Welcome!
The Puget Sound Writers Guild is dedicated to providing instruction in writing fiction. The Guild was established in 1998 and is a nonprofit organization registered with the State of Washington. The purpose of the Guild is to provide knowledge of the procedures and techniques necessary to writing professional-level fiction.
The Guild evolved out of a number of conventional writing clubs whose members came to realize that accepting critiques from people no better prepared than themselves did nothing to move them along their way to becoming published. In addition, the expensive annual conferences in the area provide little more than the chance for four hours or so with professionals in company with thirty other hopefuls. Aspiring authors also had the option of attending college classes taught by faculties who have had little if any of their own work published by major publishing houses.
In 1998 we established the Guild as a means of receiving instruction from a retired professional novelist who agreed to work with us.
Most of the members in those first classes were from the Olympia area. By the time the 2006 Guild roster has firmed up, we will have had members whose homes extend from Alderwood Manor, north of Seattle, to Vancouver, Washington, and from Moses Lake west to Baghdad, Iraq.
The Guild has evolved into two divisions. One is the novice class, which meets for approximately one year (forty-seven times) in weekly, two-hour sessions. Our resident professional writer and four Guild members instruct the novice class in the fundamental techniques and procedures of commercially viable fiction. Membership in this group is limited to between six and twelve members each year. Upon completion of the novice course, members may choose to move into full Guild membership.
The foundation element in the Guild meetings is providing critiques that assist the preparation of manuscripts of professional quality. In addition, Guild members continue to receive information that assists their growth as professional writers. Sources include outside speakers, recommendations for modeling published novels, advice on acquiring reference libraries, etc.
Our plan is to initiate new novice classes once or twice a year, depending upon the number of applicants with potential and on the availability of instructors and facilities.
If this is the sort of opportunity for which you've been looking, you may want to examine this website for some of the other material on how to apply for membership. As stated above, we are a nonprofit organization, and our fees are limited to the amount necessary to cover the expenses of the Guild. We provide telephone numbers where you can reach us for additional information.
We must add one caution. We are interested only in the writer whose goal is to become a professional novelist.
