Supporting Berkshire Writers since 2001
Writers are a strange and varied breed, punishing themselves daily in a pursuit that often seems to bring more pain than pleasure.
But knowing we’re not alone in that weirdness makes it better.
And in the early days of a new millennium, our founder and equally long-suffering writer, Jonathan Dodd, had an idea. He tells it best in the foreword of our 2012 short story collection Out of Time…
In 2001, I had a problem. I had half a novel that had been stuck in a drawer for eight years and I was attending a creative writing class at Newbury College that skimmed the surface of many writing genres but didn’t satisfy my yearning for something more something substantial.
For once in my life, inspiration struck. I needed a group of people who would be annoyed if I didn’t finish my novel, and an effective carrot and stick to force me to get on with it. I asked if anyone in the class was interested in forming a writing group and, to my surprise, almost everybody wanted to join.
WordWatchers was born.
The principle of honest, clear-thinking critiques, rather than opinion-based criticism, was established right from the start, and is the main reason WordWatchers has survived and flourished for all these years. It’s a space where members are not just able to say what they think, they’re expected to do so. Everyone has gone through this process, and their writing skills have benefited as a result.
WordWatchers is composed of writers who care, who want to progress, who are committed to their work and the group, and who are serious about writing.
Jonathan Dodd, Founder of WordWatchers