November 11, 2013
Hello, writers,
Happy Veteran’s Day! Thank
you to all veterans who have served our country.
I hope your writing is going
well. Over the last few days, I’ve been reading more than writing. Because I’m
subbing right now for high school English classes, I’m re-reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Scarlet
Letter and Silas Marner. I read
the Twain and Hawthorne books when I was in school, but I’ve never read Silas Marner. I’m enjoying all three of
them!
Meanwhile, here’s the recap
of Tuesday’s writing workshop, complete with a warm-up, an overview of our
critique session, links of interest and prompts for next time. There’s also
information on our holiday party.
Warm-up
We started the workshop with
a choice of warm-ups. Then, we wrote for 10 minutes. Here the are:
1. Describe the room of one
of the following: a high school student about to drop out; a cashier who has just won the lottery; a faded movie
star who still thinks she's famous;
a paranoid person, etc. Be as detailed as possible.
2. Describe a routine or holiday
ritual, using present tense verbs.
3. Describe a “first”
(first apartment, first kiss, first time driving a car, first lie, first big success, first roller
coaster ride, first time in this setting). Include
as many details as possible, being sure to include an aspect relating to each of the five senses.
~Source:
Warren Wilson College
A few of us shared our warm-ups.
We then introduced ourselves, shared good news and started our critique
session.
Critique overview
Robert O. began
the session by circling back to an older story featuring Hiro and Graytail. His
characterization worked well, according to many members. Connie W. continued by reading a holiday story set on the
Israeli/Palestinian border. The romantic interest between Rachael and Kamal
worked well. Lisa C. then shared “Neutral
Ned,” a poem about an indecisive fence-sitter. Members said her poem could be a
good way to share ‘life advice’ with teenagers.
I, Nancy B., continued
the session by reading an excerpt of a story. Members said they enjoyed laughing
at the boy’s mother who just learned to text. Judy M. then shared a continuation of her story featuring Luca. Her
piece offered vivid descriptions and suspense as the boys prepare for their
voyage. Richard N. continued by
sharing a continuation of his novel. In this section, three college-aged
cheerleaders go to a university clinic and find out about birth control.
Kaitlyn then
read a continuation of her dream story. In this section, the girl’s basement
turned into long corridors. Cameron L. ended
the session by reading a piece in which Jack, an 8th grader, figures
out his neighbor is being abused. Her use of description worked well.
Great writing, everyone!
Links of Interest
Local short story contest
The Florida Times-Union is running a holiday story contest. There are several
categories of winners, and the prizes are great.
Read more here:
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Glimmer Train
Glimmer
Train is
always accepting writing for upcoming publications. There is a fee involved,
but the magazine is well regarded. .
Read more about how to submit writing here:
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Sonnet award
Last year, several of us wrote sonnets. Here’s a
contest just for the sonnet!
Read more here:
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Prompts for Tuesday, November 12
There are two prompts for
next time. The first is gnome. The
second is…at the symphony.
You’re free to use one or
both prompts for next Tuesday, or you can share a WIP (work-in-progress). Please
keep pieces 1500 words or less.
Holiday Party
Our CCWW holiday party will
be held Tuesday, December 3 at our house from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. I’ll prepare
a main dish. We passed around a sign-up sheet for side items, drinks and
desserts. Hope you’ll plan to come and bring a holiday-inspired piece of
writing.
Have a wonderful week!
~Nancy B.
