Tuesdays with Story

Writer’s Mail
Tuesday, August 12, 2014

One must be drenched in words, literally soaked in them, to have the right ones form themselves into the proper patterns at the right moment. – Hart Crane, poet (1899-1932)

Second and Fourth met at Barnes and Noble
Rebecca read from chapter 3 of Lookout. Jack pointed out changes in tense, the use of passive, and lack of consistency with capitalization. Jack thought that his cats wouldn’t show a submissive pose to the other cat like Ang did in the story, because that could cause the strange cat to attack. Karen suggested punctuation edits and using a different tense for the flashbacks. Be consistent – use the same tense for all the memories. Katelin wanted to know what Ang’s purpose is and more of what she is thinking and feeling in the chapter. Why does she want to stay out?

Liam read scenes from chapter 1 of Prisoner of the Gods. Rebecca wondered why the doctors didn’t talk to Scott about what is going on. Katelin suggested rephrasing the line “He didn’t say anything.” Rebecca suggested rephrasing the line “Mike picked up the glasses, putting them back on for him, before cleaning the mess on the bed.” The word “before” was confusing. The group thought Scott’s stuttering was good. Good job showing the long healing process without being boring. Rebecca wanted one of the characters to comment on the racist situation with Kyle at the airport. The lack of setting description fits because the POV character is brain damaged and recovering.

Jack read a poem. Katelin liked the stanza starting with “shallow trenches in the grass.” Liam corrected sew to sow. Katelin suggested deleting “some” in the line “some with buds…” Rebecca wondered if the plants would bud as early as March.

Who’s Up Next
August 19: Lisa McDougal (chapter, Tebow Family Secret), Andy Brown (chapter, Man Before the Fall), Cindi Dyke (chapter, North Road), Pat Edwards (???), Amber Boudreau (chapters, Stone), and Judith McNeil (chapter 16 My Mother, Savior of Men).

August 26: Rebecca (Chapter 4, Lookout), Liam (Chapter, Prisoner of the Gods), Jen (end of Chapter 1, untitled novel), Jack (???)

September 2: Amber Boudreau (chapters, Stone), Andy Pfeiffer (chapters, The Void), Millie Mader (chapter 57, Life on Hold), Kashmira Sheth & Amit Trivedi (chapter 6, novel), Bob Kralapp (short story part 7, “Hole in the Wall”), and Jerry Peterson (chapters, Rubbed Out).

Newsletter Editors – Sign up for September!
We need someone to edit the Writer’s Mail weekly newsletter in September. Could it be you? Email Katelin to take on the job.

Plan Now for September’s Fifth Tuesday
Everything is in place for our next Fifth Tuesday celebration which first-and-third group will host. So block off your calendar for September 30 so you can be with us.

Place: The Chocolaterian Café, 2004 Atwood Avenue in Madison. It’s order off the menu for us that evening. Want to know more about The Chocolaterian? Go to the cafe’s website, http://chocolateriancafe.com/new/

The writing challenge: Write either a scene from a fictional memoir or an obituary for a fictional character, your choice. Length, the ever-popular 250 words.

Call for Submissions – Midwest Prairie Review
The Midwest Prairie Review Journal will be accepting submissions for the 2015 issue between the following dates: June 12, 2014 to September 12, 2014

Published annually, the Midwest Prairie Review Journal 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.

More Info: http://continuingstudies.wisc.edu/writing/midwest-prairie-review/submissions.html

Give a Listen to Weird Al“Word Crimes” is one cut on Weird Al Yankovic’s latest album, “Mandatory Fun” . . . and it’s for you and me. Click on the link to enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gv0H-vPoDc

Great Word
From Word Spy Paul McFedries:

couch-cushion change
noun. A trivial or disappointingly small amount of money. Also: couch cushion change.

Example Citations:
“His Department of Environment and Natural Resources has repeatedly thwarted efforts by environmental groups to hold Duke Energy responsible for its malfeasance in several such spills. For example, the DENR ‘punished’ Duke for the Asheville-Riverbend spillage by fining it all of $99,111, or as some environmentalists have called the fine, ‘couch-cushion change.’”
– C. Mosby Miller: Legislators ignoring spillage, The News & Observer (Raleigh, North Carolina), February 21, 2014

“Squirt a little water on an opponent after a whistle? Well, if the target’s Crosby, that’s a $5,000 fine. Probably more if the players union hadn’t negotiated a maximum that amounts to couch-cushion change.”
– Rick Carpiniello, Officiating is dragging down the Stanley Cup playoffs, USA Today, May 23, 2014

Earliest Citation:
“Maybe if Rodney started paying his girls with folding money instead of couch cushion change maybe his stuff wouldn’t be such a waste of aluminum.”
– Torris, Re: How I’ll know the world is gonna end!!!, rec.arts.movies.erotica, March 15, 2000

Notes:
First, a salute to long-time reader Mark Worden for suggesting this useful phrase. Second, for non-native English speakers, this idiom is a sarcastic reference to the coins that can often be found when one lifts the couch cushions. Third, the completist (1955) in me needs you to know that the variation sofa-cushion change is just a bit newer:

“We are in leaner times, and the General Assembly needs to recognize that. It would have been nice if they had stashed more than sofa-cushion change in the state’s Rainy Day Fund in recent years of record economic growth, as most other states did.”
– Lawmakers have no reason for overtime, The State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL), May 4, 2001