The Student Room Group
Students at Cornwall campus, University of Exeter
University of Exeter
Exeter

Exeter's creative writing society

Writing is a pretty big passion of mine and I've decided that university is definitely the right time to finally bite the bullet and join a damn writing group. Thing is, I am incredibly bad at reading out my own work (don't mind putting it online for comments, been there, done that), but the idea of reading out my stuff to a roomful of strangers...scary...:eek: I say strangers, because I was wondering if there's anyone here who belongs to the Exeter writing society and knows if it's OK to just sit out a few meetings until you kind of find your feet and start getting to know people, so the whole reading out loud your cobbled together bit of prose isn't quite so daunting. I am really wanting to finally, at last overcome my pathological neurosis about writing groups and join this one, and don't want my fear to stop me. Be off with you, fear! :biggrin:
I am in exactly the same boat as you! I love love love writing but the idea of reading it out... scary. as. hell. The online thing - been there done that got the cyber cookies - but I know exactly what you mean.

I am definitely joing the society though, so you won't be alone :smile:
Students at Cornwall campus, University of Exeter
University of Exeter
Exeter
Reply 2
Yay! It'll be nowhere near as bad knowing there's someone else who's feeling the scary-as-hellishness. But I've been so daft about it for so long that I really have to join. As long as there isn't too much of that 'OK, you now have five minutes to write a compelling tale about concrete. Do It.' :biggrin:
Reply 3
Ahoy :smile:

I was the creative writing society president last year so I hope I'm the perfect person to help :biggrin:

I can completely and utterly appreciate how scary it is to read your work out to a room full of people you don't know. During my first meeting I had to leave halfway through for a meeting with my personal tutor and I ended up leaving a printout of one of my poems with the group and then leaving because I was too scared to receive feedback :redface: If I can go from that to becoming president, then you'll be fine too. Plus, if it helps, it frequently isn't a "roomful" of people...we're a very small society and it's unlikely you'll be reading out your work in front of any more than 10 people!

There's absolutely no obligation to read anything of yours until you're ready. Just come along, sit, listen, comment on others' work, and just do whatever you're comfortable with.

There were two meetings a week this year - one was a session where people came along, read their work and received feedback, and the other was more of a workshop session like the kind you describe! However, that was how I chose to run things, and I don't know whether the new president will keep it the same or not.

As well as the meetings, we put out two copies of the Creative Writing Journal per year, one in January and one in May, which any student can submit their work to, not just members of the society. Everything that's submitted is judged anonymously and the Journal's gone from strength to strength since its genesis in 2003. Feel free to email the new Journal editors, Lucy lw224 (at) ex.ac.uk and Emma eb232 (at) ex.ac.uk for more info as they know more about the ins and outs of it than I do!

I hope this helps a bit. Feel free to ask me any more questions if you have them, or email this year's president, Tim, on tdh202 (at) ex.ac.uk :smile:
Reply 4
Think I might join as well.
Reply 5
Thank you Angelil!

You've put a lot of my fears to rest; now I can't wait to join! It'll be great fun seeing everyone there.

Thanks again for taking the time to answer so concisively :smile: