February 2, 2010 by Jerry P.
“There are few things, apparently, more helpful to a writer than having once been a weird little kid.” – Katherine Paterson, Newbery Award-winning author of children’s books
Writing friends…
Apple announces its iPad e-reader, to compete with Amazon’s Kindle, and this past weekend the price war exploded – not between Apple and Amazon, but between book publisher Macmillan and Amazon. The eventual outcome? The end of the $9.99 ebook at the Kindle store.
Maybe. Here’s literary agent Nathan Bransford’s take on all this: http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2010/02/kindle-missile-crisis.html
An additional note . . .
An Associated Press story Monday on how the iPad works included these observations: “Using the iPad’s touch screen to buy books and start reading seems fast compared with the navigation required on Amazon.com Inc.’s Kindle, which you navigate by pushing physical buttons on the device because it has no touch screen. Book covers are displayed on a ‘shelf’ on the screen, and the reader software emulates the look of a paper book. But the iPad has a glossy screen, so it might not be as easy on the eyes as the Kindle and other e-readers, which generally sport electronic ink technology. And it probably won’t be as easy to read outdoors on the iPad.”
At the big B&N . . .
Ten first-and-thirders gathered around the big tables last night to critique flocks of chapters and flitters of poems. Here we go.
Clayton Gill (chapter 9, Fishing Derby) – Clayton wanted to know whether a particular paragraph fit. Pat Edwards had X-ed it out as had others, considered it extraneous material. Cathy Riddle said she let out a shout when she read the section of the story where the fish was caught. She said there should be a cheer here from someone in the crowd. John Schneller said if the fish breaks the line, it will get away even though it’s tired. For drama, he suggested letting the fishing rod break – Miker then grabs the broken end of the rod and hauls the fish in, pulling hand-over-hand on the line.
Amber Boudreau (chapter 7, YA novel) – Pat suggested this would be better as two chapters, chapter “this” in the library and chapter “next” in the cave. “I’m reading a young adult novel now and chapters are short, as short as a page and a half,” she said. Clayton wanted to know what laws work in this “other” world. Kane Walent felt Moira concluded too quickly that the wyvern was friendly. He suggested Amber create a parallel to the scene in “E.T.”, where E.T. is banging around in the closet, and the kids don’t know what’s in there, and they’re frightened of it.
Pat Edwards (3 poems) – “The Koan” . . . Kane remembered Koan as a puzzle to help teach The Way. He wondered whether he was being too literal in looking for a lesson in this poem. Pat didn’t answer, but said she found the quote that inspired her to write the poem on a quote-a-day calendar. . . . “A Practical Application of the Theory of Infinite Possibilities” . . . Millie Mader thought this poem was about an old romance. Pat said it was, a continent away. But there’s the unexpected sighting of the lover two years later. Cathy said she expected an emotional upheaval in the narrator at that moment, but it wasn’t there. . . . “In Front of the Jury” . . . A poem all writers can appreciate, can identify with. “Scary,” said Kane. “Is this a little push back?
Millie Mader (chapter 16, Life on Hold) – Kane felt Millie’s research showed through in her detailed reference to Vatican II decisions. Tone it down, he said. Same with the Vietnam war and protests history. “It distracts from Erin’s drama. The immediate events are what’s important to her.” Jerry Peterson suggested there’s an opportunity for someone to spike the punch at the dance. “Take advantage of it,” he said
Kim Simmons (prelude and chapters 1-4, James Hyde) – Jerry and others asked whose story is this? First it appears to be Naus’s, then The Watcher’s, then Terase’s, then the priest’s. “If it’s James Hyde’s story, we don’t meet him until the middle of chapter 2,” he said. Pat pointed out that the passive voice works in dialogue and thoughts, but not in narrative, that the passive verbs have to be removed from the narrative sections and replaced with active verbs. Clayton liked the fact that trees in this “other” world are character, that they scream when cut, that they choose to rot faster so the humans can’t get much use from the lumber made from them.
Who’s up next . . .
February 16: Clayton Gill (chapter 10, Fishing Derby), Amber Boudreau (chapter 8, YA novel), Kim Simmons (chapters 5-6, James Hyde), Alicia Connolly-Lohr (chapter 32, Lawyer Lincoln), Cathy Riddle (???), and Jerry Peterson (???).
February 23: Terry Hoffman (chapter 1/scene 1, The Journal), Jack Freiburger (chapter, Path To Bray’s Head), Anne Allen (???), Annie Potter (???), Holly Bonnickson-Jones (???), and Carol Hornung (scene, Asperger Sunset).
March 2: Kim Simmons (chapters 7-8, James Hyde), Amber Boudreau (chapter 9, YA novel), Clayton Gill (chapter 11, Fishing Derby), and John Schneller (???).
New editor takes on Writer’s Mail . . .
Pat Edwards will produce the next three issues of Writer’s Mail. Please email her your news, also links to articles about books, writers, writing, and publishing you’d like her to share with our group.
Ready, set, write . . .
Anything can happen in a bookstore after lights-out, so the more mayhem in your Fifth Tuesday writing challenge story – “A Night at the Bookstore” – the better. After all, our March Fifth Tuesday will be held at Booked for Murder.
A poem, an essay, a really really short story – maximum length, 400 words – all are welcome.
Deadline to get your piece to Jerry Peterson is March 22.
New books coming out . . .
From our Kashmira Sheth, her new young adult novel, Boys Without Names, is now out from HarperCollins. You can read the reviews on Kashmira’s website: http://kashmirasheth.typepad.com/ The Madison launch is March 18, 7 p.m., at Barnes & Noble Westside. That’s a Thursday evening. Let’s help pack the place.
New Madison author Joanna Hunter’s book, But He’ll Change: End the Thinking That Keeps You in an Abusive Relationship, comes out March 3 from Hazelden Press. You can read a synopsis of the book at Hazelden.org/bookstore and Barnes & Noble’s and Amazon’s websites. An interview with Hunter will be part of a segment on domestic violence to be broadcast on WKOW-TV on March 4, at 10 p.m. Brava Magazine has a story with Hunter in its current issue.
Great word . . .
A discussion last night of Millie Mader chapter, in which she had Sister Mary Rose “get out of the habit” – that is, dress in more normal street clothes and sensible shoes – caused several to wonder whether there were any Catholic orders that still require their nuns to wear the traditional habit.
The Discalced Carmelites do. This is a contemplative order, called Discalced because its members either wear sandals – the footwear of the poor – or go barefoot. The nearest group of Discalced to us is the group of Carmelites who staff and manage Holy Hill Basilica northwest of Milwaukee.
Discalced: adjective (of a friar or nun), barefoot or wearing sandals. From Latin discalceatus (as DIS-, calceatus from calceus ‘shoe’). – Oxford English Dictionary
The last word . . .
J.D. Salinger (1919-2010): “There’s no more to Holden Caulfield. Read the book again. It’s all there.”
Tuesdays with Story 
Leave a Reply