boston/cambridge professional writing group

January 31, 2010 8:50 AM

I'm looking to find and join a Cambridge/Boston writing group comprised of (other) professional / experienced writers and producers of film and television.

My early searches have netted me college groups, Emerson grads a year or two out of their BAs, and a few 'hopeful' amateur meetups. These are fine and helpful for most of my purposes, but I miss my LA circle of industry-savvy literary folks. I'm honestly not a snob. I'm just trying to find a group of like-minded professional (read: currently or previously paid) writers who understand the pragmatic ins-and-outs of the screenwriting world, and have been around the block a bit. Networking is a definite bonus, but I'm primarily interested in high standards, good ethics, a solid measure of discretion, and great chemistry.

I'll bring muffins; you provide the the Fiji water?

Throwaway email: [e-mail]

posted by anonymous to Writing & Language (4 answers total)

Maybe it's worth setting up a "virtual" writer's group, perhaps with members of your old group over SKYPE/e-mail? If you're primarily interested in workshopping drafts, maybe you could look into collaborating with a shared Google Docs account.

Unless you're in LA or NYC, you're not likely to find many successful film/tv writers, simply because LA and NYC are where that work is being done.
So rather than hunting for other local writers, it might make more sense to bring the writers you already know to you.
posted by ®@ at 9:05 AM on January 31, 2010

You might want to check out Lunacon in NYC. It's a Science Fiction convention with a literary bent. There will be plenty of published writers there from Boston, some of whom have written screenplays as well. There are also editors and such, but fewer of them are from Boston. I can't guarantee you'll meet a group that will fit your bill, but it's worth checking out.

You can also email Nuance and Jon who are in charge of programming to see if there will any specific panels that would grab your interest or if they have any suggestions for groups in Boston.
posted by thekiltedwonder at 9:33 AM on January 31, 2010

Maybe it's worth setting up a "virtual" writer's group, perhaps with members of your old group over SKYPE/e-mail?

I've been developing a screenplay lately with three other people making for four different time zones (Vancouver-Toronto-Halifax-London, maximum 9 hours difference). SKYPE has been amazing in this regard. In some respects even better than being in the same room as the fact that we're all looking at screens (ie: the script) keeps us very focused. I couldn't recommend it more.
posted by philip-random at 10:28 AM on January 31, 2010

You might try posting here to see if you can find others in the same situation. Grub Street is an independent, nonprofit writing center downtown that attracts both amateurs and more experienced writers. (Disclaimer: I work there.)
posted by Ms. Informed at 2:24 PM on February 19, 2010