January 31, 2013
Hello, writers,
Fourteen writers shared their writing on Tuesday evening at
the Callahan library.
One visitor attended.
Please welcome Chuck L. to the
group!
Here’s what happened…
We started the workshop with a choice of warm-up exercises. I’ll list them here in case you want to do
them this week:
Choose
one of the following and write for 10 minutes:
1.
Describe
your favorite artist and a few of his/her works.
2.
Describe your life as food.
Is it salty, sweet or something else?
3.
Write a scene with dialogue between a student and a teacher.
4.
Complete a free-write on anything
After a few members read their warm-ups, we introduced
ourselves, shared information and began the critiques.
Good News and
Information Exchange…
Betty C. and her
book, “Be Lifted Up,” were featured in a piece published in The Florida Baptist Witness. Read the story here: http://www.gofbw.com/News.asp?ID=14730. Great article, Betty!
Lynn R. has
reached chapter 10 in her novel. Way to go, Lynn! Very impressive!
I (Nancy) submitted
a group of poems to a literary journal. I
don’t know if they’ll be published, but I’m happy I sent them in for
review.
Overview of critiques...
Connie K. started
by reading another installment of “Emily’s Secrets.” Connie’s descriptions worked well as did the
suspense she created about Emily’s secrets.
I (Nancy B.) then read, “The
Party,” a piece of fiction about a man who works in a hardware store and a
woman who is planning a party.
Lisa C. shared a
poem called “Hardware Heartthrob.” The
story her poem told and the rhymes she used worked. Sandra
H. then read her version of a Facebook chat about hardware stores. Her use of multiple characters and dialogue was
cleverly done.
Matt Y. read a
piece offering a glimpse inside the mind of an ‘artist.’ His characterization worked well. Lynn R.
shared a prologue of her novel. The
piece offered a well-researched retrospective of the 1970s.
Chad A. continued
by sharing a short piece written from the perspective of a product on the shelf
of a hardware store. His piece garnered
many interpretations ranging from jail to death. Connie
W. then read a poem about a lady named Flo who heads to the hardware store
for a lamp. While there, she sees so
many products, she forgets to purchase the lamp.
Karen D. then
shared a piece set inside a hardware store called Cowford’s. Members thought her inclusion of the cat
worked. Oliver M. then read a short riddle-like piece written as an acrostic
for TRUST. His parallel structure and
strong verbs worked.
Cameron S. continued
by reading a piece set in a hardware store.
Her circling back to the needed light bulb at the end worked well. Christine
R. then read “This Too Shall Pass.”
In it, Vanessa heads to the hardware store to pick up items her
soon-to-be ex-husband requested. While
there, she meets Eric who encourages her.
With realistic dialogue and a good story line, her piece worked.
Heike M. finished
the critiques by sharing her Stonehenge piece.
Her skillful use of the neutral observer caused us all to be curious about
the speaker of the piece. NOTE: I neglected to ask Heike if she wanted to say
anything after reading her piece. I
apologize, Heike. Next week, I’ll remedy
this by starting with Heike’s comments at the beginning of the critique session.
Links of interest…
The Amelia Island
Book Festival is coming up soon. CCWW
member, Lori L., asked if any
CCWW’ers want to carpool to the event.
More information here…http://ameliaislandbookfestival.com/
Southern Writers
Magazine sponsors Short Story Contest
Deadline: March 1
Entry Fee: Free
Theme: Any family-friendly
topic will work
Parable Press is open
to submissions
“A place to air your literary laundry”
J. Taylor Publishing
is seeking YA (Young Adult) stories between 5,000 and 10,000 words based on
a prompt about time stopping…
Deadline: March 6,
2013
Adventure Publications,
an award-winning publisher of outdoor guides, is accepting fiction manuscripts
for its new series of outdoor/wilderness mysteries. We are looking for mystery
fiction that will appeal to both the mystery reader and the outdoors
enthusiast. The books will be produced in print and ebook formats. Examples of
authors we love are Nevada Barr, Victoria Houston, C.J. Box, William Kent Krueger
and Beth Groundwater. Currently, we are seeking novels set in the Midwest,
Southwest, Northwest, Northeast and Rocky Mountains.
Prompt for next week…
Prompt for next week is…Victorian.
You’re free to write in any genre
you like (poetry, non-fiction, fiction or drama). If you’d rather bring a WIP
(work-in-progress), please do.
Please bring something to share with the group.
Until Tuesday, February 5, happy writing!
~Nancy
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