writers group: los angeles

1. Sign up so we know you're coming!
Click here and fill out the form.

2. Attend a meeting (or two).
New people pay nothing to attend our meetings. They are encouraged to participate by commenting on work before the group. This is your opportunity to show us what you know. Can you wax poetic about an obligatory scene? Think an inciting incident needs to be a tad sooner? Guess what—we love you!

3. Submit a writing sample.
You've attended a few consecutive meetings and have decided this is the group for you. Now it's time to email us (1) a short bio, (2) a killer logline and (3) a strong scene from your screenplay. You can send more than one logline, but please include a logline for the project you actually want to work on. Our ultimate goal is to assess your talent, ambition, knowledge, personality, and our group’s overall ability to meet your project’s needs.

Please do not send any samples until after you have attended a meeting. Showing up is the first order of business. We are not interested in reading your material until after we're convinced you'd like to attend regular meetings.

4. Accept our invitation.
We are smitten by you, you are in love with us. It's time to pay up and get you're work in the rotation.

5. Pay your dues.
Dues are currently $25 per month. Mid-month starters will be prorated accordingly. All dues go toward the cost of our clean, professional, 46-seat theater. If this is a financial hardship, or you just have trouble paying regular dues on time, don't ask to join. Begging for money is not fun, and completely unproductive. If you can't pay this nominal, tax-deductible fee, it might be time to consider a new career goal and leave screenwriting to the pros.

How bad do you want it? While we cater mostly to advanced professionals, we like to recruit a few devoted beginning and intermediate writers too. Here are the three main factors we consider when assessing potential new members...

1. Dedication.
Dedicated writers participate. They show up. They are always reading the latest book, see every movie they can get their hands on, give thoughtful and precise commentary and are the foundation of any professionally oriented writers group. If you are looking for a writers group you can visit once a month, this is probably not the group for you.

2. Experience.
As William Goldman likes to point out, they call it show business. Smart writers respect this. While we all want to create something unique, there is no universal law saying artistically powerful material cannot be commercially successful. Experienced writers always shoot for both.

3. Talent.
Like any audience, we want to be entertained. The first commandment of screenwriting is, Thou shalt not bore.