Everything's Talking and the Dear John Letter!

April 2, 2015

Hello, writers,

We had a delightful writing workshop on Tuesday, March 31. Members’ writing ranged from whimsical to heartfelt.  

Today’s post features upcoming community events, new publication opportunities and fresh writing prompts, among other things.

If you weren’t able to make it on Tuesday, please come on out this week. We hope to see you on April 7 at 6:15 p.m.

Spoken Word Festival – Tuesday, April 28

On April 28 at 6:00 p.m., the Callahan Branch Library will host its second annual Spoken Word Festival. Since April is National Poetry Month, the library is hoping beat the poetic drum here in the Callahan community.

If you’d like to participate in the Festival by reading a piece (it doesn’t have to be poetry), please sign up with Callahan Branch Librarian, Alison M., or call her at 904-879-3434.

This year, the Library is planning to produce a booklet chock full of local writers’ pieces. Sales of the booklet will benefit the Friends of the Callahan Library. If you’d like to help put the booklet together, please let Michele, Lisa or Nancy know. J

Please consider submitting a piece or two for the booklet. Please watch this space for more details on word count, font size, formatting, etc.

The event is free and open to the community.

Piece of the Week

Connie W. wrote a piece to “the world where everything talks” prompt. Here it is:

The bed was humming softly when the alarm started screaming, "Get up, get up, get up now!"

Greta slammed on the head to shut him up.  "Ouch, you could be a little nicer," the alarm said as the snooze alarm took effect.

Five minutes later, "Get up, get up, please don't hit me," the alarm said.  

"Greta, come on. Let's get moving," her pajamas moaned.

"Bubble, bubble, glerg," the coffee pot was talking to itself.  

"Hey, get me out of this cabinet.  It is cold in here and dark," the coffee cup complained.

Greta got the coffee cup and filled it with coffee.  Several items yelled, "Turn off the damn light."  She got the creamer out of the refrigerator and then the sugar from the canister.  They conversed among themselves.  

Creamer: "Two splashes of me and I bet she has 4 teaspoons of you."

Sugar: "Yep, she had a late night.  She is going to need a bit of rush to get going this morning.  She looks awful."

Greta, "Hey, I can hear you.  Yes, I was working late.  The computer at work kept saying it was tired and needed to shut down for a while."

Milk:  "Sure."

Greta downs her coffee and heads to the shower.

Several bottles of shower gel chime in together, "Choose me.  I am cotton for that fresh smell."

"I am sandalwood for that bit of mystery"

“Don’t forget me, Honeysuckle.  You will smell like spring."

She grabs the one that has remained silent, the Wild Musk.  "I knew you would pick me today.  Just not into all that spring happy stuff, are ya?"

"No, just be quiet for now, okay?"

The shower curtain always complains, “Don’t get me wet. You know I hate mildew."

The towels now argue about which one is more absorbent and which one is best for her hair.  

Greta yells, “EVERYONE, SHUT UP!"

All falls quiet except the mirror.  "Looking kind of rough this morning old girl and you might want to lay off those cookies".

There is a snicker( snort giggle)  from the scales in the corner.

"Shut up!" Greta screams again.

Standing in front of her closet, the clothes start to argue over the weather, will it be hot, will she need a sweater, blouse and skirt, a dress, or pants and jacket (for the smart look), jeans feeling left out because it isn't the weekend.

Greta chooses a nice pair of pants and a short sleeve sweater.  Her watch yells from the nightstand, “Don't forget me!"

Her shoes argue which pair will be best if she has to park far away at the parking garage, or if she can get in the lot close to the building.  "You know you need a smart pair of low heeled loafers.  The comfort alone will make your day so much easier."

The keys say something mumbled from the bottom of her purse, “Find me, find me, find me, find me."

"Good grief, I am so sick of all this chatter and complaining.  Why can't they be quiet"? Greta thinks to herself.

"Good morning, Greta.  I am security door alarm # 2548.  Please set your pass code now." Greta punches in the numbers, and the door unlocks for two minutes before it locks again.

Outside, her car greets her.  It asks her to use the fob to unlock the door and she obliges.  "Okay, so where are we off to today?" the Suri asks.

"The first call is at 4642 Broadway," Greta responds.

"Scanning" and the Bluetooth begins to hum as Greta waves at her neighbor and backs out of the driveway.  She drives to the light and thinks, "This is odd.  What is up with the GPS?"

