Writers' Critique Group in Lyon

[jojolafrite]

Hi there!
I'm an American living in Lyon (been here for a little over a year this go 'round). I'm in DESPERATE search for people who write in English with the ultimate goal of publishing their work, who are also interested in participating in an on-going writers' critique group/guild.

If you are such a writer (or know anyone in Lyon or the surrounding area who'd like to participate in this), please contact me here!

Thanks in advance!
Jojo

[seville]

Hello there!
I'm really interested in joining your group even though I don't think I'll be able to become a fully-fledged member of it. Indeed, sometimes I go to the cité internationale to see a friend of mine who is a gem of a girl. However, I don't go there quite often and I usually hang around the universities (Lyon 2 (river banks) and Lyon 3 (sans souci)). I'm French and I hold a PhD in literature. I don't intend to publish novels, to be sure, but I've already published some academic articles in French and I would like to publish articles in English in the future. As a matter of fact, my English is ok but it lacks spontaneity. I thus need more practice and that's for sure.
In actual fact, I think I'd prefer speaking with one person to being a member of a group.
Be that as it may, if you or someone in your group wants to get in touch with me, feel free to get in touch with me:
alcazarseville(at)gmail(dot)com
P.S.: Seville is also my favourite city even if I've only been there once.

Originally Posted by jojolafrite

Hi there!
I'm an American living in Lyon (been here for a little over a year this go 'round). I'm in DESPERATE search for people who write in English with the ultimate goal of publishing their work, who are also interested in participating in an on-going writers' critique group/guild.

If you are such a writer (or know anyone in Lyon or the surrounding area who'd like to participate in this), please contact me here!

Thanks in advance!
Jojo

[jojolafrite]

Originally Posted by seville

Hello there!
I'm really interested in joining your group even though I don't think I'll be able to become a fully-fledged member of it. Indeed, sometimes I go to the cité internationale to see a friend of mine who is a gem of a girl. However, I don't go there quite often and I usually hang around the universities (Lyon 2 (river banks) and Lyon 3 (sans souci)). I'm French and I hold a PhD in literature. I don't intend to publish novels, to be sure, but I've already published some academic articles in French and I would like to publish articles in English in the future. As a matter of fact, my English is ok but it lacks spontaneity. I thus need more practice and that's for sure.
In actual fact, I think I'd prefer speaking with one person to being a member of a group.
Be that as it may, if you or someone in your group wants to get in touch with me, feel free to get in touch with me:
alcazarseville(at)gmail(dot)com
P.S.: Seville is also my favourite city even if I've only been there once.

I know it's probably easier and more rewarding in the end to have a one-on-one conversation partner, but sometimes it's hard to find one with whom you relate. In this specific thread, I was looking more for people who are in the market to publish their writing. I don't yet have this group set up.

HOWEVER, I do have a group of friends who get together just to hang out and watch movies. So, if you'd ever like to come along and meet a few of us, exchange emails, and THEN set up one on one contact/conversation situations, that'd be great.

[Maria Herring]

Hi Jojo,

I'm a Brit living in Lyon and I'm in the exact same boat as you, I think... ! I read your post with great interest - I've been writing and trying to get published for a over a year now and have been looking for a writing group in Lyon but to no avail...
I'd be very interested in starting one! Or, indeed, joining if it's already been put in motion *grin*

Thanks for the initiative!

Maria.

[rollerbahn]

Hi! what a cool request! I am a writer, well, I have been stagnant for a spell, and would love to meet any other writers in the area. I live in Lyon too, in the 1st district and I am interested in all types of medium, although my degree is in playwrighting and screenwriting. I just want to start writing more! What is everyone elses background?

Have you all met up yet or discussed any further plans to get together? Hope to hear back soon!
a+

Originally Posted by jojolafrite

Hi there!
I'm an American living in Lyon (been here for a little over a year this go 'round). I'm in DESPERATE search for people who write in English with the ultimate goal of publishing their work, who are also interested in participating in an on-going writers' critique group/guild.

If you are such a writer (or know anyone in Lyon or the surrounding area who'd like to participate in this), please contact me here!

Thanks in advance!
Jojo

[Maria Herring]

Originally Posted by rollerbahn

Hi! what a cool request! I am a writer, well, I have been stagnant for a spell, and would love to meet any other writers in the area. I live in Lyon too, in the 1st district and I am interested in all types of medium, although my degree is in playwrighting and screenwriting. I just want to start writing more! What is everyone elses background?

Have you all met up yet or discussed any further plans to get together? Hope to hear back soon!
a+

Hi Rollerbahn,

I haven't heard anything back from the mysterous Jojo yet, but I'm still keen to start or join a writer's group; at this point it would be great to get some native English speaker feedback on what I've done! I always feel entirely guilty about asking friends and family to give up huge portions of their time so they can read the gigantic wodge of prose I throw at them.

Background... well. I write fantasy (early childhood Tolkien obsession, I'm afraid...), and am in the middle of writing book two of a trilogy. But I'm also furiously editing book one. I just bought a bunch of texts on how to self-edit you see, and it turns out I'd written my entire book (and a half) like a complete amateur. No wonder all the agents I'd contacted told me very politely to bugger off. I never studied the craft at uni, you see, I studied Business, then promptly fell into teaching English as a second language when I graduated in '06. I started writing because while I was teaching in China I found absolutely no decent fantasy books to read so I thought I'd make my own. It's taking AGES because I'm still a full-time teacher. Just waiting for that one letter so I can wave goodbye to teaching and live the dream of full-time, poverty-stricken author.
Awesome!
Anyway, I don't know much about the machinations of play- or screenwriting, but I did love Shakespeare at school...

