Pen to Paper Writers' Group ::

WELCOME to Pen to Paper, a writers’ group based in southeastern Michigan. Founded in 2000 by Jackie Gamber, we remain a small group of adults interested in the craft of writing. Pen to Paper offers advice, resources, exercises, and friendly encouragement. Please review our guidelines to learn more about our meeting format and membership expectations (P2P is currently at full staff and is not accepting new members).

Purpose

Our meetings offer a variety of activities, from flash fiction and “found” poetry to writing from prompts and playing word games. We are not limited to any one genre nor do we focus solely on critique. Everyone actively participates, including on occasion offering presentations on subjects of interest to the group.

Inspiration

“So why does our writing matter? . . . Because of the spirit, I say. Because of the heart. Writing and reading decrease our sense of isolation. They deepen and widen and expand our sense of life: they feed the soul. When writers make us shake our heads with the exactness of their prose and their truths, and even make us laugh about ourselves or life, our buoyancy is restored. We are given a shot at dancing with, or at least clapping along with, the absurdity of life, instead of being squashed by it over and over again. It’s like singing on a boat during a terrible storm at sea. You can’t stop the raging storm, but singing can change the hearts and spirits of the people who are together on that ship” (p. 237).

~ Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life ~

"If you wait for inspiration, you're not a writer, but a waiter..." Anonymous

Coming Up for P2P

Sepember 15th: Mtng., 6 PM.

September 25th & 26th: Susan, Pat and Jennifer attend Literacy Tutor Training at the Adrian Rea Literacy Center

October 6th: Mtng., 6 PM.

October 20th: Mtng., 6 PM.

November 3rd: Mtng., 6 PM.

December 1st: Mtng., 6 PM.

December 15th: Mtng./annual Christmas party, 6 PM.

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Good News Or Bad:

What Writers Say to Each Other

In early 2009, P2P made a committment to critique. The group developed and implemented a list of simple guidelines to steward the practice.

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SOME OF OUR FAVORITE LINKS

Writers Online Workshops

The Seekers

American Short Fiction

Cranesbill Books in Chelsea

Last Updated ~ September, 2009

Pen to Paper Welcomes New Members

2009 has been a year of significant change for the membership of P2P. Earlier in the year two members departed, but between May and September three new faces appeared to fill up the table and increase membership to six. Susan Woodard, Jeanne Fluegge, and Joy Wasenko round out the roster bringing personal and professional diversity to the group.

A wide re-working of meeting format and group objectives has made the P2P'ers optimistic that the expanded number will work out well. Please visit our Members page to meet Susan, Jeanne, and Joy!

Welcome ladies!

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"Writing With the Pros" Another Success

IN LATE JUNE, Pen to Paper had the pleasure of all five members attending the "Writing With the Pros" workshop hosted by Siena Heights University in Adrian, MI. The workshop featured five days of sessions with Flannery O'Conner winner Philip F. Deaver, including a one-on-one meeting with the author. While each member of the group walked away with a different individual experience, some common themes appeared in the wrap up:

Get it finished! Each P2P'er has struggled at times with completing a piece without being consistently interrupted by stops to edit. The workshop emphasized the importance of just pounding it out, no matter how ugly, and coming back later to make it shine.

Write with the expectation of an audience, and write for publication. Dr. Deaver's lecture and discussion in this area helped the members to not only take their writing more seriously, but to think beyond writing with themselves as the only audience.

Take yourself out of the story. Exercises in changing perspective and removing oneself as the main character helped the P2P'ers develop skills to be more effective at "writing what you know."

The workshop also provided some solid practical advice on the process of publishing itself. A step by step walk-through and a "de-mystifying" of some of the grey areas of getting into print inspired all members of the group to commit to working towards publishing in the following months.

Pen to Paper is eagerly awaiting the workshop for 2010.

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What Goes On at These Meetings, Anyway?

Archive

September 15th: The meeting began with the always happy surprise of an assortment of treats and discussion of odds and ends.

The new short fiction pieces were read aloud followed by discussion of each piece. How to approach the critique of these pieces beginning at the October 6th meeting was reviewed and it was decided that Jeanne, Joy, and Jennifer would submit their pieces first, followed at the October 20th meeting by Jan, Pat, and Susan.

Pieces due for October 6th need to be sent out by Tuesday, September 29th with critique form attached to allow enough time for the other group members to read and prepare commentary.

September 1st: Jan hosted the meeting and after brief introductions of our visitor things got underway.

Jan led the group in review of an article from the September issue of The Writer that discussed writing captivating openings.

Assignment: Discussion and analysis of the opening of the Mary Hood short story, "How Far She Went." Each group member then read the opening for a new piece, and the rest of the Hood story was discussed.

Recap of the plan for the balance of 2009 and a decision was made to focus on short fiction.

Writers Read ... Right?

Natalie Goldberg on writing:

"Basically, if you want to become a good writer, you need to do three things. Read a lot, listen well and deeply, and write a lot. And don't think too much. Just enter the heat of words and sounds and colored sensations and keep your pen moving across the page."

From Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within

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P2P READS

P2P MEMBERS read a wide variety of books and publications. Education, entertainment, skill building, curiosity, and idea mining are just some of the motivators behind the reads we reach for. Each month, check out what one of the P2P'ers is reading ... and why.

JENNIFER BECHTOL:

Jennifer is currently trying to expand her study of great fiction writers of the 20th Century, while simultaneously studying the "up and comers." This month's mix includes Iris Murdoch and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and the periodical American Short Fiction. She is also trying to squeeze in a book on techniques of plot.

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Welcome Fall and creepy things ...