She looks, and it is still scanning. Five minutes, and she hears from the speakers,

"Did you see what Jillian was wearing today?  Oh, my God, what is she thinking with that ugly dress?"

"Well, at least Greta looks smart," her car replies.

"OOOOH! Did you see who was at the Larson's last night?  Yes, it was that handsome UPS truck!"

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?" Greta says.

"Sorry, just catching up on the gossip.  Now what was that address again?  I don't remember what you said, but then I rarely pay attention to what you say," giggles from all the Suris.

~by Connie W.

Community Happenings

Easter Celebration – Sunday, April 5, at 10:15 am at First Baptist Church, Callahan, located at 45090 Green Avenue. Several members of CCWW sing in the choir or play in the orchestra. Please come and celebrate the meaning of Easter with us.

Railroad Day Festival – a Callahan-area historical celebration – scheduled for Saturday, April 18 from 9:00 am until 8:00 pm. More here: http://www.wnhsfl.org/RailroadDayFestival2015.html

Second Annual Spoken Word Festival – Tuesday, April 28 from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm at the Callahan Branch Library. Hopefully, you’ve signed up to read a piece or two. We’ll send out more details on the booklets soon.

Critique overview from March 31 CCWW

We started with warm-ups. I’ll list them here in case you want to do them at home:

1.      I think I’m a clone now

2.      Board of Education

3.      Alien Rock

4.      A freewrite about anything

Danielle T., Oliver M., Matt Y., Connie W., Richard N. and Ashley T.  shared warm-ups with the group.

I, Nancy B., shared the title of a book I’m reading. It’s called, “Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer” by Roy Peter Clark. Each strategy is followed by three or four writing exercises.

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Ines R. started the session reading a revised third chapter of “Caught,” her WIP. The way in which she connected Alyson and Mae worked well, according to members. Ashley T. then shared a continuation of her story featuring Belle adjusting to her new school. Members complimented Ashley’s descriptions of the dormitory rooms as well as the bluntness she gave another character named Travis. I, Nancy B., then shared a non-fiction piece about roaches. Members said my descriptions of the bugs worked well.

Lori L. then read a continuation of a prompt-based (“What do I do? He’s been there all day!”) story she started last week featuring a character named Eddie. Members complimented her descriptions as well as the powerful writing she included in the first three paragraphs. Lisa C. then read “Dear John,” a prompt-based (“the Dear John letter”) poem. Members complimented every part of Lisa’s poem, especially the “egg-shell walking,” because it applies to many relationships. Oliver M. then read an informative piece sharing how he received official correspondence from the government. He then asked members to interpret the document’s legalese.  

Matt Y. then read a piece featuring William as he reflects on being stabbed by Miriam. Members complimented Matt’s detective-novel style as well as his spot-on descriptions (“blue black hair,” “bleached bones,” etc.). Richard N. then asked Nancy B. to read a revision of chapter one of his first Dodge novel. Richard’s dialogue, pacing and characterization worked well, according to members. Connie W. then read a prompt-based piece (“a world where everything talks”) which is included above. Members appreciated the gentle truths about modern life Connie’s piece shared.

Danielle T. ended the session reading an extremely well-written piece on the significance of 3:00 pm on Good Friday. Members complimented her subject matter, the way she formatted the piece and its thought-provoking nature.

Nice job, everyone!

Links of Interest

54 Web Sites that Pay Writers

If you’re looking to supplement your income by writing, you may want to check out the markets seeking writers on this site.

More here: http://www.freedomwithwriting.com/freedom/uncategorized/54-writing-platforms-that-pay-writers/

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Mash Stories

Looking for a writer-driven place to submit your fiction? Try Mash Stories. (I posted a link to this site on our Facebook page).

More info here:  http://mashstories.com/

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Do you keep a journal?

Connie W. posted a link to this article on our Facebook page. I just wanted to share it here, as it lists many health benefits of keeping a journal.

More here: http://mic.com/articles/110662/science-shows-something-surprising-about-people-who-still-journal

Quote of the week:

“[A deadline is] a potent force that, when wielded with respect, will level any obstacle in its path.”

                                                                                    ~Chris Baty

Prompts for Tuesday, April 7

The first prompt is…the open window. The second prompt is…the spelling bee. 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.

Have a great week!

~Nancy B.