Tuesdays with Story

Writer’s Mail
Tuesdays with Story
April 14, 2017

April 4 at the bookstore

We had 11 writers, including guest Katy Sullivan, around the tables at B&N Westside to critique the work seven of their fellows. Here’s some of the comments of your colleagues:

• Millie Mader (poem, “Ballad of the Tower”) . . . Here’s my “3 sentences” re: my poem. I had submitted it once before—a couple years ago. It was well received, with a couple of word changes. I made the changes when I got home last night. Thanks for doing the newsletter.
• Nora O’Reilly (chapter 9, Bill McCormick’s Bliss) . . . The group asked that I slash much of Bill’s internal dialogue (something I am doing currently throughout the rest of the book.) I was warned to be careful of switching my point of view between Bill and the omniscient narrator, and to cut my excessive food description. These suggestions as well as cleaning up the end of the chapter to leave a bit of a cliffhanger were also incorporated. Appreciate all the honest feedback, thanks everyone!!
• John Schneller (chapter 11, Final Stronghold) . . . Chapter 11 was a chapter of working through a vignette on justice. The characters being mostly animals, were easier to follow, and the justice-logic worked for the group. The main discussion centered on names. How and why Jjosh is spelled (stuttering squirrel) and the possible means to remind e reader how Kotel acquired his name and what it means (Keeper Of The Lamb). Since this came out of book one, it might help to return to this early in Final Stronghold. Another useful note, your children’s names should not show up in the list of characters.
• Mike Austin (chapters 1-6, Riding with the Reed Gang) . . . “Riding with the Reed Gang” was received very well by everyone, which is really going to put me on edge about the next chapters. We had some discussions about the alternating POV, and why Nick’s character is the only one not in first person, and if it worked or not. The consensus, if I understood correctly, is that it works so far. We also talked about making the era more clear in the beginning. There were very helpful and appreciated comments all around. Thanks!
• Hannah Marshall (poems, “Second Daughter” and “Wintering”) . . . We had good discussion around both poems. The words “coal” and “barks” stuck out in “Second Daughter” as needing some reworking. In “Wintering,” we discussed that the first few lines were perhaps too spring-like for the rest of the poem which revolved around summer and winter.
• Tracey Gemmell (prologue and chapters 1-2, rewrite, Losing It) . . . The prologue and introductions to Annie and Taylor were generally well received. Several group members found the writing to be tight and polished. Some tidying needed to clarify a few minor points. Mike found the prologue a little ‘stiff,’ but enjoyed the way the first chapter brought out Annie’s desperation without being melodramatic. Taylor is still not considered likeable, (Jerry has no sympathy for damaged Chanel shoes) but the backstory as to why she is like she is was helpful to readers. Hannah hated the idea of a character becoming more or less male/female in behaviors. Later story does get into how a man can be aggressively successful while a woman is simply a ‘bitch’ if she tries the same. Hey, I don’t make up societal rules ;). Many thanks for all your helpful comments and encouragement.
• Jerry Peterson (short story, “Escape to Wenzhou”) . . . This was a fun read, kind of reminiscent of ‘Indiana Jones,’ said Mike Austin. Tracey Gemmell found the truck fixing scene a bit long. Also, said she, “I found the frequent use of ‘Sister’ [in referring to the nun] a little distracting.” Cindi Dyke and several others were confused by Boone’s knife-cut hand gesture. To Cindi, it was the throat-cut gesturing meaning stop, not a gesture meaning turn as Jerry intended. He said he’d fix it.

Who’s up next?

April 18: Rebecca Rettenmund (chapter 1, Hunting for Dad), Pat Edwards (2 chapters, What to Pack), Judith McNeil (short story, part 3, “Options”), Amber Boudreau (chapters 16-17, The Dragoneer), Jen Wilcher (chapter 4, Hogoshiro Chronicles), Jack Freiburger (???), and Eva Mays (chapter 10, Dhuoda).

May 2: Millie Mader (???), Nora O’Reilly (chapter, Bill McCormick’s Bliss), Hannah Marshall (poems), Mike Austin (chapter, Riding with the Reed Gang), John Stephens (chapters 2), Cindi Dyke (chapter, North Road), and Jerry Peterson (James Early Christmas short story, part 2, no title).

Fifth Tuesday

Have you put it on your calendar? Our next Fifth Tuesday is May 30. The place is not yet set, but now’s the time to select a writing challenge. Bring your best ideas to our next meeting – April 18 – and let’s talk about them.

Our editors

This month, it’s Nora O’Reilly. Please send her your contributions for Writers Mail. In May, Tracey Gemmell will take on the duties.

April, National Poetry Month

WPR’s To the Best of our Knowledge took on poetry, Sunday. Good show, particularly the segment in which a composer David Nagler sets Carl Sandburg’s poems to music. Good, too, is the lead segment on UW/Madison poet Amy Quan writing as poem a week based on the news of that week. Here’s the link so you can listen: https://www.ttbook.org/book/poem-you-new-voices-american-poetry

Extras

Tracey has kindly offered to send the ebook ‘Converting Clicks into Clients – A Comprehensive & User-Friendly Guide to Engage & Win More Customers and Fans Online’ by Mark Villarosa. If you are interested, email her and she’ll send it to you, with Mark’s blessing. This work has proved helpful with Tracey’s author website and Facebook page.

Writers’ Institute 2017

Amber, Eva, and I had the privilege of attending the UW Writers’ Institute at the Concourse Hotel several weeks ago. While there were many outstanding speakers and lectures, one of the highlights was Larry Brook’s podium hammering exposition on proper novel structure. Larry holds nothing back, but somehow leaves the audience feeling hopeful rather than decimated, as one’s laundry list of literary foibles increases exponentially.  I also had the opportunity to hear Steven Salpeter and Paul Levine’s professional perspectives as agents from either coast. This snapped me back to reality, reminding the audience that authorship, while a pleasurable pursuit, is ultimately a business if one desire publication.

I have uploaded the pdf’s of the most useful handouts from the event to our website.

Here is a link to Larry’s presentation: http://storyfix.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/PDF-Madison-Saturday-Class.pdf