Think you might want to join us?  Creative Minds Collective is a private group, but often open to new members.  We are located in Central Ohio, and meet every other Saturday morning in Gahanna.  Check the homepage or the Newsflash! section to see if we are currently open to new members.
We welcome members of any experience level and of any genre, regardless whether your goal is to be a bestselling novelist, just write as a hobby, or anywhere in between.    We have only a few unbendable membership requirements:

• You must write fiction
• You must have an open mind
• You must either be at least 18 years old or have a parent or guardian's OK to join
• You must play well with others

If you believe you meet all of these requirements, then read on!

MEETINGS

CMC meets every other Saturday morning at a local coffee house.  Meetings typically run for 90 minutes, starting at 10:00 am.  A typical meeting is structured in the following way:

1. We start each meeting with a 10-minute timed writing prompt.  Sometimes we share when we're done, sometimes we don't, and there is never any requirement to share.  If you're not familiar with creative writing prompts, check the "Resources" section of this site for information.
2. Next, we go over any take-away exercise from the previous meeting (more on this later.)
3. Next is the heart of the meeting.  One group member, on a rotating schedule, gives a presentation to the group on a writing topic of his or her choice.  There is usually a handout with the presentation, and the presentor's segment is followed by a group discussion of the topic.  The presentation is usually accompanied by a short writing exercise, which is usually given as a take-away assignment.  We discuss our experiences in doing the exercise at the beginning of the next meeting.
4. At the end, we confirm our next meeting time, and discuss any group business items that need to be addressed.
Periodically, we do meetings that stray from this basic format.  On a rotating basis, we have occasional meetings in which we do timed creative writing prompts for the entire meeting time, and also meetings where we simply discuss general writing-related topics as a group.

GROUP PROJECTS

We have some regular projects that we do as a group:
• In fall 2008 we are publishing a book anthology of short stories by members of the group.  We are planning to make this an annual event.
• So far, each year all of our members have participated in NaNo WriMo (National Novel Writing Month.)  When the whole group is participating, we have historically suspended regular group meetings for two months and instead met to outline together in October, and to write together in November.  The suspension of normal group activity for NaNo WriMo may change in the future, but rest assured any CMC member participating in NaNo WriMo will have plenty of company!

THE FINE PRINT

We do have certain expectations of our members, in fairness to all involved. 
• Prospective members will need to complete a membership application, which can be obtained by emailing the group leader. (we will hopefully be adding the application as a download or form on this site in the near future.)
• New members must review our membership requirements and sign a Membership Agreement.
• Participation in some group projects, such as the annual ficton anthology will require signing additional agreements and, in some cases, will require a financial contribution to the project.
• We do collect modest dues from members, to help pay for things like this website. 
• As stated above, all members are expected to be respectful of one another, and open minded. 
• Creative Minds Collective reserves the right to refuse applications from prospective members for any reason, and without explanation to the applicant. 
STILL READING?
If you've read this far and still think you'd like to join, then by all means contact us!!  Interested writers can reach us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with any questions or to request an application.  A group member will respond promptly.