I’m sure by now you know you’re invited to the WTF stories for your earballs reading on Friday the 13th from 7 p.m.–9 p.m. at the Uptown Arts Bar. (3611 Broadway, Kansas City, MO) I hope you can make it because I would like to see your face in real life.
I realized some of my newer readers might not know what WTF is, though. WTF is my weekly writing and critique group. Let me introduce you to:
Teresa Vratil always makes us get to the heart of our story. She tells us to bleed on the page, go deeper, and forces us to get to the real substance of our work.
Annie Raab gives more homework than any teacher I ever had. She’s one of the best read people I’ve ever known and studies the craft of writing with a diligence and passion that makes us all work to even come close to her skills.
Dawn Downey can always tell when we’ve stepped on our punch lines or buried our best work. She’s a master excavator, digging away the words we hide behind so our story can really shine.
Dane Zeller’s number one question is: “What is your story about?” And even though we’ve been at this for more than a few years it’s still the hardest question to answer.
These are the four people who let me cry on their shoulders when I’m ready to give up on this crazy writing world. Every single person in the group has made me a better writer—and arguably a better person. They have mad talent, and I promise if you come to our show you’ll love at least one story someone reads. Our styles and content are astronomically different, but together somehow it all makes sense.
These aren’t my only writer friends though. Turns out I’ve got a bunch of them. You can learn more about other Kansas City writers on my blog and many of them have been kind enough to let me interview them on my podcast too.
Happy New Year, and see you next Friday!