January 19, 2014
Hi, everyone,
What a wonderful start we had to our first Callahan Creative
Writing Workshop (CCWW) of 2014! Fifteen writers met and shared their words at
The Sweet Spot in Callahan.
Thomas E., Jean L.,
James B. and Stephanie G. joined
us. Welcome to all four of you!
In other news, we went to the circus yesterday afternoon
with friends. As I watched each act enter the ring in their colorful costumes,
I wondered if the circus employs a traveling seamstress. What a fun job that
would be! Then I started listing circus-related article ideas I might pitch to
a magazine editor. Fun stuff!
Meanwhile, here’s a recap of our meeting last Tuesday and a
few links of interest.
This week’s warm-up
We started the workshop by choosing a random word from the
green dish and writing about it. Author Ray Bradbury said he often did word association
exercises to generate ideas for stories.
I’ll list a few of the words here in case you want to ‘word
associate’ at home.
Closets Hot Tea Marriage
Lace Watch Diamonds
Calendar Floral Rain
Montana T-shirt Swing
Stapler Spatula Carpet
We then shared a few warm-ups, introduced ourselves, shared
good news and reviewed critique guidelines.
The critiques
Richard N. began
by reading another installment of his novel. Most of the men in the group said
they enjoyed Richard’s descriptions of military uniforms and equipment. Jean L. then read a piece published in
one of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books.
Group members commented on her realistic teacher concerns and her use of
flashback and flash-forward techniques. Thomas
E. then shared a compelling first-person piece about a person waking up in
a hospital. Members commented on his skillful use of sounds (i.e. footsteps) in
the piece.
Cameron S. then
read a first-person piece about Jerry, a cat with issues. Members audibly
chuckled when they learned Jerry had separation anxiety. I, Nancy B., followed by reading a continuation
of a young adult story. Bruno’s “lithp” garnered several positive comments. Connie W. then read the fourth part of
her rope story set in Ireland. Comments complimented Connie’s descriptions, such
as “meanness in his dark eyes” and the ring being passed down from mother to
daughter.
Stephanie G. continued
the session by sharing “Doin’ the Splits,” a piece set in a Callahan ice cream
shop. Members complimented Stephanie’s use of all three prompts as well as the
humor she included. Connie K. then
shared “Emily’s Secrets: Long Saturdays,” a continuation of her ongoing work. Her
piece skillfully showed the effects of an alcoholic father on his wife and
kids. Lisa C. continued by reading a poem about an alarm clock.
Through the use of rhyme and humor, her poem ended with the clock hitting the trash
can on a Saturday morning.
Oliver M. then
shared a piece written to one of the prompts. In his piece, a driver daydreams
about a banana split and a time machine while stopped at a traffic light. Michele N. continued by reading a
continuation of her Jenna and Jackson piece. Her elevator setting and diction
(i.e. “admonished”) worked well, according to group members. James B. then shared a nightmare piece
that turned into a prayer. Members said his realistic vision of being stabbed
worked well.
Robert O. continued
by reading a revised version of his Gabriel Whitewolf story. The view of
homelessness Robert’s piece presented worked well. Kaitlyn S. then read a continuation of her dream collection. Members
commented on the swamp, the amulet and the reappearance of the two Emily’s. Matt Y. ended the session with poetry. His
poem presented history from a different perspective, and it worked very well.
Excellent writing, everyone!
Links of Interest
Interested in freelance writing? I have found it to be a wonderful way to earn income. Here is a link to oodles of writing jobs. More information here: http://www.freelancewriting.com/freelance-writing-jobs.php
Literary writing
Want to find a market for your poems, short stories or plays? Check out this database maintained by Poets and Writers. There are more than 900 publications currently seeking work! More information here: http://www.pw.org/literary_magazines
Writing contests
I love entering contests because they keep hope alive! Maybe you want to enter a contest this month. Here’s a database listing several current writing contests. More information here: http://www.be-a-better-writer.com/creative-writing-contests.html
Information for next
meeting
Our next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 21 at
6:15 p.m. at The Sweet Spot. We looked
into moving back to the library, but their meeting room is unavailable. The two prompts for Tuesday are hurricane and in the teacher’s
lounge. Feel free to write to one or both prompts. Of course, if you’d
rather bring a WIP (work-in-progress), please do.
You’re free to write in any genre (fiction, non-fiction,
poetry, drama, etc.). Please keep pieces to 1500 words or less.
Until Tuesday, happy writing!
~Nancy
P.S. I'm including a couple of photos taken by Stephanie G. Thanks, Stephanie!
