Any resources for the east coast? I live in VA. Also, can a site like Triggerstreet work similarly for you, for reviews, feedback, etc?

Tim, I have never had any direct experience with Triggerstreet or other such online writing sites. I have communicated with others who have, and their experience has been mixed, some good, some not so good. There was a group of writers here who were part of The GITS Club which has subsequently merged with OTTfilms, which you can find here. I just Googled "writing groups virginia" and found these. I had been intending for the longest time to do a series of posts about regional writing groups, but have never gotten around to it. If this post sparks an interest, I will resurrect that idea. Finally if anybody has any recommendations for meeting places for writers and writing groups, online or otherwise, please feel free to post here.

Thanks Scott. I guess one more question, does it matter if writers in your group are not script writers? As long as they understand how to analyze scripts?

@Tim I gave Triggerstreet a shot but as Scott mentioned I walked away with mixed feelings. Unless the policies have changed readers must earn credits (by reviewing other member's scripts) before their script will be reviewed. I had the feeling some folks breezed through the script just to build credits. I received a few tid-bits of helpful information -- on the nose dialog for one. But the one thing that boiled my blood -- I was nit-picked on formatting -- given advice on things that were fine -- didn't really help improve the story.

@Tim: Script analysis is one thing. I would say an understanding of story is even more critical. In an ideal world, they should have experience knowing screenplay form [it is a unique narrative platform] and a solid awareness of story. I don't have an easy solution to this (i.e., where to find these people). OTTfilms is a good place to start. Track the comments on this site. If you find a commenter whose insights and energy you resonate with, contact them and ask if they would be interested in reading each other's scripts. I would be happy to pose this as a reader question if you'd like.

The other night, brain dead after a couple hours of intense writing, I found myself watching Restaurant: Impossible on the Food Network. On that show, Robert Irvine goes to failing restaurants that are about to go out of business for good reason, completely renovates them, changes the menu, and often completely revamps their management structure in one day. It is as intellectually stimulating and varied as you'd expect. It's a guilty pleasure. But this episode had a moment that resonated with me as a writer. In this particular episode, a retired Marine had unsuccessfully tried to open a great diner. As a marine, he had less ego and greater work ethic than most restauranteurs on the show. But there was another wrinkle. His taste buds had been badly damaged by spending extended time around oil fires. He was incapable of knowing that a dish had vastly too much salt, for instance. So Irvine told him that he had to designate and trust someone else to be taster. They ran a test to see who had the best palate among the staff, and that person was put in charge of quality control for the menu. This speaks to this post and my writing life. One of my closest friends is a smart person, loyal friend, and great supporter of my film endeavors. He also has unbridled enthusiasm for movies that co-star a rapper and a martial artist or third-rate romantic comedies from the '90s. I hope for the day when I can invite him to premieres, but I don't let him taste the food. P.S., Productive writing weeks are nice, because I don't have to feel bad about spending waking minutes writing about Restaurant: Impossible.

I've used Triggerstreet and Zoetrope. I prefer Triggerstreet. Yes, it's a mixed bag for reviews. But that's because there's a lot of bad scripts out there and no one likes to put in 2+ hours reading a bad script but the benefit is that you can get read by a lot of people. The good thing is that these people all want to be screenwriters themselves. They understand story a little better than the average person who don't know much about structure. What you need to come away with is you can post your first/fourth/tenth draft on there and get notes. And if your screenplay is voted tops for the month you then get a chance to be read by a professional script analysis service Script Shark. If you get high marks on your coverage you can then parlay this when you approach a producer or agent/manager, etc. I've spoken to a producer and they would prefer to read a script if it had professional coverage. I've also done Meetup groups and screenwriting classes at a local community college and online. Too often these Meetup groups have a bunch of newbie writers. They usually don't know much about screenwriting. The screenwriting classes had the better writers and readers. You really have to find the good writers to get the best feedback. Take Scott's SMC classes and network there.

I've been in three writing groups, and the main problem is that real life intrudes and the groups seem to all fall apart eventually because of people getting married, having kids, moving away, etc. The last group I was in was fairly successful - it survived for four years, and had smart and screenwriting-savvy members. I would like to start/join another group eventually, but one thing I've found is that I'm not sure it's a good idea to have other people read your first draft 10-20 pages at a time, which is what I wound up doing in each group, and what most other people did. While it's useful to know if you're getting across what you think you're getting across (I was shocked at how often I'd find out this wasn't happening) I've come to believe that you should do at least one and probably two drafts before you get input from other people, because it can be dangerous in the beginning stages. I don't think I got any bad advice, but I saw a few other writers get wrongfooted on occasion. Until you see the whole first draft, it can be very hard to determine which advice to follow and which to discard. I think the ideal group would have eight members which would meet once a week and go over the work of one member. That means you'd present every two months, which is enough for a rewrite or a first draft if you go nuts (and have an outline).