What can you expect from a WriteClub get-together? That’s a question that lots of people ask, so here’s a sketch of last week’s WriteClub.

A total of 8 people were present. Including: two science fiction authors, two copywriters, an entrepreneur, a web designer (who writes short stories), a journalist and a project manager.

The Book Club is a loud and lively pub, so we just chatted in pairs and trios. Despite many of us meeting for the first time, it felt like we were a gathering of old, familiar friends. Perhaps our shared love of writing was enough to unite us, or maybe it was just the booze talking.

We variously discussed work, writing for pleasure, reading our work aloud, improving performance skills, the purpose (or lack thereof) of WriteClub, day jobs, freelancing and yurts (and loads of other stuff that I wasn’t privy to).

If you’re looking for a massively popular high-powered networking event, ask someone who wears a suit to recommend something. If you want to talk to people who share your love of writing, then come to WriteClub.

For the past few months Al Robertson and I have been meeting in a London pub and inviting other writers and non-writers to join us. And it’s been jolly nice. We’ve met journalists, science-fiction writers and copywriters that we would not have met otherwise.

But the venue was never quite right and we eventually decided that a subtle shake-up of the time and place might help us attract a bigger crowd of writers (and non-writers).

So we’re moving to the appropriately-named Book Club and starting earlier at 6pm.

Our WriteClub email list is growing and currently has over 60 writers. It’s a handy place to pass over work that doesn’t suit you and equally handy for finding work that does!

Join us, or miss out:

WriteClub starts at 18:00 and lasts as long as it lasts. Come and go whenever you like. Bring friends, family or acquaintances. All kinds of writers and non-writers are welcome, so don’t worry if you’re just starting out or not even a writer – you’re as welcome as everyone else.

The Book Club

100 Leonard Street
London EC2A 4RH

Nearest tube: Old Street (The Book Club is a <10 minute walk from Old Street)

Future WriteClubs

As summer unfolds, we may venture beyond The Book Club and mingle in parks, with cans of lager, boxes of wine and packets of chip-sticks.

Want to support WriteClub?

The value of a group like WriteClub is the members – we all benefit from knowing each other. And I don’t mean we benefit financially; we benefit through making friends, through learning about our profession or our craft, through sharing hard-earned wisdom and we benefit in deeply intangible ways just from leaving our usual enclaves and meeting new people.

So the only thing WriteClub needs is people. You know people that WriteClub doesn’t. Please tell your friends about WriteClub. And even if you’ve never been, please write a blog post about WriteClub, or tweet about it, and make sure you come along.