Jennifer Mitchell is working on a collection of stories for people with dementia.
Her husband, Graham, has completed five chapters of a sci-fi story that he’s not sure he’ll actually finish.
Barbara Lassonde, who co-chairs the Concord Writers Group with Monitor East Side town crier Chris Weeden, writes historical and non-fiction material.
Anna Dunkelman is putting together a screen play, but isn’t “really sure where it’s going to go.”
Those are just a few of the members who ventured to the Concord Public Library for Saturday’s meeting of the longtime group dedicated entirely to writing – something that’s right up the alley for those who work at a written publication.
The group has been meeting since 1986, and currently does so on the first and third Saturdays of each month, from September through the third Saturday in May. The meetings begin at 10 a.m., and each member is expected to contribute $1 for the group to donate to the library for book purchases.
On this Saturday morning, the group had one submission from the previous meeting to critique. Jennifer Mitchell had passed out her A Day at the Ball Park to members asking for them to look it over and give feedback when they reconvened. They usually try to go over two submissions per meeting, but the author of the other one couldn’t make it.
Mitchell’s story is intended to give the feeling of being at a baseball game to someone who won’t necessarily remember their own experiences.
The group offered Mitchell little pointers for word choice, technical cleanups and ideas to enhance the experience. That is what everyone in the group hopes to get when they submit a piece, and why they keep coming back.
“It’s so important to get feedback on your writing,” Lassonde said.
As a writer, one of the hardest things to hear is how someone thinks you need to improve your work. But if you want to get better, it’s a necessary evil.
“We’re not criticizing them, we’re offering suggestions on their writing,” Lassonde said. “They can take or leave the suggestions.”
The whole point is to learn and grow as a writer.
“I’ve learned more from members of the group than all the writing courses I’ve taken,” Lassonde said.
No matter what you’re working on, the group will read it. Ian Russell was at his first meeting on Saturday and is interested in bringing his superhero stories to share. Linda Lassonde had been hearing about the group for years from her cousin-in-law Barbara, but just recently started attending.
“You never know who’s going to show up,” Weeden said.
Everyone is allowed to submit work – it’s actually encouraged. The only thing they ask is that you put in the time to carefully critique others. They don’t want you only showing up when your work is being reviewed.
The group will next meet on March 3 in the Concord Library’s Shakespeare Room at 10 a.m.
Those interested in joining or for more info, can call Weeden at 224-1715, or Lassonde at 456-6052.
