Q. Is Whitby Writers Group the only such group in Whitby?
A. No. There are four other writers’ groups in Whitby that we know of:
- Whitby Library Writers Group.
- Whitby Whaler Creative Writing Group (U3A).
- A Poetry Group that meets in members’ houses. Membership is by invitation only.
- Grosmont & Whitby Writers Group that meets monthly at The Common Room, Unit 2, The Archway (between Yorkshire Coastal Cottages and Thirkill’s Picture Framers), Skinner Street, Whitby on the second Monday of the month. Has a Facebook page.
Group 3 is affiliated to us. Group 4 is not, but we keep in touch.
Send us a message with your email address and phone number using the Contact page and we will pass it to the organiser of the appropriate group to get in touch with you.
Q. How long have you been going?
A. Since 2004 without a break.
Q. How many members do you have?
A. There are over 20 people on our list, of which around a third attend regularly. Some live too far away or have clashing commitments, but have asked to remain in touch, to receive meetings reminders and other news by email. You are welcome to join the Group on this basis.
Q. How do I get on the mailing list?
A. Send us a request with your email, your phone number, using the Contact page, and say a sentence or two about your interests.
Q. How much will it cost me?
A. There are no subscription fees or hidden extras like obligatory raffle tickets. We use the Venue on the understanding we each buy a tea or coffee (£3 as of May 2024). For the venue’s convenience this is collected by the Chairperson during the meeting.
Q. Does Whitby Writers Group publish members’ books, poems or stories?
A. Not as a rule, though members share their experience of using indie publishers.
However in past years the Group has published two anthologies of members’ work under the imprint of Undead Tree Publications. On both occasions this was a decision made by a quorum of members at one of the ordinary meetings. There is no guarantee this will happen again.
Q. How is Undead Tree Publications connected to the Whitby Writers Group?
A. Undead Tree Publications (UTP) is entirely independent of the Whitby Writers Group. It is a not-for-profit imprint of an independent (“indie”) publishing house, run as a hobby by one of our members. Some members have self-published their own books under this imprint, but there is no obligation to do so, or even recommendation.
UTP is only for authors who know their prospective audience, will be selling the books themselves, and accept that all royalties will be paid to a registered national charity.
Q. Does WWG run classes in creative writing?
A. Alas, no.
Occasionally we invite outside speakers on topics of interest to members, and members will run workshops on their special skill, e.g. word-processing, or publishing on Kindle or Lulu, but we offer no set training in the craft of creative writing. Our members have mostly learned to write “on the job”, but 50% are published writers already, and most aspire to be so.
Members however volunteer their experiences of using paid writing courses during group meetings by word-of-mouth.
(updated Thu 7 Nov 2024)
Whitby Writers Group 