients of the inaugural SciArts at LSU Playwriting Prize, and Top of FormBottom of Formwas a Semi-finalist in the 2019 Mach 33: Caltech/Pasadena Playhouse Festival of New Science-Driven Plays. Maize was also a finalist for the TRU Play Reading Series in NYC. (TRU=Theatre Resources Unlimited.)
Her novel Siljeea Magic, has been published by Black Rose Writing. She self-published her first novel, The Dry Country. Both are on Amazon.
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Writers' Work - June 3rd
Turning
Fact into Fiction
Historical novels based on real people or real events abound, but incorporating historical events and figures into a narrative can be complicated and confusing. Writers wonder: how much research do I have to do? How can I successfully write about a place and time that feels utterly different from my own life? What are the rules for fictionalizing the life of a real person? The truth is that there’s no one right way to write fiction about the past, but there are tools and guidelines you can use to be comfortable with your choices. In this interactive talk, we’ll discuss the purpose of historical fiction, take a look at some examples of successful projects, discuss research techniques, and more.
Whitney Scharer holds a BA in English Literature from Wesleyan University and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Washington. Her first novel, The Age of Light, based on the life of pioneering photographer Lee Miller, was published by Little, Brown (US) and Picador (UK) in February, 2019, and was a Boston Globe and IndieNext bestseller and named one of the best books of 2019 by Parade, Glamour Magazine, Real Simple, Refinery 29, Booklist and Yahoo. Internationally, The Age of Light won Le prix Rive Gauche à Paris, was a coups de couer selection from the American Library in Paris, and has been published or is forthcoming from over a dozen other countries. She lives with her husband and daughter in Arlington, MA, where she is at work on her second novel.
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Writers' Work - February 5th
Fall in Love with Writing – An Interview
Please join us on Wednesday, February 5th for Writers’ Work with our guest, Virginia Young. Author of fifteen books to date, Virginia often finds inspiration in the New England region where she has spent most of her life. Her books range from a children’s story to a young adult to a collection of short stories & poetry to light romance, romantic suspense, and women’s fiction. She has experienced everything from query letters to working with small presses to hybrid publishing. And she is currently working on two new books – simultaneously.
Rather than having a prepared talk, Virginia will subject herself to being interviewed by her publisher, Stephanie Blackman of Riverhaven Books. In addition to answering questions about her writing journey, Virginia will also be asked about her ability to create characters who readers would like to sit down to enjoy a cup of tea with, how she manages to devise various situations where her characters have chemistry, and how she was led to incorporate writing into her life.
To learn more about Virginia, please visit her website: https://www.virginiayoung-southshorewriter.com/
Writers' Work - December 4th
Creating Charismatic Characters—an interactive session with Arlene Kay
What makes some literary characters unforgettable? Multi-published author Arlene Kay will explore this topic with the active and able assistance of our audience. Come armed with an example from any genre of a character that you find irresistible (excluding Hannibal Lector, please). Our task will be to dissect the traits that make this “person” unique, and apply them to our own writing. An entertaining exercise with practical benefits and plenty of laughs!
Arlene Kay, a former Senior Executive with the Treasury Department is the published author of 10 novels including the Amazon #1 best seller, DEATH BY DOG SHOW. Her latest release, HOMICIDE BY HORSE SHOW debuted in October.
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Writers' Work - November 6th
HIKING, MURDER, AND SMALL PRESSES...OH, MY!
Ray Anderson will discuss how he came up with thrillers (bad guys on hiking trails), how he researched these novels, and what it's like to work with a small traditional publisher. He will then take questions at the end.
Ray Anderson is a hiker and writer. So far, he has thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail, hiked all of the Pacific Crest Trail, The Long Trail (Vermont), and some of the Continental Divide Trail.
He developed an abiding interest in hiking over thirty-five years ago when he began climbing the 4000+ foot mountains of New Hampshire. After those, he climbed the rest of the 4000 footers in New England. He's now tackling the high-peak Adirondacks in upstate NY.
The Trail (thriller), from Turner Publishing, was his debut novel and took place along the Appalachian Trail. His second thriller, Sierra, takes place along the Pacific Crest Trail. The third novel, The Divide, releases in 2020 and takes place along the Continental Divide Trail, primarily in the Rocky Mountains.
He's married, lives in Hingham, and has three children who are leading busy lives of their own. He is happy to say that his wife, Nancy, has stood by him all the way.
@ray_anderson
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Writers' Work - October 2nd
Writers' Work with author Marianne Leone, author of Jesse, A Mother's Story will will read from her latest memoir, Ma Speaks Up, and will discuss the craft of writing memoir, the joys and pitfalls of digging deep, drawing (in my own case) inspiration from my mentor, Abigail Thomas (the author of THREE DOG LIFE and THINKING ABOUT MEMOIR, among other works.
She will also suggest some exercises Abigail uses to inspire memoir writers to begin and shape their own memoirs.
Marianne Leone is an actress who appeared in The Sopranos, a screenwriter, and an essayist published in The Boston Globe. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, actor Chris Cooper, and two rescue dogs.
The Jesse Cooper Foundation funds inclusion and adapted sports for children with special needs, and supports disabled orphans in Romania.
