Recap of Oct. 13 and Oct. 20 Sessions

 November 9, 2015

Hello, writers,

It’s hard to believe we’re already into the month of November!  

Beginning on October 13 and running through November 17, our second session is shaping up to be full of delightful words and witticisms from our participants. 

Below, you’ll see recaps from October 13 and October 20 respectively. I’ll post recaps of the October 27 and November 3 sessions soon.  

Recap of October 13 CCWW

After Richard N., Matt Y., Connie W. and Danielle T. read their war-ups, we started our critique session.

Matt Y. began by reading a prompt-based piece (sibling rivalry) featuring a father and a son talking about pride. Members said his piece had excellent dialogue and characterization. Richard N. then shared “At the Noble Lodge Altar,” which is part of his second Dodge novel.  His characterization of Malphas and Pike worked well, according to members. Ines R. then shared chapter 6 of “Waves,” her mermaid piece. Her descriptions of the hospital and her characters worked well, members said.

Connie W. then read another “Hemp Rope” piece in which Aiden, now 16, has gained Leary’s favor. Members said her conflict worked well as did her descriptions. Cameron S. then read a visceral first-person piece about sinking into darkness.  Members said the emotions in her piece worked well. Danielle T. then shared a piece about teaching a Sunday school class of older ladies. Members complimented her syntax and the realism of her piece. 

I, Nancy B., then shared another installment of my dictionary story. Members said the human attributes of the droid worked well.  Irina R. finished the session sharing more of her WIP. Members said Irina created excellent action sequences.

Great work, everyone!

Recap of October 20 CCWW

I, Nancy B., began the session reading another chapter of my WIP. Members complimented my use of figurative language (i.e. “angry chorus of chainsaws” ). Ruth A. then read “The Halloween Cowgirls,” a piece featuring the Halloween adventures of two sisters. Members complimented Ruth’s descriptions and the quality of her story. Richard N. then shared a continuation of his second book. Members complimented the scene where Monty decides to respond to God’s call. 

Elaine H. then read a continuation of her WIP. Members were delighted by the budding romance between Young Wolf and White Dove, and they complimented Elaine’s vivid descriptions (i.e. “flames raking the sky”). Cameron S. then read “Plans, Plans, Plans,” a humorous piece about a teen named Dylan. Members complimented her conversations and subject matter. Irina R. then read a continuation of her WIP. Members loved her descriptions (i.e. “windows became shaded yellow”) and the flow of her story.

Ines R. then shared a piece featuring Stella and Richard. Members were delighted and shocked when Stella shot Richard! Ashley T. then read more of her fan fiction based on “The Mortal Instruments.” Members complimented her dialogue and the balance of narration and description.  Lisa C. then shared “The Not So Wicked Step-Mother,” a humorous poem. 

Members loved the subject of her piece as well as her clever rhymes (i.e. “slime/time”). Lori L. then read a piece featuring a person who hit a rabbit with her car. Members complimented the flow of her piece as well as the use of the rabbit as a symbol of hope.

Excellent job, everyone!

Upcoming Prompts

  November 10 – Dandelions

  November 17 – the Taj Mahal

Links of Interest

I’ll send several links in an e-mail soon. 

Quote of the Week

“I can’t write five words but that I change seven.”

                                                                ~Dorothy Parker

Until Tuesday night, happy writing!

~Nancy B.

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.

Recap of September 1 and (corrected) September 8 CCWW Sessions

September 28, 2015

Hello, writers,

Our third and fourth workshops of the first fall session were held Tuesday, Sept. 1, and Tuesday, Sept. 8, respectively at the Callahan Branch Library.

Below you’ll find a listing of community events, a recap of our third and fourth sessions and some links of interest to writers.

