It wasn't a dark and stormy night at all - it was bright daylight and the temperature was just right. But the Dive-Bar crew could care less, because we were getting loaded inside a dingy dump downtown, composing bad fiction.

Here's the plan: everyone writes down five words on a piece of paper, folds it, and stuffs it into a brown bag. After a quick round of drinks to loosen up the writing muscles, we each pick out someone else's words and incorporate them somewhere into a short story. There will only be one minute (give or take) to knock these things out, so you'll have to think quick.

Then it's back into the bag so everyone can pick someone else's story to read aloud. Yes, there's an element of performance art here, so don't be shy. That's what the drinks are for.

Bring writing pads and pens, plus a thesaurus so you can look up all words synonymous with 'hackneyed' and 'mediocre'.

Tuesday, June 12
5:30 to 7 PM
Route 101 Bar
1332 Van Ness Ave at Fern Alley
(between Sutter and Bush