Writer’s Mail for 11/13/13
And as imagination bodies forth
The forms of things unknown, the poet’s pen
Turns them to shapes and gives to airy nothing
A local habitation and a name.
– William Shakespeare (from A Midsummer Night’s Dream)
Tuesday at the Bookstore
2nd & 4th gathered at Barnes & Noble Tuesday night. First item on the agenda – where are we going to meet in December?
Problem solved! Karen Zethmayr secured the Monroe St Art Center, 2526 Monroe St across from the Laurel Tavern on the 10th. The space MSAC has taken over is one “bay” of what used to be Pasqual’s. The door to that section is the first entrance to the left of the big red awning that says “Amplify Art.” Please arrive promptly at 7, as we need to be out by 8:30pm.
As for the second meeting in December, we decided to go ahead and cancel. Apparently a lot of people already have plans on December 24th! 🙂
First up for critiquing: Deb Kellerman and “Ms. Williams.” Karen enjoyed the chapter. Katelin realy related well to Rose, but felt that character names were used too often. Karen said things could be trimmed by getting rid of phrases like “on the other hand.” Terry felt a few sentences could be combined – that would tighten up the scene and get rid of a lot of character identifying. She also thought the description of Mom in the suit could be moved up to where she spoke at the meeting. Holly said the scene had nice flow, though the words were sometimes too adult for a 12 year old. Kristen liked the conflict and how it really showed the differences between the two girls.
Holly Bonnicksen-Jones read from Chapter 4 of Coming Up For Air. Kristin liked how the scene creates sympathy for Mike, but Terry wondered if Liza was ready to show that kind of sympathy. Katelin wanted more specifics on why Liza was being fired, and Carol and Kristen both wanted to know exactly what Liza’s job was, and what kind of company she worked for. Karen pointed out how important white space can be to the flow of a story and suggested breaking up some paragraphs that came in a little long. Terry thought the sound of the box landing in the dumpster with an audible crash was a metaphor for Liza’s life crashing to the ground. Deb enjoyed the complexity of the character, but got confused by the flashbacks.
Carol Hornung read a scene from Ghost of Heffron College. Terry felt the change in Autumn from feeling ill to being able to swoop down and scoop up a fallen wallet was too quick. Holly pointed out the unneeded double description of “amazing speed” and “swooped down.” Should there be a bigger repsonse from Autumn when she discovers Kyle is several years older than she thought? Kyle should have more internal thoughts as this is going down. And, living a lie, does he have some ready-to-use excuses for things like the discrepency between his age and his peers? Autumn should probably get more paranoid – “What else are you hiding from me?” She’d also probably stumble onto the cash before finding the driver’s license.
Up next . . .
Thursday November 14: The TWS Writer’s Jam at Mystery to Me, 1863 Monroe Street, across from Trader Joe’s.
Readers begin at 6:30 with Lisa McDougal. She will be followed by Alicia Connolly-Lohr, Millie Mader, Carol Hornung, Kashmira Sheth, Terry Hoffman, Bob Kralapp, and Pat Edwards. Come on out and support your fellow writers!
November 19: Lisa McDougal (chapter, Tebow Family Secret), Bob Kralapp (???), Aaron Boehm (???), Andy Pfeiffer (chapter, The Void), Judith McNeil (chapter 7, My Mother, Savior of Men), and Jerry Peterson (chapters 17-18, Capitol Crimes).
November 26: Karen Zethmayr, Deb Kellerman, Holly Bonnicksen-Jones.
December 3: Lisa McDougal (chapter, Tebow Family Secret), Millie Mader (chapter 48, Life on Hold), Clayton Gill (chapter, Fishing Derby), Cindi Dykes (chapter 2, North Road), Amber Boudreau (chapter 23, Noble), and Jerry Peterson (chapter 19, Capitol Crimes).
December 10 (at the Monroe Street Art Center): Carol Hornung (scene, Ghost of Heffron College).
Don’t forget: Barnes & Noble usually throws us out in December. Both groups will need to find alternative places to meet that month!
Self Publishing Basics (from Pat Edwards)
12/14/2013 – 1:00pm
Central Library – Community Room 302
Self publishing need not be a solitary pursuit. Join a team of librarians and local published authors for an information-packed workshop that will introduce you to the basics of self publishing online and prepare you for the road ahead. Learn about free tools that you can use to turn your work into an eBook. Hear about the issues and challenges that face authors who publish on their own. Get practical advice about marketing and building an audience for your work. Learn about library resources that can help at every stage of the process, from writing to cover design. Hear local authors speak about their own publishing experiences and ask them your questions. Light refreshments will be served.
Registration is limited to 70 participants. Register online.
http://host.evanced.info/madison/evanced/eventsignup.asp?ID=32898
Featuring: Dorothea Salo, Faculty at the University of Wisconsin School of Library and Information Sciences; Erinn Batykefer, Co-founder and Managing Editor of the Library as Incubator Project and Madison Public Library Library Assistant; Molly Warren, Madison Public Library Collection Development Coordinator; Nate Clark, Madison Public Library Digital Media Production Lab Instructor; Angie Stanton, author of Snapshot, Rock and a Hard Place, Dream Chaser, Love ‘em or Leave ‘em; Michelle Wildgen, author of Bread & Butter: A Novel (forthcoming), You’re Not You, and But Not For Long, Executive Editor of literary magazine Tin House, and Co-founder of the Madison Writer’s Studio; Rosemary Zurlo-Cuva, fiction writer, poet, journalist, writing teacher, and author of Travel for Agoraphobics.
Newsletter Editor:
Step up and take the reins of the newsletter for a month. It’s easy! Get on the schedule now! Here’s the current line-up:
November – Carol Hornung
December – Clayton Gill
January – Make it your New Year’s Resolution to get more involved!
Feburary – It’s a short month – you can do it!
March – Spring. ‘Nuff said.
If you’re willing to take on editor duties one of these months, let me know!
The Last Word:
“There’s no such thing as writer’s block. That was invented by people in California who couldn’t write.” – Terry Pratchett
Tuesdays with Story 
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