Faster than the speed of light we are already at the end of the second month of the year, and it’s been a busy one. From Anthology announcements to our first monthly meeting, the Guild has hit the ground running. Coming up this month, Guild members can look forward to; an emergency flash fiction session for those who haven’t started their anthology submissions yet, a workshop on writing one-page TTRPGs, a (writers) blockbuster Novel Vague session, the debut of our Book Club, and all the other stuff we do! Check out our monthly event schedule at the end of the newsletter.

Welcome new members!

We have had a host of new aspiring writers join the Guild’s ranks since the beginning of the year, and so here at the Committee we want to extend our warmest welcomes.

For newcomers wondering where the party is happening, make sure to check out the CSFG Discord server, where there are channels dedicated to all of the groups and get-togethers within the Guild, and our groups.io channel where much of our more official news is posted.

Monthly Meeting recap: The Workshop Workshop

Our first meeting of the year set things off to a flying start! C. Z. Tacks, aided by Americo Alvarenga, ran a short workshop on approaches to writing workshops and critique groups. Did you know it’s totally possible to run a critique group that doesn’t start a single blood feud? It’s true! CSFG members can access the slides, including recommended additional resources, via csfg.groups.io (from the main page, select Files -> Workshop Slides & Resources -> The Workshop Workshop).

Monthly meetings are an opportunity for the Guild to organise scheduled talks and sessions, as well as give updates on the goings on of the org. If members have suggestions for what they would like to see at these meetings, let a Committee member know, or email [email protected]

March Monthly Meeting: Write a One-Page Roleplaying Game

Calling nerds of the DnD and TTRPG stripes! Our March monthly meeting (Wednesday 19th, 7pm-9pm) might be your jam. CSFG member and veteran game jam runner Vella will be running a workshop on one-page TTRPGs: how to come up with them, how to make them, and how to write them. With nought but a single sheet of paper and a pen, by the end of the evening, you’ll have a functional game that you can play at the next gathering that needs more roleplaying.

Vella has kindly put together a few examples of what you can expect to make, which you can find here.

‘Never Say Die’ Flash Fiction Session

We’re just about a month away from the “Never Say Die” Anthology Submission. As we all know, a group of writers is called a “Procrastination” (this isn’t actually true, but until the Oxford English Dictionary people get back to me with a hard “no” I’m running with it). We also know that sometimes we don’t have the opportunity or the time to come up with an idea… and once we have the idea, we still have to figure out how to get started!

To paraphrase the Ghostbusters, “We are ready to believe in you!” On March 8th at 7pm, we are going to run an online flash fiction session focused on the anthology theme “Never Say Die”! The event is 100% online via our Discord channel.

What’s flash fiction, you ask? In a nutshell, it’s a story under 1,000 words. A complete story with a beginning, middle, and an end. Sometimes these stories can be as short as 250 words, but for our event, we’ll be aiming for 500!

For the verbose, prolix, or otherwise sesquipedalian among us (I am attacking myself here), this will be a great chance to challenge yourself. Even if you’re already great at sticking to word limits, this is a fun opportunity to go from concept to completion in a single session! We will provide guidance as we go, and you’re welcome to share your finished story with the group at the end.

This is open to all members of CSFG. Not a member? It’s only $5 to join! Head over to CSFG.org.au to sign up, then join us on Discord to keep the fun going!

Novel Vague: Share Your Writer’s Blocks

Most, if not all of us, are writing one of hopefully many novels to come. On the fourth Wednesday each month, we hope to share our novel-writing travails and through addressing our colleagues’ road blocks and skills, also continue to develop our own.

Our best shot for planning ahead is inviting anyone interested to attend the meeting (call link will be posted the evening of) and share what’s been dogging their novel writing lately, so we can discover what topics the group might want to bring outside experts to give talks on.

Novel Vague happens every fourth Wednesday of the month, at 7:30pm on Discord. All writers welcome!

Help CSFG Document Our History

While a lot of our members’ works consider the far future, we need to make sure we don’t forget our past. CSFG started as an organisation around 1999 and officially incorporated in 2003 – that’s a lot of history! One of our behind-the-scenes goals this year is to make sure our past anthologies are properly recorded in cultural institutions like the National Library of Australia, but there’s so much more to CSFG than the books we’ve put out.

In aid of that, we’d love to hear from you! Who was around back in those early days? What was it like? We’d love to showcase some of CSFG’s past via the blog, so if you’re willing to write for us, get in touch! If you’re not up to writing a blog post but would be willing to act as a source, please reach out – we’d love to interview you about your experiences and make sure that part of our history is not lost.

Email [email protected] to help write the CSFG story. We expect this to be an ongoing project, so if you see this late or forget for a while, don’t’ be shy – reach out! There’s no deadlines here. We’ll put out occasional reminders and updates via the newsletter, social media, and/or our blog.

Reminder: CSFG Book Club launches Tuesday 18 March

CSFG is starting a Book Club, hosted by our very own Victor Yii! The first session will discuss the 2022 fantasy epic The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez. It will be held online on our Discord’s Community Hangout on Tuesday 18 March at 7:05 PM on Discord. If you haven’t snagged a copy and need one on short notice, let a Committee member know so we can hook you up.

We look forward to seeing you there!

CSFG Movie Night!

On the last Friday of the month, we host an online movie watch over on our Discord channel. This month, we ask the question; have you ever wondered if anyone would take your sci-fi/horror story of aliens coming to Earth to resurrect the dead seriously? Well, wonder no more because you can join us in watching “Plan 9 From Outer Space”!

That’s right, on Friday, the 28th of February at 8pm, we are going to watch Ed Wood’s classic 1957 film about extraterrestrials trying to stop humanity from creating a doomsday weapon that could destroy the universe! If you’ve never watched an Ed Wood film, you’re in for a real treat!

So, where can you watch this film? That’s the best part! This one’s free to watch on YouTube! Check out our Discord Channel or Facebook for more information.

We hope to see you there!

Member News

The Medusa Situation by Gabiann Marin has been shortlisted for the John Clarke Prize for Humourous Writing, part of the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards. In addition, the People’s Choice awards for the VLPA has opened for voting, and you can vote for The Medusa Situation here. Congratulations Gabiann!

March Events

Saturday 1st – Scribbles and Nibbles: 10am, National Library of Australia (in-person)

Wednesday 5th – Short Story Critique Group: 7:30pm (online)

Saturday 8th – ‘Never Say Die’ Flash Fiction Session: 7:00pm (online)

Wednesday 12th – Novel Critique Group: 7:30-9:30pm (hybrid – in-person location TBC)

Saturday 15th – Scribbles and Nibbles: 10am, Pulp Book Cafe (in-person)

Tuesday 18th – Book Club: 7:00pm (online)

Wednesday 19th – Monthly Member’s Meeting: 7:00-9:00pm, Burns Club Kambah (hybrid)

Wednesday 26th – Novel Vague: 7:30pm (online)

Friday 28th – Movie Night: 8pm (online)

For information about any of these events or activities, reach out to us at [email protected] or message a committee member on Discord.

Note: hybrid meetings occur via Discord; specifics will be shared through csfg.groups.io and the CSFG Discord server.