September 5, 2013
Good afternoon, writers,
I am in the midst of brainstorming
ideas for one client and revising an article for a newspaper editor. Both of these
tasks remind me how valuable feedback is for writers. Hearing comments on our
writing can be difficult at times, but it is so helpful.
So, thank you for providing
feedback on our pieces each week. We’re doing a good thing!
The warm-ups
We started the workshop with
a 10-minute writing warm-up. I’ll list
the choices here in case you want to do them at home:
1.
What is your
biggest obstacle to writing more? How can you overcome it?
2.
Write about a lie
you told. Did you ever come clean about it?
3.
Describe
your first job, first boss, and first co-workers.
4.
Which
character traits (honesty, thriftiness, etc.) are most/least desirable to you?
A few of us shared our
responses. We then introduced ourselves,
shared good news and started our critique session.
Critique overview
Our resident library staff
person, Heather G., began the session
by reading another installment of her ongoing series about Big Joe. Her piece
showed Linda’s (Big Joe’s boss) self-absorbed character with irony and vivid
description. Richard N. continued by
sharing another chapter of his novel featuring Dodge. In this death scene (read
by Michele N.), members learned of
Dodge’s ability to see and manipulate electricity. Cameron
S. read a descriptive piece featuring Snowfur, a wolf queen and mother of
pups, and Blackheart, her child with an evil eye. Sad and lonely, Blackheart is
befriended by Gingerfawn.
I (Nancy B.) continued
the session by reading a short story about a retired man working in a small-town
formalwear shop. The shop sells normal tuxes, but also has a couple of racks of
personality-enhancing suits. Lisa C. shared
“Black Tie Affair,” a poem featuring a teenage boy preparing to go to the prom.
Her rhymes, humor and narrative structure worked well.
Gina A. shared
a story of a little girl who wanted the part of Lucy in a Charlie Brown play at
her school. Her phrases and unfolding of the story worked well. Robert O. shared a continuation of his ongoing
work. In this segment (read by Michele
N.), Robert used powerful description and vivid verbs. Ann W. continued the session by sharing part of a larger work
featuring two young girls. Carmetta, a Sarf girl, has two tongues and a best
friend named Sally.
Judy M. read
a continuation of her story set in the 13th century. In this
segment, the narrator realized new fabric was purchased for her upcoming
wedding dresses. Connie W. then read “The
Hemp Rope,” an introduction to an historical novel. Her use of character names
and Irish traditions worked. Connie K. continued
by reading a prompt-based reflection of a Sunday afternoon. Her use of sounds,
smells and sights worked well. Dee C. finished
the session by reading a piece featuring a bride before, during and after her
walk down the aisle. The Overstreet man in the tux along with the violins and a
photograph worked in her surprise ending.
Excellent work, everyone!
Links of Interest
NaNoWriMo
(National Novel Writing Month)
November is National Novel Writing Month. Want
to write a novel from November 1 to November 30? Several of us have done this
before. It’s fun!
Read more and sign up here: http://nanowrimo.org/
+++++++++++++++
The Sun
Magazine
This glossy accepts poetry, fiction, essays
and interviews.
Read their submission guidelines here: http://thesunmagazine.org/about/submission_guidelines/writing
+++++++++++++++
Forever Yours
Forever Yours is currently accepting submissions in
several romantic genres. They’ve posted what they’re looking for here. Please scroll
down a little to read the submissions guidelines.
More information here: http://www.forever-romance.com/about-forever-yours/
+++++++++++++++
Prompts for Tuesday, September 10
There are two prompts for
next time. The first is cinnamon. The
second is to use the following three items in one short story: lasagna, a chess set and formaldehyde.
You’re free to use one or
both prompts to write a piece for next Tuesday, or you can share a WIP (work-in-progress).
Write in any genre you like
(fiction, poetry, non-fiction, drama), but please keep pieces 1500 words or
less.
Have a wonderful weekend!
~Nancy B.
No comments:
Post a Comment