Hang Out & Write – Boston

This writing group helps you meet your weekly writing goals by providing a structured time and place to write. We focus on writing our own things rather than on sharing/critiquing. We welcome all genres and styles, from fantasy to poetry to simply doing homework, as well as all skill levels. We’re also more than happy to chat about the writing process and offer advice.

Agenda:

11:00 - Get settled

11:15 - Write and Chat

1:00 - Feel accomplished

Location: The Tavern of Tales in Mission Hill (it's a board game bar and cafe). Ask the servers to point you over to the writers group. We're generally in the private rooms.

*We're at a small tavern that is sometimes closed unexpectedly. If you arrive and it is closed, please wait by the door until 11:15am for the rest of us to show up. We'll go to JP Licks in Brigham Circle.

Price: The tavern requires a $10 minimum purchase of food and drink (before tax, tip, and discounts). In exchange, we often get access to a free private room and are allowed to linger until 2pm. This price also covers our critique group.

Mass Transit and Parking: We’re right on the orange line! Plus, easy access to the 66 bus and the Southwest Corridor bike trail. Parking is free on Tremont St outside. Also try Smith St by the Tobin Community Center and Pontiac St and Parker St.

RSVP: RSVP if you want to be informed of cancellations or changes. Most of our regulars don't RSVP. Generally, about 20 people show up each week. If MeetUp says you're "waitlisted", come anyway because that's a bug.

Will I fit in? In an average meeting, about half our people are new, so you shouldn’t feel left out for being new. As a group, we tend to be quiet and curious, so we're introvert-friendly. About half of us are fantasy/sci-fi writers, while the other half represent diverse genres like non-fiction, poetry, fan fiction, romance, etc, so there should be someone there you can talk shop with. Also, plenty of people only come when they can, so there's no pressure to attend every meeting.

Do you do critiques? Yes, once a month. That is listed as a separate meet-up event, though it takes place at the same time and place as this group.

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RULES

We have people from a wealth of different backgrounds, some with different neurodivergences. These rules are not meant to single people out or make anyone feel bad, but they do need to be said so we all can have fun:

1. Be a good listener. We enjoy debates, but please be mindful that debates are about fun and learning, not about proving others wrong. Writing is so subjective; there is rarely a right answer.

2. No ulterior motives. Please don’t treat us as a captive audience for your poetry reading, book selling, or podcast pushing. It’s fine if these come up in casual conversation, but there’s a big difference between talking about something because it's an important part of your writing and trying to sell us a product.

3. Give the other customers privacy. This is a board game bar, so there will be other customers playing MtG, video games, board games, and role-playing games. It is considered rude to interrupt them or watch them play. If you are interested in learning more about something, please ask the servers for details. They have all the hot gossip.

*I can, have, and will ban people for violating the rules or engaging in behavior that I hadn't thought needed a rule. I'm sorry, but for this, I cannot take into account people's different backgrounds and neurodivergences. Making other members extremely uncomfortable is always an insta-ban.