AlphaBeta: A Short Story Writing Workshop

This is a free writing workshop for writers of short story fiction (including flash fiction) who wish to be published but would like an opportunity to share and receive constructive feedback from other short story writers prior to submission. The workshop will be held on the second and fourth Thursday of every month, from 10 am to 12 noon.

A great writer is an “alpha” in the sense that they are ultimately in charge of their own destiny on their writing journey. But getting reader feedback is an invaluable part of transforming from a good writer into a stellar writer. Having “beta readers” is a grand opportunity for any burgeoning writer to polish their skills. 

At AlphaBeta Short Story Writing Workshop, we will help and support each other with an emphasis on giving and receiving respectful but constructive feedback and critiques. This workshop is for the purpose of sharing our short fiction, improving our writing skills and getting our stories ready for publication. This is not a workshop for those who wish to only receive praise on their work. Receiving positive feedback makes any writer feel fabulous and certainly will be given in our group. We will encourage each other in our writing endeavors and share triumphs, as well as  tribulations. But we will also nurture each other with respectful, helpful suggestions and grow together to become the best short story writers we can be! Hopefully we will have some fun and make some new friends along the way! And perhaps, on down the road, we can plan a few casual meetups in addition to our weekly workshops. 

Workshop format: Prior to each meetup, the facilitator will announce the two featured writers (alpha writers) for that month, via email to all group members, as well as at the end of each meetup. On their assigned date, the featured writer will bring and share printouts of up to 10 pages (DOUBLE-SPACED) of their short story with the other members and then read their story aloud to the group.  The featured writer should bring at least 8-10 sets — double-sided is fine — and have their pages numbered for easier reference. They should also include their name on the title page of the document.

Afterward, we will take turns as beta readers, offering critiques to that writer so that we all may learn in the process. Members will add any comments, critiques and/or suggested corrections (grammar, punctuation, etc) on their hardcopies, which can then be returned to the featured writer at the end of that workshop.  Public readings are a common — and often required — aspect of any writer’s career, and reading our work aloud to the group gives us a safe place to practice. And hearing a story read aloud by its creator gives us, as beta readers, an invaluable opportunity to hear more than words can convey, such as the delicate nuances of character voices, settings and scenes. It may also change the critiques we offer. 

If you are informed that you will be the featured writer (alpha) for any given week and will be unable to attend, please let Carrie Ryman (the facilitator) know as soon as possible so that the next featured writer on our list can be alerted in time for them to prepare a story. The facilitator will announce our featured writers at the end of each month so we can each plan ahead. But please try to be flexible, as changing membership may change the featured writers from time to time. I.e., you may be asked to be the featured writer sooner, rather than later. 

One additional note:  This workshop is for all writers, whether beginning or experienced. All are welcome!  No need to pre-register. 

If you have questions, please email Carrie Ryman at: carriearyman@gmail.com