Nursery Rhymes and Truth or Dare

March 26, 2014


Hello, Writers,

Happy Spring Break to those of you who are enjoying a week of no school.  This week I am working with two year olds, which of course is challenging but I am surviving!

Hope that everyone is having a great week. Thank you to all the members who were able to make it!

Here's what happened last night:

Warm-ups

As a writing warm-up, we chose from prompts below and wrote for ten minutes:

1.    Mascara

2.     Surgery

3.     Houses vs. Apartments

4.    Last three books you read and something about each of them.

After a few of us shared our warm-ups, we introduced ourselves, shared good news and started our critique session.

Critique overview from March 25 CCWW

Matt Y. started the session with humorous tale in which characters are mistakenly declared deceased based on assumptions.  Members enjoyed the humor and tone of the piece. Robert O. continued by sharing more of his "The Furry Writing Group"  story.  Members enjoyed the playful and argumentative dialogue in the piece.  Thomas E. shared another chapter of his story from Mia's point of view.  Members thought that the chapter left more questions that still need to be answered and are looking forward to hearing more.

Kaitlyn S. continued her piece about Bethany and her encounter with werewolf like creatures.  Members commented on the honesty and humor woven throughout the story.  Connie W.  then read Nursery Rhyme Truth or Dare.  She cleverly combined the two prompts in a story exposing the true meanings of some of our favorite nursery rhymes.  She dared members to look up the meaning of their favorites. Members enjoyed the sometimes scary but interesting history.

Cameron S. shared a poem in which the main character was confined to a white room.  Members thought the rhymes worked well as well as the mood of the piece.  Richard N. shared a chapter in which Dodge and Vicki shared a meal.  His descriptions worked well and members could relate to the feisty communication between the characters.  Sherri S. shared a piece in which a love triangle landed one character in the hospital.  Members enjoyed her characterization and the use of descriptions like "cartoon dust".   I, Lisa C. finished the session with "Rhyme Town Meeting", a prompt-based piece.  Members were given parts to read and seemed to enjoy the humor and the use of several nursery rhyme characters.       

.

Great writing, everyone!

Links of Interest

Non-fiction checklist

Here is a good checklist for non-fiction writing. If you’re thinking of freelance writing for newspapers, magazines or the web, you might check it out.

More here:  http://writerseditorsnetwork.com/checklists-for-nonfiction/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=checklists-for-nonfiction

 +++++++++++++

Prompts for Tuesday, April 1st  

The first prompt is April Fool's day. The second prompt is fake it til you make it. You’re free to write in any genre you like (fiction, drama, non-fiction, poetry, etc.). If you’d like to bring a WIP (work-in-progress), please do.

Please keep pieces to 1500 words or less and bring copies if you can.

~ Lisa C.

P.S. If you’d like to participate in the Spoken Word Poetry Festival at the Callahan Branch Library at the end of April, please let me know.

Signs and health food stores

March 20, 2014

Hello, writers,

For the past few weeks, I’ve been a food tester for the Times-Union. This means I eat new products the newspaper provides, and then I review them. Each Thursday, the newspaper runs the testers’ reviews (there are five or six of us) in the Food section. I’ve enjoyed gourmet tuna, chocolate cereal, Chinese stir fry and more!

I applied to be a food tester over a year ago. Honestly, I had forgotten all about applying until my husband called me back in January to tell me the Times-Union had called our home to find out if I still wanted to test food. My answer? Yes!

Will I have a career as a food writer? Probably not, but it’s been fun to write blurbs about new food products and rate them. The barbecue Sun Chips have been my favorite product so far.

I try to say yes to new opportunities and fresh adventures. I never would have been a food tester if I had said no.

What about you? Do you say yes more often than no? Has saying yes to new things in life been beneficial for you? Have you turned down something you later wish you’d accepted? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

In other news, here’s a review of Tuesday’s workshop.

Warm-ups

As a writing warm-up, we chose from prompts below and wrote for ten minutes:

1.      “As ye sow, so shall ye reap.”

2.      Best and worst book(s) turned into movie(s)

3.      Tape vs. glue

4.      Balconies

After a few of us shared our warm-ups, we introduced ourselves, shared good news and started our critique session.

Good News and Information Exchange

Robert O. has a violin and has started lessons. Way to go, Robert! Richard N. gave everyone his “passivity checker,” which helps writers avoid passive voice. Thanks, Richard! I passed around a list of clichés and another list of questions to ask when writing non-fiction. I included both in the links section below.

Photo of the Week

Critique overview from March 18 CCWW

I, Nancy B., started the session with a prompt-based (at the health food store) scene. Members said my piece had vivid characters as well as suspense. Lisa C. then read “A Cautionary Tale,” a prompt-based (signs) poem. As usual, her clever use of rhymes worked well. Sherri S. continued by reading a piece of prompt-based (signs) fiction. Members said her opening, her inclusion of several types of signs and her characterization worked well. Connie W. then read “The Mind,” a piece about how a woman spends a night without sleep. Members said her piece included both humor and poignancy, and it presented a realistic progression of time.

Cameron S. then read a prompt-based (signs) first person narrative about school. Many members agreed with her sentiments about school and complimented her use of signs at the beginning, middle and end of her piece. Richard N. then shared the last half of the last chapter of his Dodge story. Members said his pacing and his use of interior monologue for Dodge worked well. Thomas E. then shared a revised chapter two of his ongoing story. Members said his use of sounds (i.e. click of heels, screech of rubber) and his use of metaphor (thoughts as books) worked well. Hayden B. then read “Too Much Stuff,” a short story about a girl named Jill. Members said her piece worked well, especially her simile about Jill being sneaky as a snake.

