Tuesdays with Story

Writer’s Mail 3/29/2010
by Kimberly Simmons

“It’s a nervous work. The state that you need to write is the state that others are paying large sums to get rid of.” – Shirley Hazzard

Last Week
Only 4 folks showed up on Tuesday, so we didn’t really have a meeting (though we did talk and have a great time!).

Who’s Up Next…

Carol Hornung (Asperger Sunset – same scene as sent for March 23rd)
Terry Hoffman, new story – same scene as sent for March 23rd
Holly Bonnikson-Jones, Coming Up for Air (if her computer recovers)
Jack Frieburger, Path to Bray’s Head

Anyone else who wants to hop on the schedule is welcome!

Nothing Gold Can Stay
by Robert Frost

Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

Math of Publishing Meets the e-Book
by Motoko Rich
Rich dissects the confusing issue of paper vs electronic publishing. The article explains that although the e-books may lower prices and at a glance, seem a cheaper option, it is unrealistic to expect super-low prices for consumers. Lowering their prices by more than 50% would disrupt sales in bookstores such as Borders, Barnes&Noble, and other independents and possibly put them out of business altogether. Lower prices means squeezed margins and a less forgiving environment for first-time authors. At any rate, the business is difficult, pricing is awkward and competition is stiff.

The whole article can be viewed here, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/01/business/media/01ebooks.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1267538403-E4m9rV33N078S2YPeonrSw

Texting, Typo Demons, and 1337
Once, at the Boston Museum of Science, I saw a photo of the Internet. A web of bright lights all strung together by a copper glow, with certain popular hubs (think Google) shining the brightest of all. Into this wide world we step, already weary and footsore. We cross the threshold into the dark abyss, turning page after page, the innocent and the jaded both, watching us watching them.

Language has always shifted and changed with the times. Now it flickers at the speed of type, racing along so fast it is quickly becoming unrecognizable to those who lag behind. An article in Newsweek says teachers and grammar enthusiasts are frightened by the rise in text messaging and abbreviations, believing it to be the moral and literate decline of our generation. Studies, however, prove that children exposed to language in any form develop better literacy rates than those who aren’t, even if it is texting.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/150449
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97700573 (The Gr8 Db8, David Crystal)

Of course, when I was growing up in the 90’s, typos were referred to as ‘demons’ that sabotaged your spelling. Now, WordSpy.com calls them “thumbo n. An error made while using the thumbs to type, particularly on a mobile device keypad. [Blend of thumb and typo.]”

l33t 1s 4 c0mput3r l4ngu4g3 us3d 4lm0st 3xclus1v3ly 1n th3 g33k/n3rd 0nl1n3 c0mmun1ty. wh3n 1t st4rt3d 1sn’t c3rt41n but 133t 1s un1qu3 1n th4t 1t c4nn0t b3 sp0k3n, 0nly typ3d w1th 0dd c0mput3r k3ys 4nd numb3rs. 1t 1s 4 l4ngu4g3 us3d 3xpl1c1tly 1n 0n3 subcultur3, unl1k3 t3xt1ng, 4nd 4lw4ys h4rd t0 r34d f0r b3g1nn3rs. 1n 133t th3r3 1s 4ls0 4 d1st1nct gr4mm4r 4nd s3nt3nc3 structur3 f0r th0s3 wh0 ‘sp34k’ 1t flu3ntly.

(Leet is a computer language used almost exclusively in the geek/nerd online community. When it started isn’t certain but Leet is unique in that it cannot be spoken, only typed with odd computer keys and numbers. It is a language used explicitly in one subculture, unlike texting, and always hard to read for beginners. In Leet there is also a distinct grammar and sentence structure for those who ‘speak’ it fluently.)

The 1337 paragraph was typed in 25% 1337, still including some English letters. I hope you enjoyed this bit on technological advancements. I’m sure there’s more to come, hold onto your hats.

