Books, Dates, Locations
Resources
Stephen King–who once lived here–has said that if you want to become a writer, you must do two things above all else: write a lot and read a lot. So I’ve started a book club. A book club exclusively for writers who read with purpose, to learn as much as possible from successful novels, so that we can apply that knowledge to our own writing.
Each meeting we pick apart a recent novel from various genres with the goal of uncovering how the author has utilized their skills to great effect. Storytelling is an art, but it’s not a mystery. Every writer must address the following:
- Structure, Timeline, Pacing, Suspense, Omission
- Point of View, including Voice, Character, Place
- Tense, Argot, Imagery, Metaphor, Symbols
- Motivation: Making a story pop – generating a thrill
- Why this story? And why now? Industry considerations beyond packaging and marketing
We ask that all attendees read the novel in advance of the meeting, and come bearing their discoveries of how the author has addressed each of the five points above. Links to all discussion materials can be found at the Book Club Resources.
So join us already
When we meet, it’s on the first Wednesday of the month, somewhere around downtown Boulder, Colorado. Please sign up to attend on Meetup. If that doesn’t work for you, please contact me so I can save you a spot.
The complete list of upcoming (and past) books is here.
