InkPlayers

The InkPlayers is the InPlayers’ creative writing group. The group is open to writers of any genre, regardless of membership status. They meet once each month in a format that changes every other month.

Odd-Numbered Months: Sharing Format

In the sharing format, writers sign up to attend in advance and are given a time slot to share a piece of their writing. The amount of time can vary between 10 and 20 minutes, depending on how many people are attending. After each reading, members share their thoughts.

Even-Numbered Months: Variable Format

To give members a chance to interact with each other’s writing in a variety of ways, we change the format in even-numbered months to any of a number of options (announced to members when they sign up), including:

• Writing Meet-Up: The first half of the meeting is dedicated to working on a piece of individual writing. The second half is open format, allowing anyone to share what they have just written, including structural work such as character development, world building, story arc, etc.

• Collaborative Storytelling: Writers meet to create a story together by handing off a paragraph to the writer sitting next to them. Because everyone starts their own story and hands it off, multiple stories are written during the course of the evening. We may also experiment with subgenres of collaborative writing (see below).

  • Exquisite Corpse: a form of collaborative storytelling popular among 1920s surrealists. As the story is handed off, the next writer only gets to see the last sentence of the paragraph written by the previous writer. This results in surprising, bizarre, and surreal stories with twists and turns.

• Prompted Writing: Writers receive a prompt (or theme) in advance and prepare a piece to share inspired by the prompt. This can also tie in to future Fresh Ink productions where a theme might be used.

• Writer’s Showcase: Open to the public, a writer’s showcase is an event that allows InkPlayers writers to share their best work from the past year. Writers read from their work in front of an audience.

• Long-Form Feedback: In the weeks prior to the meeting, one writer shares a longer piece of writing for the entire group to read in advance and provide feedback. Alternatively, all writers can share a piece with the entire group in advance to receive feedback. If all writers submit a piece, the length of the piece is limited.

• Writing Opportunities: Writers discuss opportunities available to the writing community, including workshops, creative writing programs, funding, beta/arc readers, table/stage readings, finding an agent, publishing, self-publishing, and more.

For more information about upcoming shows and events, see our overview on our homepage.