Thursday, July 5, 2007

RoboWriters Tonight!

RoboWriters meets Thursday evenings at The Uptown Writer's Space at Lawrence and Broadway at 6:30pm. I've been getting a lot of questions about the group. Here's a mini FAQ.

DO I HAVE TO COME EVERY WEEK?


Nope. Come whenever you can, however often you like. It's not a structured progressive week-to-week curriculum. No registration. No commitments. Coming regularly can be helpful, though. We've had a few writers already bring in successful rewrites of scenes they read earlier.

WHAT IF I DIDN'T DO LAST WEEK'S ASSIGNMENT?

The assignments are there just to get you a-writin'. They are not a requirement. Bring whatever you're working on. A few people have come without anything to read and used the evening to get inspired and to get an assignment.

THAT'S PRETTY CLOSE TO DINNER TIME? CAN I BRING FOOD?

Sure. We meet in a conference room that's well-suited for dining and noshing. Would prefer you didn't bring anything particularly smelly or messy. Please, no ribs, spaghetti, lobster or naked sushi.

WHO EXACTLY COMES TO THESE THINGS?


Men and women of all shapes and sizes and colors. Mostly, it's been writer/performers developing material for sketch revues. We've also had playwrights who wanted help with scenes in a larger piece of work.

DOES IT MATTER WHAT MY EXPERIENCE LEVEL IS?


Nope. The playing field is even. Everyone is welcome.

DOES IT HAVE TO BE WRITTEN FOR THE STAGE?

No. For camera is fine, too. We have experience in that area, as well. But it is performance-oriented. So, leave your sonnets at home.

WILL IT HURT?


Maybe a little. We don't rip anyone apart, but we don't back off from giving what we think will be the most effective feedback for someone to hear. It's an honest environment and usually a lot of fun with a lot of laughter involved.

HOW LONG DOES IT LAST?

We go until 8pm. If you're a little late or have to leave early, no big deal. If everyone gets their material read early, we discuss writing, shows we've seen, and work on ideas for next week's assignment.

WHY IS IT CALLED ROBOWRITERS?

RoboWriters was started in New York by Robot vs Dinosaur. Thus the "robo" connection. "Dino" didn't make any sense due to a dinosaur's inability to hold and operate a pencil.

HOW MUCH IS IT?

Five bucks. Cash, please. The money goes to cover the cost of using the space.

If you have any further questions or if any of the regular RoboWriters have any comments, please post them. Thanks.


2 comments:

Matt said...

Hey Joe- is Robowriters still on hiatus?

Joe Janes said...

Hey, Matt - Shoot me an e-mail. I'll get you in on the loop of what's going on, now. It will be starting up, again. - Joe

joejanes1065@comcast.net