March 8, 2016
Hello, writers,
We are looking forward to the
start of our second spring session tomorrow night, March 8, at 6:15 p.m. inside
the Callahan Branch Library. Will you be
there? We hope so!
Several of our members will
be involved with a school performance at SCA, but many of us will be at the first
session.
We are fortunate to have
co-moderator, Michele N., leading the
new session. She is such a gifted writer and leader.
Prompts for this new session
are listed below.
Without further ado, please
find the recaps from our February sessions below. The February 9 session was cancelled due to
cold weather and multiple events going on at the Callahan Branch Library.
Recap of February 2 CCWW
We began the session introducing
prompts for the warm-up. After Connie W (“I
was born…”), Cameron S. (“the most beautiful smile”, Irina R.(“I was born…”),
Danielle T.(“I was born…”), and
Richard N. (“the most beautiful smile),” read their war-ups, we started our
critique session. The warm-ups, in case you’d like to use them at home, were:
*Write about nature. Include the following words:
hard drive, stapler, phone, car, billboard.
*Write about one (or both) of
your parents. Start with “I was born…”
*The most beautiful smile I ever
saw…
*A freewrite about anything
Source:
writingforward.com
Connie W. started
us off by reading an autobiographical piece about Prairie Dog Records and
Tapes. Her piece, set in Aberdeen,
Kansas, offered an authentic historical feel, according to members. Michele N. then read “Southern
Hospitality,” a prompt-based thought poem. Members loved her imagery and
phrasing. Ashley T. then read a
continuation of her ranger story. Members complimented her descriptions,
especially of the forest.
Irina R. then
shared a piece featuring characters named Melody, Ivan and Douglas. Her line, “My
sister is in therapy because of me” resonated with members. Cameron S. then read a continuation of
her psychiatric ward piece. Members complimented her powerful theme and vivid
descriptions. Ines R. then read chapter
nine of her WIP (work-in-progress). Members commented positively on her lyrical
writing (such as “the fresh wind coming from the terrace caught me by surprise
rearranging my thoughts and my posture”).
Elaine H. then
shared “Great Ape,” a poem. Members adored her poem, especially the line, “I
gave you respect; you gave me a Jane Goodall moment.” Richard N. then read a revised part of his second Dodge. Members
complimented his sentence variety and the budding relationship between Vikkie
and Dodge. Danielle T. then shared a piece about Lester, who goes to the gym
wearing fleece pants. Members complimented the true-to-life feel of her piece
brought about by her vivid details.
Ruth A. then
read “Marsha Mayfield,” a piece about a character with the same name. Ruth’s
piece, with its suspenseful slow revelations, worked very well. Lisa C. then read “Southern Belle,” a
prompt-based poem. Members complimented her clever rhymes and the piece as a
whole. I, Nancy B., ended the session
by reading a prompt-based poem about Jell-O. My poem’s humor and voice worked,
according to members.
Excellent writing, everyone!
Recap of February 16 CCWW
I will recap this session
soon.
Prompts for this Session
March 8 – “the paisley tie”
or “lollipops”
March 15 – “making mountains
out of molehills” or “spring training” or “spring cleaning”
March 22 – “memories of past
Easters” or “boarding school”
March 29 – “pudding” or “chewing
gum”
April 5 – “Maine” or “lumber
mills”
April 12 – “the blue silk
scarf” or “Dr. Seuss”
Links of Interest (I’ll keep the same ones here for
another week)
1.
Writers and
Editors Annual Writing Contest (for poetry, nonfiction and fiction)
Deadline:
March 15, 2016
2.
American
Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW)
With low
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
“I hope someday to write
something worth plagiarizing.”
~Author
unknown
Hope to see you tonight!
~Nancy B.
