April Invite: WORDPLAY Book Club for Writers and Curious Readers
+ March meeting recording (with continued discussion in the comments)
Hello, lovelies!
We had a fantastic turnout for our first book club meeting and had an absolute a blast! You can watch the replay below (scroll all the way down). Come meet the other members of the WORDPLAY community, find out what they’re writing, and let’s continue the book discussion in the Comments!
I’m also really excited to announce our April date and book pick. (fyi—I’m going to move the day/time around each month, based on my prior survey results, so that different people get a chance to attend). Details below.
WORDPLAY Book Club for Writers and Curious Readers
Your April Invitation!
WHO: Writers who love reading and want to examine stories more closely, and Readers who are curious about why they feel the way they do about a book.
WHAT:
Book Discussion (30-45 minutes)—What makes this book tick? We’ll talk about things like whether the plot worked and if not, why not? Where was the pacing great and where did the tension dip, and why? And why do some people love Character A but others hate him, while Character B is universally adored?
Bonus Writers’ Chat (30-45 minutes): After the book discussion, we’ll have an optional hangout to share what we’re working on, ask each other for advice on writer’s block, finding a literary agent, doing book publicity, etc.
»I will also talk about my agent journey, and why/how I’ve been through 3 different agents during my career.«
WHEN: Sunday, April 28th, 2024 at 3pm EDT / 12pm PDT
(Meetings will generally be at the end of each month, with book picks announced the month prior.)
WHERE: Zoom (feel free to come with your video off, introverts!)
WHY: Because it will be so much fun to look at published books through a writer’s lens!
HOW: Bring your smart insights and your “dumb” questions, and always lead with kindness, generosity, and a spirit for learning! (Because most of us are writers, too, and we know how much hard work goes into creating the books. And those of us who aren’t writers love books so much, we come from a place of admiration for the authors).
To prevent Zoom-bombing from not-nice people,
the Zoom link will be sent to paid subscribers 2-3 days before the meeting. (Recordings of the book club meetings will be available to paid subscribers if they can’t make it live.)
It’s only 30 cents a year to get access (I lowered the price as low as the platform will allow me, to make sure everyone can come to our hangout.)
Drop your spare change here:
April WORDPLAY Book Club Pick:
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
This month’s book pick is very different from last month’s, which I’ve done on purpose because it gives us a completely different genre and style to examine.
Daisy Jones and the Six is written in a unique style—as a documentary of a Fleetwood Mac-like band. This spin on third person narration takes a lot of skill to pull off, and I think Jenkins Reid does it brilliantly… but I’m curious what you think, too.
We’ll talk about the “documentary” format, as well as characterization and how Jenkins Reid manages to make us root for deeply flawed individuals whom we might not like in real life.
We will also talk about stories and transmedia—that is, telling this story not only in book form, but also in other forms of entertainment. (Similar to what Netflix did with Damsel the film and my book version.)
First, Daisy Jones and the Six (the book) was a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick. Witherspoon’s company also optioned the book (this means they paid for the temporary rights to try to make it into a film or show) and then partnered with Amazon to bring it to the screen. Finally, as part of their marketing campaign for the show, they created a Daisy Jones and the Six “band” and released original music.
—> Book. Show. Music… This alone tells us a lot about how much audiences are changing these days in what they expect from their entertainment. So how does that affect us as writers and readers?
If you have Amazon Prime, you might want to watch the first episode of the show (after you’ve read the book). I’d love to talk about the adaptation from book-to-screen, too, if we have time!
How I Choose our Book Picks
Based on my many years of running another book club for writers, I’ve come up with some guidelines for the WORDPLAY Book Picks:
We never read our members’ books — this was a hard and fast rule from my last book club, because even though we discuss our book picks with kindness and curiosity, it’s still virtually impossible for a writer to listen to other people critique their work, especially if it’s already published and there is nothing they can do to change things. (And sometimes, hearing analysis from their friends is the hardest thing!) So if I ever accidentally choose one of your books (or one of a dear friend whom you’d rather not hear analyzed), please let me know and I’ll pick something else. We are a supportive community and want everyone to feel buoyed by what we do!
Paperbacks, not new releases — For the most part, I will pick books that have been out for a while and already in paperback, because this makes them more affordable to buy and/or accessible via libraries (because new releases tend to have longer wait lists). There may be occasional exceptions if you all are hankering to read a specific new release, though.
Varying genres — We have writers and readers of all different genres in our wonderful WORDPLAY community, so I’m going to try to reflect that. I find that even when a novel might initially not be what I’m normally inclined to read, I am often the most surprised and delighted by those very books. Plus, there is always something interesting to study and learn, no matter what the genre.
Replay! - March Hangout
If you couldn’t make it live, here’s the recording. (Book discussion until 0:52, and then the writers’ hangout and Q&A begins).
Add your thoughts on the book to the Comments and we’ll keep the discussion going!