‘Shakespeare’s Lost Play’ No Hoax, says Expert
New evidence that Double Falsehood was, as 18th-century playwright Lewis Theobald claimed, based on Bard’s Cardenio. It has thrills, spills, sword fights, violent sexual assault and – to modern ears – a terrible ending, but the little-known 18th century play Double Falsehood was propelled into the literary limelight today when it was claimed as a lost Shakespeare.
Professor Brean Hammond of Nottingham University will publish compelling new evidence next week that the play, a romantic tragi-comedy by Lewis Theobald is – as the author always maintained it was – substantially based on a real Shakespeare play called Cardenio.
Hammond has been backed in his assertion by the Shakespeare publisher Arden and there are unconfirmed rumours that the play will open at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Swan Theatre in Stratford when the venue reopens after its three-year closure.
The claim represents 10 years of literary detective work by Hammond. “I don’t think you can ever be absolutely 100% but, yes, I am convinced that it is Shakespeare,” he said. “It’s fair to say it’s been something of an obsession. You need to ask my wife but a fair few of my waking hours have been devoted to this subject.”
Theobald’s Double Falsehood, or The Distrest Lovers was first performed in 1727 at the Drury Lane theatre in London, along with the remarkable claim that it was based on Shakespeare’s “lost play” Cardenio, which was first performed in 1613. Theobald claimed to have three original texts of Cardenio.
Double Falsehood went down well with audiences, but it was badly received by expert observers who dismissed Theobald as a hoaxer. Alexander Pope, in particular, was scornful but the two were committed enemies. “Theobald was the author of a volume in 1726 called Shakespeare Restored which was a hatchet job on Pope’s editing of Hamlet,” said Hammond. “In that volume Theobald made it pretty clear that he considered himself superior to Pope.”
The denunciation became accepted as fact: Theobald was little more than a hoaxer, albeit an audacious one. The play then went largely to ground apart from a performance in 1846 when – after the audience shouted “author? author?” – a plaster bust of Shakespeare was brought out. It was laughed off stage.
The play reads like Shakespeare, but reworked Shakespeare. Hammond called Double Falsehood a “flawed play”, adding: “This version of the Shakespeare play has been doctored. Theobald cut out material that he didn’t think appropriate, but this was quite common. Shakespeare was very frequently rewritten in the 17th and 18th centuries.”
The play is much shorter and more bitty than a normal Shakespeare play and there are no long speeches. But there is plenty of action that centres on two men and two women, including an aristocratic villain called Henriquez who ravishes the virtuous young girl Violante. By the end he has repented and is strikingly forgiven by all.
The Arden Shakespeare’s general editor, Richard Proudfoot, said the play was being made accessible for the first time in 250 years. “I think Brean Hammond’s detective work has been superb. He is quite open to the obvious fact that there is an element of speculation, but both of us believe that the balance of doubt lies in favour of its claim being authentic rather than a total fabrication.”
Over the years some 77 plays have been attributed in whole or in part to Shakespeare, about half of them wrongly. There are also plenty of theories and books published claiming Shakespeare’s plays were written by Edward de Vere, Sir Francis Bacon or Christopher Marlowe.
by Mark Brown

NaNoWriMo Script Frenzy!
Just a friendly reminder to all you out there who might be thinking of participating in Script Frenzy this year! Ever wanted to write a script or screenplay? Well now’s your chance! The goal (I think) is 100 pages by the end of April. The fun starts on April 1st, so don’t miss out. Go to http://www.nanowrimo.org for more information.

Annual Writing Competition
For 79 years, the Annual Writer’s Digest Competition has rewarded writers just like you for their finest work. We continue the tradition by giving away more than $30,000 in cash and prizes!
Win a trip to New York City !
GRAND PRIZE: $3,000 cash and a trip to New York City to meet with editors or agents. Writer’s Digest will fly you and a guest to The Big Apple, where you’ll spend three days and two nights in the publishing capital of the world. While you’re there, a Writer’s Digest editor will escort you to meet and share your work with four editors or agents!
Entry Deadline: May 14, 2010.
Add $5 per manuscript or poem to Entry Fee(s) on all entries submitted after May 14.
(Note from Kim: And if you won’t have something ready in time, there’s always next year! ^_^)

http://writersdigest.com/annual <– (Check out these prizes, wow!)

Yet Another Reminder
Since it’s tax season I just wanted to take a time-out to remind everyone of a few things. I had an article during my first week at the newsletter about Tax Tips For Writers. Don’t forget about all the awesome things you can keep track of to get deductions on next year! I know it’s hard to keep track of those receipts and the mileage on your car but I have faith in you. You can do it. Keep writing and stay organized!

5th Tuesday is Tomorrow!
Omigoodness is it Monday already? Don’t forget, 7pm, Booked For Murder. Be there or be…well, we’ll miss you! Bring. Food. Will there be wine openers? I don’t know, let’s find out together.

Notes From the Desk of Kimberly Simmons
As of today, it is done. My boyfriend and I have an accepted offer on a house. We will be moving in June to Fitchburg. I’m looking forward to tackling the ugly evergreen hedges in the front yard with a pair of heavy-duty clippers and planting morning glories under the back trellis. Kenny wants to grow a mango tree. We shall see.
A house! A house! My first house, I’m so excited! I can’t wait! …is it June yet?

A Request
I would like to hear from everyone; what are the habits of a writer? Does she drink coffee? Does he clean the house during a difficult chapter?  Does he listen to music (classical or contemporary? Will things be thrown during the editing process?

Tell me the nitty-gritty bits and the tips for those who need inspiration. I make a playlist of mood-setting songs and cook when I have writer’s block, for example.

The Last Word…
“A book must be an ice-axe to break the seas frozen inside our soul.” ~Franz Kafka