January 27, 2016
Hello, writers,
I don’t know about you, but I
really enjoyed our CCWW Celebration at Ines
R.’s house on January 12. I loved hearing everyone share his or her
favorite book or book series. Thank you
for hosting us, Ines R. and Irina R.
I was not at the January 19
session at the Callahan Branch Library, so I do not have notes to write a
recap. I was, however, in attendance last night (January 26), and I thought everyone
shared powerful pieces. The recap is below.
Meanwhile, if any of you are
interested in serving as judges, please let me know. We currently need judges
for a formal academic debate in February, a writing contest in April and a
Reading Fair in April. Some of you have already spoken to me about this. If you’d
like to judge, just shoot me an e-mail, a Facebook message or give me a call.
And now, without further ado,
is our recap.
Recap of January 26 CCWW
As moderator, Lisa C. began the session introducing
prompts for the warm-up. After Connie W.,
Matt Y., Richard N. and Danielle T. read
their war-ups, we started our critique session. The warm-ups, in case you’d
like to write something at home, were:
1.
Wrinkles
2.
Shoestrings
3.
“In sickness and
in health….”
4.
Freewrite
Irina R. began
the session by reading a fiction piece featuring her character, Zoe, receiving
a phone call. Members complimented Irina’s descriptive phrasing, such as “felt
a bit flimsy” and “drumming on the steering wheel.” Lisa C. then read a prompt-based poem (“the clumsy ballerina”)
about a clumsy ballerina. Not only was Lisa’s poem humorous, but as usual, her
rhymes (such as halt/fault) worked really well. I, Nancy B., then read “Knitted in Love,” a piece I wrote to a prompt
I can’t remember. Members complimented some of my phrases, such as “the mixture
of bleach and air freshener” and “unresolved chord.”
Danielle T. then
read a continuation of her story featuring Mary Lou, who decided to leave her
husband. Members complimented many things about Danielle’s piece, but
especially her use of strong imagery, such as “cracked orange vinyl” and “greasy
hand prints left by a toddler.” Michele
N. (a.k.a. Princess Buttercup) read her freewrite about wrinkles. Members
loved her “time marching across your face” tribute to the movie “Steel
Magnolias” and her honest response to seeing her age in print on the back of a
race number. Cameron S. then shared an autobiographical piece about a recent
hospitalization. Members complimented her descriptions, such as the “blue
napkin” of a hospital gown and her powerful descriptions of the hospital
itself.
Connie W. then
read a prompt-based piece (“the clumsy ballerina”) featuring Debbie, an 18
year-old ballerina who got a part (possibly through her mayor-father’s
connections) in “The Nutcracker.” Members said Connie’s connection to the
hippos in “Fantasia” and her descriptions of Debbie as a “cookie-loving
daughter” worked well. Ines R. (a.k.a.
Mermaid) then read chapter nine of one of her WIPs featuring Alyson and
Frank being reunited on a rainy evening. Members complimented Ines’s beautiful,
flowing prose, such as “all races have a finish line” and “the sky settled into
forced night.” Ashley T. then shared
the second part of a new WIP featuring Ravenwood, William and Bruno. Members
absolutely loved this piece from characters and setting to descriptions and
plot!
Richard N. then
shared a continuation of his WIP featuring Monty. Members complimented Richard’s
syntax, his thoughtful use of the word “prison,” and his creation of suspense throughout
the piece. Ruth A. finished the evening’s session by reading a prompt-based
piece (“the cookie jar) on her grandmother’s cookie jar. Members complimented
Ruth’s use of a simple item, a cookie jar, to bring honor to the person who
owned it.
Excellent writing, everyone!
Picture of the Week
Prompts for this Session
January 19 – “what the Jell-O
said”
January 26 – “the clumsy
ballerina” or “the cookie jar”
February 2 – “the color wheel”
or “Southern hospitality”
February 9 – “the nose job”
or “stationery”
February 16 – “sirens” or “cold
medicine”
Links of Interest
1.
Writers and
Editors Annual Writing Contest (for poetry, nonfiction and fiction)
Deadline: March
15, 2016
Please click here
for more information.
2.
American
Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW)
For a reasonable annual fee, members can access critique groups, contests, writing classes and more.
Please click here for more information.
3.
Fiction Writing
Contests from About.com
If you’re looking for a place to enter your fiction,
you might want to click here
for several upcoming contests
with March deadlines.
Quote of the Week
“A professional writer is an
amateur who didn’t quit.”
~Richard
Bach
Until next week, happy
writing!
~Nancy B.
