Monday, October 13, 2014
It’s hard to believe we’re at the end of our eight-week fall
session, but Tuesday, October 14, marks the last official meeting of the year. If
you’re looking for a place to continue your writing in November, consider
joining CCWW members for Tuesday night write-ins in November.
November means National Novel Writing Month. The other way
to say it is, NaNoWriMo, and there’s tons of information on their web site
here: www.nanowrimo.org. More details
are below in the Links section.
Before we started Tuesday’s session, Alison M., Callahan Branch Librarian, shared some ideas about how
we can help foster more writing in the Callahan area. She invited all of us to
attend Tuesday evening write-ins in November. None of us is required to write a
novel, she said, but she encouraged us to write in the library to let others
know about NaNoWriMo and our writing group.
We’ll have a NaNoWriMo kick-off party (with yummy treats) on
Tuesday, November 4 around 6 pm. Hope you can come and support writing in our
community!
I passed around a sign-up sheet for the Tuesday evening
write-ins in November. Several of us signed up to attend one, two or three Tuesday
evenings. I’ll bring the sign-up sheet to our workshop tomorrow night in case
you still want to sign up.
Meanwhile, ten writers attended Tuesday’s workshop at the
Callahan Branch Library. I don’t know about you, but I thought everyone brought
stellar pieces.
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. Poverty vs. Prosperity
2. Sierra possessed wisdom beyond her
years…
3. Three things you can’t go without
4. A free-write on anything
Ollie M., Matt Y. and Connie W. shared their warm-ups. Robert O. received a promotion at work. He
is now Automotive Tech at Wal-Mart. Way to go, Robert. I, Nancy B., am now a contributing writer with Jax4Kids, a monthly
parenting publication. Yay!
Lisa C. moderated the meeting. Connie W. selected the order of writers.
Thanks, Lisa C. and Connie W.!
Critiques
To begin, Matt Y. read “Loveless Letter,” a Bob
Dylan-esque poem/song with a double-edged love theme. Members said his piece
was publishable and thought-provoking. Lori
L. continued by sharing a piece about teaching Sunday school to teenage
boys. Members said her piece rang true and allowed the reader to connect the
dots in the piece. Richard N. then
read a continuation of his second Dodge novel. Members enjoyed the sensory
details he included (i.e. hiss sound and vivid description of Malphus).
Lisa C. then asked members to read, “The
Accidental Conference Call,” her prompt-based script. Members complimented Lisa’s
use of humor and realism as well as her storyline. Ollie M. then read a thought piece on freedom. His strong imagery
(such as “womb of freedom”), and his ideas about freedom requiring responsibility
resonated with many members. Thomas then
asked Nancy B. to read a revised piece
featuring his character, Mr. Larson. His piece presented the care and concern
caregivers provide for their patients in a realistic way, members said.
I, Nancy B., then read another chapter
of my WIP. Members said my strong verbs (i.e. lugging) and my description of an
e-shaped ash tray worked. Danielle T. then
read a piece about her husband and his barber. Members enjoyed the humor of her
piece and its authenticity. Robert O. then
asked Thomas E. to share more of “The
Furry Writing Group.” Members said conversation between Gabriel and Larson
worked. Connie W. fished the night
sharing another segment of her hemp rope piece. Members oohed and aahed over
the introduction of freed slave, Caleb Jackson, his son, Joshua, and Caleb’s
mother.
Spectacular
writing, everyone!
Links of Interest
National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)
If you’re interested in writing with us, please go ahead and sign up
for NaNoWriMo. We’ll be meeting at the Library on Tuesday evenings in November
to write, write, write! Kick-off party is scheduled for Tuesday, November 4 at
6 pm. Hope you’ll join us!
Read more and sign up here:
__________________________________________________________________________________
Like to write essays? Check out
Ninja Essays
Here’s a chance to win some cash for your words. There’s no entry fee!
Deadline is November 1.
Read more here:
http://www.ninjaessays.com/blog/essay-writing-contest
___________________________________________________________________________________
Sitcom writing contest
I’ll leave this one here another week because it looks so fun. There’s
no entry fee. Deadline is in early 2015.
Interested? Read more here:
Prompts for October 14
Prompts for October 14 are song
lyrics or the virus. 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:
“When all the details fit in perfectly, something is
probably wrong with the story.”
~Charles Baxter
Until Tuesday, happy writing!
~Nancy B.
P.S. Hope you’ll join us for the NaNoWriMo Kick-off party on Tuesday,
November 4. Help us support writing in the Callahan community!
P.P.S. Please be thinking about whether you’d like to attend a
Christmas party this year. If so, where would you like it to be held? We’ll
talk about a holiday party on Tuesday, Oct. 14.
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