Hindsight Stories Night

Road test your work

Can you make them laugh? Can you break their hearts?

On Monday May 23rd we’ll host our first night for writers to present work before a live audience. The venue will be the Hindsight Tap Room at 5829 SE Powell Boulevard in Portland. The event will begin at 7:PM and end around 10.

Space is limited to between 30 and 40 people, so if you can make it, please say so in the Comments below. I’ll compile a list. Also, if you want to present work mention that, including a page count so we can guesstimate timing.

Choosing who reads is a crap shoot. For this first get-together I suggest we put names in a hat and choose by luck of the draw. That gives people a fair shot.

Shorter pieces might work better, as twenty-page stories might eat up half the evening. What you read should require minimum set-up. Long preambles such as, “This is the scene that comes after Luella has found the deformed frog that indicates Smithson has attained at least partial magic powers and is now a legitimate threat to the kingdom of Kondor, but Lester remains in the dungeon and no one thinks to consult with him about the runes of majesty…” No, your audience won’t retain a word of that. Also, avoid introducing your work by describing the personal or political origins of your inspiration. Let your work stand on its own, the way it would in a book or magazine.

Audience engagement is the best form of feedback. Can you make them laugh? Gasp? Moan? Cry?

Read your piece aloud beforehand, and look for where you’ll need attribution to keep the dialog straight. Also look for places where the story lags and even you get bored.

I’ll have more details soon. For now save the date, and get on the guest list by posting your RSVP among the Comments below.

Fingers crossed that this will be a great evening and the start of something useful and fun for everyone. Based on results we’ll decide whether to repeat the event monthly, bimonthly, or on a weekly basis.