Well! That's probably enough for now. Until the next time!

Maria.

[frogblogger]

Background... well. I write fantasy (early childhood Tolkien obsession, I'm afraid...), and am in the middle of writing book two of a trilogy. But I'm also furiously editing book one .../...

Maria, if I am gushing in my praise, and you are inspired to go on and achieve JK Rowling levels of wealth, would you cut me in on an insignificant percentage of the profits?

[rollerbahn]

Maria,

that is fantastic! I am not a huge fantasy reader, but I do love Tolkien...and so I must congratulate you on your self motivation and work. Since I studied the craft in school, I am a bit jaded I suppose, still love the art of dramatic work, but am thinking of branching out.

I would be honored and happy to read stuff of yours, and hopefully this can motivate me to get something going myself. I must admit to heaps of writers lethargy and laziness currently.

And do you actively send your stuff out to publishers? Do you have an editor?

I too am working here in France as an english language instructor, where do you teach? Perhaps if we want to get together, I can send you my email by private message?

talk soon,
Hoku

Originally Posted by Maria Herring

Hi Rollerbahn,

I haven't heard anything back from the mysterous Jojo yet, but I'm still keen to start or join a writer's group; at this point it would be great to get some native English speaker feedback on what I've done! I always feel entirely guilty about asking friends and family to give up huge portions of their time so they can read the gigantic wodge of prose I throw at them.

Background... well. I write fantasy (early childhood Tolkien obsession, I'm afraid...), and am in the middle of writing book two of a trilogy. But I'm also furiously editing book one. I just bought a bunch of texts on how to self-edit you see, and it turns out I'd written my entire book (and a half) like a complete amateur. No wonder all the agents I'd contacted told me very politely to bugger off. I never studied the craft at uni, you see, I studied Business, then promptly fell into teaching English as a second language when I graduated in '06. I started writing because while I was teaching in China I found absolutely no decent fantasy books to read so I thought I'd make my own. It's taking AGES because I'm still a full-time teacher. Just waiting for that one letter so I can wave goodbye to teaching and live the dream of full-time, poverty-stricken author.
Awesome!
Anyway, I don't know much about the machinations of play- or screenwriting, but I did love Shakespeare at school...

Well! That's probably enough for now. Until the next time!

Maria.

[Maria Herring]

Originally Posted by frogblogger

Maria, if I am gushing in my praise, and you are inspired to go on and achieve JK Rowling levels of wealth, would you cut me in on an insignificant percentage of the profits?

That's the dream, Pete, so gush away! I'm an egocentric artist and therefore that's what I thrive on *grin*

[Maria Herring]

Hi Hoku,

My sister loves writing plays; she writes them and then, through her day job as a drama teacher, gets her students to perform them. I guess that's one way of combatting the lethargy!

I'd do the same if I was teaching English Literature instead of English as a second language... Slip a bit of my own prose in there and see if anyone noticed... *grin*
But, being as all of my students are teeny tiny children I can't really pin it down as an option. I teach at Greenfield Bilingual school in Collonges. It's dead easy work, so I get to keep all my brain for myself (once I've overcome the sheer fatigue that each day with attention-seeking kids brings!). I was teaching at Lyon 1 last year, medical professionals. Teaching adults is awesome but all the prep. time was cutting HUGELY into my writing time. Plus there was a slight problem in that the uni didn't pay me until the very end of the academic year! Couldn't be doing with that kind of financial strain this time around! How about you, where do you teach our awesome language? And have you ever had the pleasure of seeing your students perform your work?

Anyway! I've been actively seeking agent representation ever since I finished book one in spring. But no joy *sniff* Then I started reading texts on how to actually write as a professional so I'm self-editing now in the hopes that subsequent agents will take me a little more seriously. I'm a bit crap though - I love huge, rambling, descriptive narrative (Tolkien echos, I think!) and, apparently, that's not what sells unless it's done in a very specific, non-exposited way. So I'm kind of re-writing. The second half of book two is currently on hold! I'm also going the competition-with-publication-as-first-prize route. This one competition (UK Authors) gives you editorial feedback and analysis on your first chapter, which was massively eye-opening. So I'm fixing all the things they said were wrong and putting in more of the things they said worked well and I've got a list of other comps to enter when it's done. My biggest problem area, though, is my synopsis - I just can't seem to say anything succinctly and concisely in a 300-500 word limit! But my novel is 120,000 words long! How am I supposed to do it?!!
If I'd've known just how difficult this gig actually was.....!

I'm fully forcing myself to get my real work done after school hours now because I've decided to bite the bullet and quit teaching after this academic year and become a full-time writer.... I am silently screaming in fear. Having a deadline like that, though, has really helped me focus. Not least because I'm so going to need some money coming in from somewhere!!

Thanks so much for your offer of reading my stuff, that would be immense! I've locked the first two chapters of my re-write now, and just locking-off the third... They're my main concern because that's what agents want to see before they decide whether or not to represent you. Which you probably already know, sorry! I, too, would be more than happy to return the favour and read some of your plays, or any of your branching-out experiments! I'm not a playwrite so I'm not sure how well I can critique, but I reckon I can certainly put some of the stuff I've been learning recently into action! Plus, a step outside of my comfort zone would likely do me a world of good!
My email is mazthehobbit@yahoo.co.uk
Perhaps we can exchange, read, and arrange to meet up to discuss? It would be great to speak about writing with another writer!

Speak soon,

Maria.