Tuesdays with Story

Writer’s Mail
9-04-31

September 3rd Meeting for 1st and 3rd Group
Lisa McDougal read from chapter 6 from Tebow Family Secret. Ruth commented that the dialogue was great and that the story flowed. Betsy found Adam’s discussion of the details surrounding his wife’s disappearance intriguing. Jerry commented that the reference that Jessica makes about her New Jersey accent needs to be spelled out so that the reader can “hear” it. He also suggested that the beginning of the chapter could be shortened. Lisa said that she didn’t like the ending of the chapter. Betsy suggested that she cut the last line. The rest of the group made suggestions that Jessica could just shrug, not making any response to Adam’s abrupt order to refrain from bringing up his wife’s disappearance in the future. Judith suggested that Jessica could just change the subject. Amber suggested that she could bring up something that happened earlier in the chapter.

Millie Mader read chapter 46 from Life On Hold . Andy and Lisa both felt that Scot’s last comment saying he wouldn’t be coming home for Christmas, could be more compelling if he gives the reason. Jerry suggested that Scot could say “That is going to be a problem”. There was also a discussion as to whether chemo was given as a shot or a drip at the time. Millie said it would be a drip and that shots of other medication were also administered. Andy mentioned that the conversation at the end between Erin and Dolly should have a smoother transition between discussion on Danny’s overdose and their anticipation about going back to school.

Ruth Imhoff read chapter 4 from Motto of the Hound. Jerry commented that FBI Agent Williams would need to get permission from the local police to do anything on the case. Ruth explained that Agent Williams is the “bad” guy. The group asked Ruth about Blackfan’s strange reaction after the phone conversation with Agent Williams. She explained that Williams uses hypnotic suggestions to influence the behavior of people who may disagree with him. The other question raised by the group was the reason Blackfan was unaware that Simon, who has been his partner of five years, was formerly an FBI agent. Jerry suggested that Blackfan should question Simon more about her that.

Judith McNeil read from chapters 4 & 5, My Mother, Savior of Men. Andy wanted more information on circumstances surrounding Marie’s release from jail. He found some parts heavy on the information, liked the conversations. Group corrected spelling of “subletter”. Bob liked the May’s personality description. Jerry suggested ending the chapter with Marie’s comment about forgetting she was not a free woman.

Amber Boudreau read from chapter 19 of Noble. The group liked the chapter . Jerry liked the mirror image of Zephyr and Ansel eyeing each other. He also commented that this is chapter 19, but the real action has not begun yet. He wondered that a young audience might get impatient for action to begin. Amber agreed. They talked about having the story possibly divided into three books. Everyone liked the ending with the cliffhanger of Moira having to tell her mother about her dragon activities. Betsy liked the tone – it sounds like fun.

Jerry Peterson read from chapters 5 & 6 of Capitol Crimes. Amber noted that the crooked judge was a little too good at playing crooked. Betsy loved the dialogue. Judith asked about the significance of the Jack of Spades card. Jerry informed us that it was a calling card, like an ID. Bob talked about the client cigar as a prop that ties the scene together. Millie asked if the action with the booze running will lead back to the murdered family in the beginning of the book and Jerry assured her that it did. Andy and Judith loved the chapters.

Who’s up next . . .
September 10: Carol Hornung (scene, Ghost of Heffron College), Gary (chapter, novel), Kristin (short story), and Ruth Imhoff (chapter 2.5, Motto of the Hound).

September 17: Lisa McDougal (chapter, Tebow Family Secret), Betsy Draine (chapter 1, Twins: A Love Story), Bob Kralapp (???), Andy Pfeiffer (novella/part 3, Pilleum), Pat Edwards (poems), and Jerry Peterson (chapters 5-6, Capitol Crimes).

September 24: Holly Bonnicksen-Jones (chapter 1, Coming Up for Air), and Katelin Cummins (chapter 1, Battle of Sista).

October 1: Lisa McDougal (chapter, Tebow Family Secret), Alicia Connolly-Lohr (???), Aaron Boehm (???), Millie Mader (chapter 47, Life on Hold), Ruth Imhoff (chapter, Motto of the Hound), and Amber Boudreau (chapter 20, Noble).

Two dates at Mystery To Me . . .
We will gather at Joanne Berg’s Mystery To Me Bookstore on November 5 for a delayed Fifth Tuesday. Second-and-fourth hosts. This is a potluck event, so (1) block off the date on your calendar and (2) plan what you are going to bring for the food table.

