Banana splits, Iceland and the red light in Callahan

January 19, 2014

Hi, everyone,

What a wonderful start we had to our first Callahan Creative Writing Workshop (CCWW) of 2014! Fifteen writers met and shared their words at The Sweet Spot in Callahan.

Thomas E., Jean L., James B. and Stephanie G. joined us. Welcome to all four of you!

In other news, we went to the circus yesterday afternoon with friends. As I watched each act enter the ring in their colorful costumes, I wondered if the circus employs a traveling seamstress. What a fun job that would be! Then I started listing circus-related article ideas I might pitch to a magazine editor. Fun stuff!

Meanwhile, here’s a recap of our meeting last Tuesday and a few links of interest.

This week’s warm-up

We started the workshop by choosing a random word from the green dish and writing about it. Author Ray Bradbury said he often did word association exercises to generate ideas for stories.

I’ll list a few of the words here in case you want to ‘word associate’ at home.

Closets                                   Hot Tea                 Marriage

Lace                                       Watch                    Diamonds

Calendar                                Floral                     Rain

Montana                                T-shirt                    Swing

Stapler                                   Spatula                  Carpet

We then shared a few warm-ups, introduced ourselves, shared good news and reviewed critique guidelines.      

The critiques

Richard N. began by reading another installment of his novel. Most of the men in the group said they enjoyed Richard’s descriptions of military uniforms and equipment. Jean L. then read a piece published in one of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books. Group members commented on her realistic teacher concerns and her use of flashback and flash-forward techniques. Thomas E. then shared a compelling first-person piece about a person waking up in a hospital. Members commented on his skillful use of sounds (i.e. footsteps) in the piece.

Cameron S. then read a first-person piece about Jerry, a cat with issues. Members audibly chuckled when they learned Jerry had separation anxiety. I, Nancy B., followed by reading a continuation of a young adult story. Bruno’s “lithp” garnered several positive comments. Connie W. then read the fourth part of her rope story set in Ireland. Comments complimented Connie’s descriptions, such as “meanness in his dark eyes” and the ring being passed down from mother to daughter.

Stephanie G. continued the session by sharing “Doin’ the Splits,” a piece set in a Callahan ice cream shop. Members complimented Stephanie’s use of all three prompts as well as the humor she included. Connie K. then shared “Emily’s Secrets: Long Saturdays,” a continuation of her ongoing work. Her piece skillfully showed the effects of an alcoholic father on his wife and kids.  Lisa C. continued by reading a poem about an alarm clock. Through the use of rhyme and humor, her poem ended with the clock hitting the trash can on a Saturday morning.

Oliver M. then shared a piece written to one of the prompts. In his piece, a driver daydreams about a banana split and a time machine while stopped at a traffic light. Michele N. continued by reading a continuation of her Jenna and Jackson piece. Her elevator setting and diction (i.e. “admonished”) worked well, according to group members. James B. then shared a nightmare piece that turned into a prayer. Members said his realistic vision of being stabbed worked well.

Robert O. continued by reading a revised version of his Gabriel Whitewolf story. The view of homelessness Robert’s piece presented worked well. Kaitlyn S. then read a continuation of her dream collection. Members commented on the swamp, the amulet and the reappearance of the two Emily’s. Matt Y. ended the session with poetry. His poem presented history from a different perspective, and it worked very well.

Excellent writing, everyone!

Links of Interest

Freelance writing
Interested in freelance writing? I have found it to be a wonderful way to earn income. Here is a link to oodles of writing jobs. More information here: http://www.freelancewriting.com/freelance-writing-jobs.php

Literary writing
Want to find a market for your poems, short stories or plays? Check out this database maintained by Poets and Writers. There are more than 900 publications currently seeking work! More information here: http://www.pw.org/literary_magazines

Writing contests
I love entering contests because they keep hope alive! Maybe you want to enter a contest this month. Here’s a database listing several current writing contests. More information here: http://www.be-a-better-writer.com/creative-writing-contests.html

Information for next meeting

Our next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 21 at 6:15 p.m. at The Sweet Spot.  We looked into moving back to the library, but their meeting room is unavailable. The two prompts for Tuesday are hurricane and in the teacher’s lounge. Feel free to write to one or both prompts. Of course, if you’d rather bring a WIP (work-in-progress), please do.

You’re free to write in any genre (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, etc.). Please keep pieces to 1500 words or less.

Until Tuesday, happy writing!

~Nancy

P.S. I'm including a couple of photos taken by Stephanie G. Thanks, Stephanie!