Derbyshire Scriptwriters is open to anyone with an active interest in scriptwriting for screen, stage or radio – most meetings involve a critique of a member\’s work, which may be brand new, or something that has been reviewed by ourselves in the past.

We meet on the first Tuesday of the month from 7pm to 9pm in Derby Library\’s Reading Rooms on the Strand (which is around the back of the library building):

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There\’ll be a post on the blog to let you know what\’s coming up in the next meeting (Tuesday 1st June 2010), and members are always welcome. If you\’d like to come along and say hello, get in touch by email: joinus@derbyshirescriptwriters.com

First post. Hmm.

For me, there\’s a strange commitment to the first words on the page; and the notion of changing them, or deleting them, or ignoring them completely in the future feels a bit like an act of betrayal to the story idea you first had.

Of course by the time you reach the end, it\’s likely they\’re not the right first words any more. You\’ve spent more time with the characters in the story; they\’re doing things you didn\’t expect they\’d do at the start. In fact, the story might need to start from somewhere else entirely.

It\’s a point that regularly comes up when members\’ scripts are reviewed in Derbyshire Scriptwriters\’ monthly crit sessions; and it\’s fantastic to see how the group\’s thoughts can help give you a fresh point of view on what really counts – getting your script to tell the heart of your story.

So, here comes our next first post; if you feel something\’s missing, just wait \’til you see the rewrite…