We will be back at Mystery to Me the week following, on November 14, for a writers slam that will feature exclusively TWS writers. Here’s who’s signed up and the presentation times assigned to them: Lisa McDougal (6:30), Alicia Connolly-Lohr (6:45), Millie Mader (7:00), Carol Hornung (7:15), Kashmira Sheth (7:45), Terry Hoffman (8:00), Bob Kralapp (8:15), and Pat Edwards (8:30).

Great words . . .
From Wordsmith Anu Garg: Now is the time to visit the rogues’ gallery from fiction. We’ll see a killer, a maimer, a seducer, a petrifier, and an evil scientist.

Bluebeard
PRONUNCIATION: (BLOO-beerd)
MEANING: noun: A man who marries and kills one wife after another.
ETYMOLOGY:
After Bluebeard, nickname of Raoul, the blue-bearded main character in a fairy tale by Charles Perrault (1628-1703). In the story, Bluebeard’s wife finds the bodies of his previous wives in a room she was forbidden to enter. The feminine equivalent of the word could be black widow. Earliest documented use: 1795.

USAGE:“I’d always considered you more of a monk than a Bluebeard. This new pattern is somewhat a concern.”
– Cathy Maxwell; Treasured Vows; Avon; 2004.

Procrustes
PRONUNCIATION: (pro-KRUS-teez)
MEANING: noun: A person imposing conformity without concern for individuality.

ETYMOLOGY:
After Procrustes, a giant in Greek mythology, who stretched or cut his victims to make them fit his bed. He was killed by Theseus. From Greek Procroustes (stretcher). The word is more often used in its adjective form procrustean. Earliest documented use: 1581.
USAGE:“But is not almost every man a Procrustes? We have not the power of showing our cruelty exactly in the same method, but actuated by the like spirit, we abridge of their liberty, and torment by scorn, all who either fall short, or exceed the usual standard.”
– Sarah Scott; Millennium Hall; Broadview Press; 1995.

siren
PRONUNCIATION: (SY-ruhn)
MEANING: noun:
1. A beautiful and seductive woman, especially one leading others into disaster.
2. Something attractive that is potentially disastrous.
3. A device that makes loud sounds, used for warning signals.

ETYMOLOGY:
After Siren, one of a group of sea nymphs, whose enchanting singing lured sailors to shipwreck on the rocks around their island. Also see femme fatale. Earliest documented use: 1340.

USAGE:
“That woman is a siren of cooking. She calls a man’s soul through his stomach.”
– Ariana Franklin; Mistress of the Art of Death; Penguin; 2007.

“In the mid-17th century Russians first heard its [The Amur River, bordering Russia and China] siren song and appeared on its banks, drawn by greed and fantasy.”
– The Amur’s Siren Song; The Economist (London, UK); Dec 17, 2009.

gorgon
PRONUNCIATION: (GOR-guhn)
MEANING: noun: An ugly, repulsive, or terrifying woman.
ETYMOLOGY:
After Gorgon, any of the three monstrous sisters Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa in Greek mythology, who had snakes for hair. They turned into stone anyone who looked into their eyes. From Greek gorgos (dreadful). Earliest documented use: 1398.
USAGE:
“Without warning, she fell to the floor in labor pains, screaming like a gorgon.”– Douglas Coupland; Miss Wyoming; Random House; 2000.

Dr. Strangelove
PRONUNCIATION: (DOK-tuhr STRAYNJ-luv)
MEANING: noun: Someone who is reckless about the use of weapons such as nuclear bombs.

ETYMOLOGY:
After Dr. Strangelove, title character of the 1963 film directed by Stanley Kubrick. Strangelove, a former Nazi, is a nuclear expert and adviser to the president. Earliest documented use: 1968.

USAGE:“In both the world of new science and that of quick-fix military technology we need, more than ever, to be on perpetual guard against the Dr. Strangeloves of the future.”
– Dr. J Richardson; War Science and Terrorism; Frank Cass; 2002.

On the business of editing . . .
Reed Farrel Coleman has published 14 novels, and he teaches creative writing at Hofstra University, so he knows our business well. Says he, writers as editors of their own work tend to break into two groups, the Spewers and the Write-itors. Here’s his explanation:

Just as writers usually break down into two categories – Pantzers (writers who work without an outline) and Outliners – there is a similar phenomenon when it comes to editing. There are Spewers (writers who must get the entire manuscript written before looking back to edit) and Write-itors (writers who write-edit-write-edit-write and so on).

