Writer’s Mail
Tuesdays with Story
November 19, 2015
Nov. 10 Meeting: Pat, Lisa, Cindi, Amit, Kashmira and Judith
Lisa( chapter 42, Tebow Family Secret). The group enjoyed the chapter. Comments raised about Izzy’s new attitude, whether the family would recognize that she had recovered her memory. Felt that she should camouflage it more and this would also make the end of chapter when she punches her brother more effective.
Kashmira and Amit (revised chapters from their novel) Group felt the chapters excellent, clearer presentation of the situations for both protagonists. Kashmira said that they want first chapter to be happy and to present both protagonists together before their forced separation and individual experiences. Pat suggested that Kedar’s poems be presented in Hindi/Urdu and English.
Cindi (chapters, North Road) The group liked the flow of the chapters: going into Kath’s mind while she is debating how to deal with CC upon the eve of her departure. Felt that Kath and CC could be more intimate in their actions on the beach. Also, that blocking of the last scene when CC’s brother enters the scene with the gun to shoot the fighter dogs, with Tessa involved, would need to be changed up a little. Currently, if he shot the dogs with CC and Kath within his vision, he probably would shoot them, as well.
Who’s up Next?
November 24: 2nd and 4th Meeting to be held at The Chocolaterian, 2004 Atwood Ave., 3 blocks west of the Barrymore Theater, 608-249-1156. Will also be there, Dec. 8 and Dec. 22nd.
December 1: Lisa McDougal (chapter 43, Tebow Family Secret), Cindi Dyke (chapter, North Road), Kashmira Sheth & Amit Trivedi (chapter, novel), Judith McNeil (???), Millie Mader (poem), and Bob Kralapp (???). Location changed to Alicia Ashman Library on Old Sauk and High Point corner.
On Writing A Historical Novel
I just finished reading David Mitchell’s The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet, a comprehensive novel that must have included many hours of research into the period of that time: 1799 through 1811, Dejima, Japan, and the fight of the Dutch and English to move into Japan for their resources. In the Readers’ Guide section at the end of the book, David Mitchell examines the purpose and concerns of the historical novel. He concludes that the popularity continues because “It delivers a stereo narrative: from one speaker comes the treble of the novel’s own plot while the other plays the bass of history’s plot. The second reason is genealogical: if History is the family tree of Now, a historical novel (such as Alex Haley’s Roots) may illuminate the contemporary world in ways that straight history my not. The novel’s ace of spades is subjective experience, which is a merit or demerit depending on how the card is played and who you are-Margaret Mitchells’ Gone with the Wind can be either a sublime evocation or toxic travesty. A third reason for the genre’s popularity is simply that while the needs of the human heart and body stay much the same, the societies they must live in vary dramatically between centuries and cultures, and to watch people live–people whom we might have been had we been born then-under different regimes and rules is fascinating for its own sake.
Worth your time to listen . . .
TTBook – To the Best of our Knowledge, a weekly series of broadcasts produced by Wisconsin Public Radio – this past weekend aired an hour-long show on what makes a good short story. If you missed the show, you can listen to it now on your computer. Here’s the link: http://www.ttbook.org/book/short-stories
Writers Mail editor . . .
Judith McNeil is our editor for November. The good stuff you’d like to share with our colleagues, please e-mail it to her.
Tuesdays with Story 
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