Recaps of Sept. 15 and Sept. 22 CCWW Sessions

October 5, 2015

Hello, writers,

We had wonderful CCWW sessions on Tuesday, Sept. 15 and Tuesday, Sept. 22. Below, you’ll see recaps of these two sessions respectively.

Last week, I posted a recap of what I thought was the Sept. 8 session. In reality, I posted the recap of the Sept. 15 session but mislabeled it the Sept. 8 session. Please forgive my mistake. I have corrected the blog post with the Sept. 8 recap.

Without further ado, here are the recaps of our last two workshops during our first fall session.

Recap of September 15 CCWW

Ines R. started the session with the third chapter of her mermaid piece. Members complimented her descriptions (“her voice strangled by sorrow” and “the wisdom of the ocean”) as well as the balance she achieved between narration and dialogue. Elaine H. then read a continuation of her young adult novel. Members really enjoyed her descriptions (“skin the color of rich cream”) as well as the historical context of the piece. Irina R. then shared a continuation of her sci-fi speculative fiction piece. Members complimented Irina’s pacing because it kept readers/listeners engaged.

Connie W. then read another segment of her “Hemp Rope” piece. Members complimented her characterization of Joshua and Mr. Rice as well as her use of the peach metaphor. Danielle T. then shared a prompt-based poem (“engaged”). Members enjoyed her tips on how to have a successful marriage! I, Nancy B., then shared a continuation of my dictionary story. Members said my descriptions and characterization worked well. 

Ashley T. then shared chapter 4 of her ongoing story featuring Julie and Mason. Members complimented her plot and her settings. Lisa C. then read a prompt-based poem (lemons). As usual, members loved her poem and complimented the whole piece!

Excellent work, everyone!

Recap of September 22 CCWW

Danielle T. and Irina R. read their warm-ups. Elaine H. brought information from a workshop on how to craft compelling scenes.

Richard N. began the session by reading a piece from his freewrite. Members enjoyed hearing about his protagonist who was in jail. Michele N. then read a short piece from her ongoing story featuring Scotty and Courtney. Members praised her “motorcycle” as a “metaphor for change” as well as her characterization of Courtney. Elaine H. then shared the beginning of chapter five in her WIP. Members complimented her descriptions and her personification (“the river smiled”) used throughout the piece. 

Connie W. then read another installment of her “Hemp Rope” work. Members complimented her descriptions of roads, bricks and houses as well as her excellent pacing. Ines R. then shared a continuation of her mermaid piece. Members praised her descriptions (“bottle green eyes”) and her excellent dialogue. Butch K. then read a piece about motorcycles. Members loved his story-telling ability as swell as the authenticity of his piece. 

Danielle C. then read a clever prompt-based (“study hall”) piece. Her use of stream-of-consciousness looping from study hall to pencil to heart to sorrow to mind and then back to study hall worked well, according to members. Irina R. then read a continuation of her sci-fi/fantasy piece. Her fight scene including lots of good suspense worked, members said. Lori L. then shared a continuation of her Eddie story. Members complimented Lori’s introduction of Annie, Eddie’s sister, and agreed it was an excellent story.

Ashely T. then shared a continuation of her WIP. Members enjoyed the characterization of Abby, another girl who attends Julie’s class for unwed mothers. I, Nancy B., then read a continuation of my WIP. Members said it worked to give the droid a mind of its own. Cameron S. then read a poem. Her piece was very believable with its rag-doll image, members said. Lisa C. ended the session by reading a prompt-based (“study hall”) poem. Members complimented her wonderful rhymes and her clever use of words. 

Superb writing, y’all!

Fall Session Two Begins Tuesday, October 13

We are all looking forward to the beginning of our next session on October 13. I will e-mail you the list of those who have made a reservation to attend the session.

Meanwhile, here is a list of the prompts for next session:

  October 13 – Sibling rivalry

  October 20 – Origami

  October 27 – “Out of the frying pan into the fire”

  November 3 – Opera

  November 10 – Dandelions

  November 17 – the Taj Mahal

Links of Interest

I’ve been saving wonderful links for you. I’ll share some in a blog post soon and share others next week when we start Session Two.

Quote of the Week

“People do not deserve to have good writing; they are so pleased with bad.”

                                                                                                                ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Until next week, keep writing! 

~Nancy B.