by Kay Rhoads
A good writer’s group is harder to find than a quarter in a public phone change return slot, or a stack of quarters left in the car wash or the laundromat. Really need quarters??? Go there. Need a good writer’s group?
ISA’s “All About Me” group meets the first and third Mondays at the Johnston Library on Merle Hay Road from 6:00-8:00pm. If you’re working on a script or just want to talk about writing, this is the place. You may be conscripted to read a character in somebody else’s scene--your chance to be younger or older, richer or poorer, sickness or in health (no, I’m thinking of that other thing..). Anyway, who knows what--a different gender, a different nationality, a different era... And it’s all free of charge.
So, picture Uncle Sam with an old Remmington typewriter, pointing his finger at you. WE NEED YOU. We need you to bring your writing and we need you to read parts for others and we need you to share your comments.
We generally read about 10 minutes of a script and spend another 10 to 15 minutes discussing the piece. It doesn’t have to be a finished piece but it can be. It can be a screenplay, a stage play, a synopsis, or even a log line.
Here’s what others have said about “ALL ABOUT ME:”
“What the ‘All About Me’ group is really all about to me, behind its witty moniker (love it!), is focusing on my script and yours in a live and lively critique session convened (in my experience) in a place where you can find the damned parking and that you personally didn’t have to clean up before and won’t have to after, which allows for additional time to find verbs, images, and other important cinematic elements to foist off on a willing, if unsuspecting, audience.” --Anita Larsen
“A great chance to hear your works-in-progress read out loud. Does your dialogue sound like you want it to sound? Is it readable, is it conversational? Plus it’s a chance to spend a couple of hours with other writers, commiserate about the state of the film industry today, find out what other people are writing.” --Steve Hakeman
“I find I learn something each time I go, whether I have something to read, or just read for others. The critiques lead to discussions about writing and issues that help hone scriptwriting skills.” --Barb Alvord
“I really like the ‘All About Me’ workshop because it truly is really about ME. I get to hear MY WORK and people then comment on MY WORK, and importantly, I then get to improve MY WORK because of the good comments I receive. Plus, I get to read and hear other people’s work, think about their work, and make profound and insightful about their work, all the time actually thinking mostly about me. Truly, ‘All About Me’ lives up to its billing.” --Dave DeBord
You’re really missing out if you don’t attend. Without you, the whole workshop is just about me.
If you are bringing a piece to be read please email me to reserve a time slot.