History of the Writer’s Circle
- Susanna Bezooyen
- Jul 28
- 4 min read
The First Need That Sparked It All
In the fall of 2019, I was a student at Brigham Young University, in Provo Utah, where I participated in a Writer/Director/Actor workshop class. There were three writers. On our assigned days our individual scripts were read out loud and interrogated under the various discipline “lenses” of writing, acting, directing and dramaturgy. We would receive feedback, do a rewrite, and return to have the work reread and critiqued. It was incredibly helpful and productive. However, being a fast rewriter, I found the assigned times did not respond as quickly to my writing feedback needs as I would have liked.
Creating A Solution
Desiring to supplement the valuable feedback I was receiving, I decided to start a Writer’s Circle. A fellow intern student from London England's Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (where I later attended and earned my Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Stage and Broadcast Media 2021-2023) became my first supporter.
The Work Begins
We and several other student writers began meeting in the upper room of Provo’s aged Pioneer Book Store that sells second-hand books. The owners generously allowed us free weekly use of the theatre section with its old wooden tables and chairs and a podium for speeches amongst its collection of poetry and plays.
Sometimes treats would be baked and brought to share as we read and enjoyed one another's work. We cared as much about a fellow writer's script as we did our own and cheered each other on as we saw the stories progress.
We designed a logo for the Writer's Circle and set up a FB page, though I confess the latter has not had much use in recent years. The logo has just recently been given a refreshed look as seen above.
The Outcome
The group was highly effective. All of us were also trained as actors, directors, dramaturgs and more. The wide skill set, dedication to the weekly meetings, and camaraderie of the group of friends elevated the work. All became award winning script writers, have seen their plays or films produced, and have gone on to higher education, business ownership in the arts, teaching, and so forth.
Unexpected Results
Others who were not the core group members started joining and benefiting from the Writer’s Circle. Some had become discouraged and had stopped writing all together but with their participation they began writing again. Watching them, and going through my own writing challenges, I developed great empathy for the struggling writer. We writers can be sensitive creatures. We are very much like actors in that what we do requires a high level of vulnerability. It was then I really saw the power of the group to nurture and keep alive a writer's creative spark and desire to express one’s voice.
Enter COVID
The group’s in-person meetings were soon interrupted by COVID. I kept the group active by hosting the meetings online. Writer's Circle became a lifeline for all of us during that very difficult time. We lived for that sacred gathering space each week.
A New Community
In 2021 I joined DRAESIS, now Art to Income (ATI) just before graduating. It was before I was pleasantly surprised by getting accepted to Central. I opened Writer's Circle to this community, and they have been eager and dedicated participants. I was eventually asked if Writer's Circle could be included on the ATI schedule and, of course, I said, "Yes!"
Global Reach
Since its inception, many groups have cycled through Writer's Circle. Hundreds of participants and scripts from numerous countries as shown above, including Georgia, have logged in and all have added to the richness of the experience.
Seeing The Need For Training
As the original group has faded out and my friends have moved on in their careers, I have seen their multifaceted skillsets leave with them. Not all participants have been as fortunate as we were to have been trained so well in so many disciplines. As new participants came in to Writer's Circle and I gained increasing knowledge through my Master of Fine Arts training and personal practice, I could see how these disciplines could be coalesced into a far more streamlined and effective system of learning. I could see the strengths and the deficiencies in current methodologies of teaching and practice. For years I have wanted to develop a course to meet this need.
Meeting The Need For Training
Happily, I have finally developed a Script Writing Foundations 101 course. It has been piloted, received high score ratings, and valuable feedback. It is undergoing iteration and being made available to the general public. Other courses will follow to meet the script writing needs of participants and the industries they write for.
For further details about the course please visit https://www.scriptsbysusanna.com/3dayfoundationsintensive.
The Need For Additional Services
I remain committed to providing at least one Writer’s Circle session each week for free. I am aware this does not fully accommodate the need so I am laying plans to expand the service for a fee.
Invitation
If additional meetings and courses are of interest to you please reach out to me at scriptsbysusanna@gmail.com.
To read my blog on script writing visit my website at https://www.scriptsbysusanna.com/blog.
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