8th of February Group
Science Fiction & Fantasy Writing Workshop

   
Upcoming Dates
Meeting Submission Deadlines
Stories Novels
Jun 01 2006 May 25 2006 May 04 2006
Jul 13 2006
for Readercon		 Jul 06 2006 Jun 15 2006
Aug 03 2006 Jul 27 2006 Jul 06 2006
Sep 07 2006 Aug 31 2006 Aug 10 2006
Oct 05 2006 Sep 28 2006 Sep 07 2006
Nov 09 2006
for World Fantasy		 Nov 02 2006 Oct 12 2006
 

The 8th of February Group is a private writing workshop that meets monthly in the New York City area. The workshop is named for Jules Verne, who was born on that date in 1828. The workshop's focus is prose works—primarily, but not limited to, science fiction and fantasy. Robert J. Howe and William Shunn run the workshop.

Workshop Guidelines

  • The workshop meets in Manhattan the first Thursday of every month. If this coincides with a holiday or major SF convention, we meet the second Thursday. Regular attendance and participation, both in submissions and critiques, are expected.
  • Short-form manuscripts should be distributed to other members at least one week prior to the meeting at which they will be critiqued. Book-length manuscripts should be distributed at least four weeks beforehand, and must be complete. (Partial manuscripts will not be accepted for critique, though individual members may be willing to offer critiques of partial manuscripts outside the workshop.) Electronic distribution of manuscripts is encouraged; a mailing list is provided for this purpose. Paper manuscripts may also be distributed at meetings for the next month's convocation.
  • The workshop is run according to the Clarion model: each participant delivers his or her critique then passes the (figurative) baton to the next person. The author of the piece under consideration has the last word. Please limit crosstalk to the bare minimum (medical emergencies and eruptions of irresistible wit).
  • It would be helpful to have a written copy of your critique (or its salient points) for the author to take away after the workshop. Likewise, manuscript pages with line edits are useful. If you are unable to attend a workshop one month, you are still strongly encouraged to read the submitted stories and provide comments to the author via email.
  • The critiques are untimed, unless we prove to be exceptionally windy, or we have a lot of manuscripts to wade through in a given session, in which case a five-minute time limit per person per manuscript is imposed.

Workshop Membership

For reasons of wieldiness, workshop membership is limited for to twelve. If you're interested in inquiring whether a slot is currently open, please write us at febadminshunn.net and tell us a little about yourself, your writing, and your workshop experience. Nothing long and nothing fancy, but just enough to give us an idea of your experience and writing ambitions.

Workshop Resources

 
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