Community Happenings

Family Game Night – at the Callahan Branch Library on Tuesday, October 6, from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. Bring your own games or use the library’s games. More here: http://nassaureads.com/events/

Genealogy After Hours – Research your family history at the Callahan Branch Library on Tuesdays from August 18 until October 27 from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. West Nassau Genealogy Society experts will be available to help you. http://nassaureads.com/events/

Saturday Night Life (SNL)  - A non-traditional way to do church. SNL meets every Saturday evening at 6:30pm at inside the Family Life Center at First Baptist Church of Callahan. http://www.callahanfbc.org/saturday-night-life/

Critique overview from September 1 CCWW

Cameron S., Matt Y. and Connie W. shared warm-ups.

Elaine H. then started the critique session by reading a continuation of her young adult novel. Members complimented the connection she created between the grandmother and White Dove and Magnolia as well as her vivid descriptions of the Florida swamp. Connie W. then shared a prompt-based piece (nail salon and furniture store) featuring a woman named Peggy reflecting on her day. Members praised her descriptions and the flow of her piece.

Matt Y. then read a continuation of his story featuring Theodore, Toby, Frank and Catfish. Members said his use of dialogue and his visual writing worked well and reminded them of Guy Noir! Cameron S. then shared a chronological account of the days following a break-up. Members complimented Cameron’s writing, especially phrases like “my spine is nothing but an icicle.”

Danielle T. then read a continuation of her piece featuring Mary Lou and Michael’s break-up. Members commented on her powerful descriptions and powerful shift in points of view. Ashley T. then read a continuation of her story featuring Julie and Mason. Members really connected to her bridge image with its powerful symbolism. I, Nancy B., then read “The Quieters,” a short piece about a man who goes to a meeting where people go to enjoy the quiet. Members complimented my use of the phrase “oral pollution.”

Irina R. then shared a continuation of her sci-fi speculative fiction. Members really enjoyed the descriptions of the weapons Emily creates as well as the futuristic setting of the piece. Ines R. then read chapter two of “Cotton.” Members complimented Ines’s characterization of Hannah and Andrew and the dramatic nature of her piece.

Lisa C. then read “The Struggle,” a poem about good versus evil. Lisa’s rhymes and her whole piece worked well, according to members. Butch K. then read a memoir about moving from the Arlington area of Jacksonville to Callahan. Members enjoyed the sense of suspense he used in writing about leaving his wallet on the counter of Subway.

Great work, everyone!

Critique overview from September 8 CCWW (corrected on 10/5)

Irina R. began the session by reading a continuation of her futuristic saga featuring Blake and Emily. Members complimented Irina’s characterization and the flow of her piece. Lisa C. then read “The Pot and the Kettle,” an older piece featuring married couple, Margaret and Henry. Members ooh’ed and aah’ed over Lisa’s realistic dialogue and spot-on marital situations. Lori L. then shared another installment of her Eddie story. Members commented on how well the ending worked.

Danielle T. continued the session by reading a continuation of her piece about a family. Members complimented Danielle’s descriptions, such as “felt detached yet strangely aware of himself” about Michael. Michele N. then shared one of her personal journal entries. Members complimented her honesty and her willingness to share her piece. Connie W. then read another “Hemp Rope” piece which also tied into the “tyranny” prompt. Members praised Connie’s characterization and her development of the relationship between Caleb and his mother.

Ines R. then shared chapters one and two of “Waves,” a new piece featuring mermaids. Members lauded her descriptions, such as “assassin stones” and “freckled nose.” Cameron S. then read a piece featuring a conversation between two teens. Members connected to the way Cameron conveyed a feeling of smallness and the phrase, “I’m just a raindrop in a hurricane.” Ashley T. then shared chapter three of her ongoing piece featuring Julie and Mason. Members enjoyed learning more about Julie as she turns up pregnant, a victim of rape.

I, Nancy B., then shared chapter six of my WIP. Members said my characterization of Lars worked well. Danielle C. completed the session by reading a prompt-based (“graveyard shift”) piece. Members complimented her phrasing, especially “warm hug to a chilled soul.”

Great work, everyone!

Quote of the week:

“A great writer reveals the truth even when he or she does not wish to.”

                                                                                                ~Tom Bissell

Dates for Session 2

Session 2 will begin Tuesday, October 13 and run through Tuesday, November 17. Please watch your e-mail for prompts.

Have a great week!

~Nancy B.