Sandra H. then shared “The Would-be Samaritan,” a modernized version of the Bible story. Members enjoyed her piece and commented on her clever use of questions. Robert O. finished the session by reading the start of “The Furry Writing Group,” a new story. Members said Robert’s dialogue worked very well because they could draw characterizations from it. (Note: Richard N. said Robert’s piece reminded him of “Tales of the Great Heart.” I think Richard said it was by Isaac Asimov, but I didn’t write it down. Richard, please verify title and author for us).

Great writing, everyone!

Links of Interest

Non-fiction checklist

Here is a good checklist for non-fiction writing. If you’re thinking of freelance writing for newspapers, magazines or the web, you might check it out.

More here:  http://writerseditorsnetwork.com/checklists-for-nonfiction/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=checklists-for-nonfiction

 +++++++++++++

Journalism clichés

Here’s a list of 150 journalism clichés. Which one do you use most?

More here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/opinions/wp/2014/02/27/the-outlook-list-of-things-we-do-not-say/

+++++++++++++

Thinking about freelancing?

Take a look at markets currently seeking writing.  

More here: http://www.worldwidefreelance.com/markets/

+++++++++++++

Prompts for Tuesday, March 25

The first prompt is nursery rhymes. The second prompt is truth or dare. You’re free to write in any genre you like (fiction, drama, non-fiction, poetry, etc.). If you’d like to bring a WIP (work-in-progress), please do.

Please keep pieces to 1500 words or less and bring copies if you can.

I will be out of town next meeting. Lisa C. will moderate Tuesday, March 25. Thanks, Lisa!

~Nancy B.

P.S. If you’d like to participate in the Spoken Word Poetry Festival at the Callahan Branch Library at the end of April, please let me know.

Housekeepers and a school bus

March 13, 2014

Hello, writers,

Happy Thursday! I enjoyed attending Tuesday’s workshop.

Welcome back, Sherri S. and Sandra H. Glad you’re with the group this session!

I just turned in a column on cursive writing to Jax4Kids, a monthly newspaper. Just curious, how many of you write cursive? How many of you print? In columns over the next few months, I’ll share research from educators, students and parents on cursive and printing.  

Meanwhile, an exciting opportunity has come our way. Please keep reading to find out more.

First, though, I’ll share Tuesday’s warm-ups, our critique overview and a few links of interest.

Warm-ups

Choosing from prompts below, we all completed a writing warm-up.

1.       Memorable piece of furniture

2.       Magic markers

3.       Basketball vs. baseball

4.       Daylight Savings Time

After a few of us shared our warm-ups, we introduced ourselves, shared good news and started our critique session.

Critique overview from March 11 CCWW

Kaitlyn S. began the session reading a first-person narrative featuring Bethany, a girl who passes horses on her walk home from school. Members commented on her powerful use of interior monologue and her vivid descriptions (i.e. snapping of twigs; sounds of truck). Connie W. then read another installment of her hemp rope story. Members said her use of smells (i.e. horse and human sweat) and her characterization of Leary (who knew location of Aidan’s mother’s grave) worked well.

Thomas E. continued by sharing more of his story featuring Mia and Mr. Larson. Members commented on the nostalgic tone of his piece as well as his vocabulary (i.e. cacophony). Richard N. then read the last chapter of his Dodge story. Way to go, Richard! Members complimented his characterization (i.e. Dodge needed a sounding board, mental and physical fingers, etc.) and his overall plot.

I, Nancy B., read “Afternoon Routine,” a prompt-based (“on a school bus”) poem. Members said the drama and humor played off each other. Robert O. then shared a descriptive outline of a new story set at a high school. Members said his creative character names worked well. Hayden B. then shared “The Magical Dolphins,” a short story. Members said the octopus, the sea trash and the shark made her plot interesting.  

Sandra H. then read, “Monday,” a reflective prompt-based (“the housekeeper”) poem. Members loved her piece, complimenting the birds as a unifying element as well as the poem’s realistic tone. Cameron S. finished the session with a poem about darkness. Members said her rhymes (i.e. frightful, nightfall) worked as did her reflective and hopeful tone.  

Wonderful writing, everyone!

Links of Interest

Ever dreamed of writing while riding the rails? Amtrak is sponsoring writing residencies. Sounds fun to me!  

More information on how to apply here:  http://blog.amtrak.com/2014/03/amtrak-residency-for-writers/

+++++++++++++

Hemingway App

I mentioned this app on Tuesday. It helps writers analyze how often they switch to passive voice, or use adverbs, among other things.  Best of all, it’s free!

Check out the desktop version here: http://www.hemingwayapp.com/

+++++++++++++

Creative Writing blog

Don’t let the title fool you. This blog offers lots of information about plotting, characterization, pitching to agents and more. It’s included as one of Writer’s Digest’s top 100 blogs for writers.

More here: http://romanceuniversity.org/

+++++++++++++

An Exciting Opportunity

As you probably know, April is National Poetry Month. To celebrate, the Callahan Branch Library is sponsoring a Spoken Word poetry festival. They are looking for poets who are willing to read their work.

If you’re interested in reading your poetry or helping with the festival, please let me know.

More details soon.

Prompts for Tuesday, March 18

The first prompt is signs. The second prompt is at the health food store. You’re free to write in any genre you like (fiction, drama, non-fiction, poetry, etc.). If you’d like to bring a WIP (work-in-progress), please do.

Please keep pieces to 1500 words or less and bring copies if you can.

Looking forward to seeing you March 18 at The Sweet Spot!

~Nancy B.