Just as with the Outliner/Pantzer dichotomy, there are advantages to both the Spewer and Write-itor approaches. Spewing allows the writers to get his or her work out there and done with. They feel compelled to move forward with their project. This makes for great momentum and helps the writer avoid all those nasty mental games we play with ourselves.

I’m a Write-itor. I write a certain number of pages in the morning, reread and edit them in the afternoon, and do the same in the evening. The next day, I begin the day by rereading the edited work of the previous day. It’s like getting a running start. It helps with continuity and establishing a strong base for the project I’m working on.

It is said that Hemingway reread whatever he was working on from page one every single day. I know that Daniel Woodrell (Winter’s Bone) does this as well. It helps the writer become extremely familiar with his or her work. Not only does it help with continuity, but it helps with pacing and rhythm as well.

I do a limited version of the Hemingway/Woodrell method. Until I get to page 50, I reread the project from page one every day. Once I get to page 50, I feel I have a solid base. Then I reread the previous day’s edited writing. I have published 14 novels and usually do one draft. Of course, the catch is that that one draft has been edited hundreds of times.

The strange public intimacy of social media . . .
From YA author and blogger Nathan Bransford:

Social media is a strange medium. You are staring at a computer or a mobile device when you post and tweet. By its very nature you are not engaging with another human. You are sending messages to an unknown number of recipients you can vaguely imagine but can’t really identify.

The result of that communication can alternately feel like shouting into a quiet forest or a very loud, crowded room. And yet, because it’s so public and so immediate, there are moments when tweets and Facebook posts can feel shockingly intimate.

The latter kind was on display when an NPR host [Scott Simon] live-tweeted his mother’s death.

Read the full post at http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2013/08/the-strange-public-intimacy-of-social.html

From Poets and Writers about entering writing contests:
5 Questions Before You Submit

1. Are there any trends in the work of past winners that speak to your writing?
2. Do the design and distribution of the sponsoring organization’s previous publications fit with your vision of your work?
3. Do you feel a connection with the judge’s approach to writing?
4. Does the contest follow the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses’ Contest Code of Ethics or espouse some acceptable variation of it?
5. Is the entry fee commensurate with the potential rewards (cash prize, publication, exposure)?

Writing Contest
The writing contest is not really a contest but a chance to be published in UW-Madison Continuing Studies’ Midwest Prairie Review (http://continuingstudies.wisc.edu/lsa/writing/mpr.htm). This is for fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and artwork including photography. There is no fee for submissions. I’ve included more information at the end of this email.

My online writing class is also offered through UW-Madison Continuing Studies:

The Edge of Your Seat: A Cliffhanger How-To
Make every one of your chapters, scenes, paragraphs, and first and last lines resonate with the magic of “cliffhanger” energy. In this four unit online course we cover: understanding the elements of a cliffhanger; cliffhanger techniques; the most important cliffhanger—the first line; story arc; and endings. Option 1 ($95) includes instructor feedback and answers to your questions. Option 2 ($135) includes a critique of your writing up to 20 double-spaced pages.

You can register any time after September 1st, 2013. To register: continuingstudies.wisc.edu/catalog or 608-262-2451

Thanks so much for letting me plug this!

Also, the Southwest Wisconsin Book Festival is on September 14th (http://swwibookfestival.com/). I’ll be going and have signed up for some workshops.

And then there’s the Wisconsin Book Festival October 17th to the 20th (http://www.wisconsinbookfestival.org/).

Sept 13 submission deadline for Midwest Prairie Review

Attention Writers and Artists – Have you submitted your work yet?
Calling upon any writer or artist that wishes to celebrate the imagination, energy, and human spirit of the Midwest Prairieland – we want to hear from you.
Published annually, the Midwest Prairie Review considers unsolicited materials from June through September each year. In general, we are looking for thoughtful and thought-provoking written and visual art that interprets and redefines notions of living, working, and writing within the Midwestern heartland.

Submissions (poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, scriptwriting, short stories, visual art and photography) will be accepted until Sept. 13, 2013. Our judges will review and choose material until the end of the year and writers will be notified in Mid-January 2014 that their material has been chosen to be a part of the Midwest Prairie Review, due to be published in April, 2014.