Monday, September 22, 2014
We had another rainy Tuesday night in Callahan, but it didn’t
stop writers from attending the workshop at the Library. Lisa began the session
with warm-ups and introductions. We then enjoyed a helpful critique session.
Here’s a recap.
Warm-ups
The warm-up prompts are listed here, in case you’d like to write
to them at home:
1. The
tone-deaf musician
2. Elevator
vs. Stairs
3. An
avalanche of words
4. A
free-write on anything
After a few
writers read their warm-ups, we introduced ourselves and shared good news and
information. Richard N. brought “Do You Write in Spurts?” a writing guide from a
blog for the writers in attendance. Lori
L. recently saw “Little Shop of Horrors” at Theater by the Tracks in St.
Mary’s, Georgia. I, Nancy B., won a
writing award for “Best Evangelical Film” for a screenplay.
After Ollie M., Matt Y. and Connie W. shared warm-ups, we began
critiques.
Critiques
To begin, Thomas E. read Robert O.’s continuation of his wolftaur piece featuring Tempest
and Gabriel. Members said Robert’s descriptions (such as “sky blue eyes” and “Gabriel’s
ear flicked”) worked. Matt Y. then
shared a somewhat satirical presidential speech. The humorous way Matt
presented the loss of individual freedom hit close to home and worked well,
members said. Danielle T. then read a
non-fiction piece about an abandoned foundry near Chattanooga, Tennessee. Members
enjoyed the imager y in her piece as well as the connections she made to “Atlas
Shrugged” by Ayn Rand.
Richard N. then read more of his second
book featuring Dodge. Members said his piece created suspense, and it used
potent verbs (such as –hover, -splashed, -scrunched). Thomas E. then read “Eden Academy,” an older piece featuring Mia
and Yukine. Members said his piece featured a good balance of narration and
dialogue, and it also featured excellent characterization. I, Nancy B., then read a piece from my WIP. Members enjoyed the use
of the word “obstreperous.”
Connie W. then shared a continuation of
her hemp rope story. Members complimented her descriptions of Irish agricultural
life. Cameron S. then read a vampire
piece featuring characters named Zane and Tommy. Members complimented Cameron’s
powerful scene-setting and descriptions. Lisa
C. then shared “The Operation,” a prompt-based (behind enemy lines) poem.
Members enjoyed the soldier’s perspective she used. Ollie
M. ended the session by reading an interpretive history of race relations.
Members said his piece touched on several truths.
Nice work,
writers!
Links of Interest
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)
For those of you interested in writing a novel during the month of
November, please check out this site. You can sign up, choose the amount of
words you write each day and receive support from an online writing community.
Read more here:
__________________________________________________________________________________
Stage of Life Writing and
Blogging Contest
Here’s a contest with no entry fee. You’re asked to write about your
life’s journey. Deadline is at the end of December.
Read more here:
___________________________________________________________________________________
Score a new mattress in exchange
for a little writing
Mattress Firm is giving away mattresses. All you have to do is
describe why your mattress is keeping you up at night.
Interested? Read more here:
___________________________________________________________________________________
Prompts for September 23
Prompts for September 23 are Good
vs. Evil and to write a commercial. Feel
free to bring in a WIP (work-in-progress) or another piece of your choice if you’d
rather not write to the prompts. Also, please keep pieces 1,500 words or less.
Quote of the week:
“I write to give myself strength. I write to be the
characters I am not. I write to explore the things I’m afraid of”
~Joss
Whedon
Until Tuesday, happy writing!
~Nancy B.
P.S. Lisa C. and Nancy B. will be out this week due to obligations
at SCA. Thanks in advance for helping your interim
moderator run an effective workshop.
No comments:
Post a Comment