Tuesdays with Story

Writer’s Mail
Tuesdays with Story
August 24, 2018

Neither storm nor flood could keep us away

Just washed the roads clean on the west side of Madison for those of us who had to drive them to get to Barnes & Noble, Tuesday evening. Ten writers came in to critique the work of six of our colleagues. Here’s some of what was said:

Lisa McDougal (chapters 2-3, The Tebow Family Secret):  It was suggested that I start Chapter 3 with Ahna’s speech. Tracey suggested removing the word “just” in a sentence to avoid coming off offensive. Jerry suggested not using “childhood friend” to describe Ahna’s childhood friend. Cindi suggested cutting a particular sentence short to make it more effective for a character.

Bob Kralapp (poem, rewrite, “Postcard from London”):

Meg Matenaer (chapters 1-2, Write in Time):

Cindi Dyke (excerpt, The Mansion Secrets): The two main characters were introduced through two brief excerpts, and a portion of Chapter 6 presented. Amber questioned if the story should be coming from Wart instead of Michael since Wart is the more colorful character of the two. Jerry suggested that more diversity in the main characters would increase marketability. There are two other essential characters appearing in the beginning of the book that have not been presented to the group yet: A female classmate and a 40-ish man with savant syndrome. Meg liked the authenticity of the dialogue and actions of Michael and Wart, saying they sounded like her 9 yr old son. All comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Amber Boudreau (chapter 3, Avice): Amber read from Chapter 3 of her tentatively titled urban fantasy, Avice. Reviews were mixed. While Cindi enjoys Amber’s writing style, John thought she could do better. Tracey asked if this chapter is really necessary as nothing appears to happen to advance the plot. However, Meg and Tracey both liked the explanation of why the main character keeps the walls of her small apartment bare. Tracey suggested Amber keep that and chuck the rest as the character doesn’t have a clear goal and there’s no conflict.

John Schneller (chapter 28, Final Stronghold): Final Stronghold shifted storylines as the story returned to Jacob’s efforts in a slave market of Kios. Problems were noted with Jacob’s objectives, who is who …. most of this should not be a problem for the reader who had recently read the earlier chapters. Jerry suggested Jacob work something out with the miner so as to avoid losing all of his profits, and therefore have little to buy back the slaves he is trying to redeem/free. Sorry, my friend. Can’t be done. This miner is the disaster which destroys the entire plan. So, read on.

Who’s up next

September 4

Paul Wagner (???)

Millie Mader (rewrite, “Stone Cold Stripper”)

Mike Austin (chapters, Backroads)

Larry Sommers (chapter, untitled novel)

Amit Trivedi (chapters)

Jack Freiburger (chapters, A Walk upon the Water)

Tracey Gemmell (chapters. Lavender Wine)

Meg Matenaer takes on the job of editor for our e-newsletter for September. Email your good stuff to her for the next issue.

Early TWS leader gets a new job

Ben LeRoy, leader of our writers group for a good chunk of our first decade, took on a new assignment in the publishing industry this month. Here’s the story from Publishers Weekly:

The Independent Publishers Caucus has taken another step in its effort to become an advocacy group for independent publishers, naming former Tyrus Books publisher Ben LeRoy as its first executive director. LeRoy will be assisted by the just-hired Veda Kamra, a senior at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University.

Both positions are part-time for the first year. The agenda for the group will continue to be set by its eight-person steering committee (Ibrahim Ahmad of Akashic, Terrie Akers of Other Press, Jon Fine of Open Road Integrated Media, Tom Hallock of Beacon Press, Bronwen Hruska of Soho Press, Fiona McCrae of Graywolf Press, Michael Reynolds of Europa Editions, and Dan Simon of Seven Stories Press).

Simon and Hallock first conceived of the idea of the IPC at the ABA’s Winter Institute in 2016. Since its launch, the IPC has operated under the aegis of the ABA, but a recent fundraising effort has allowed the IPC to hire its own staff.

In a statement, Simon welcomed LeRoy and Kamra: “The Steering Committee has been working methodically to build IPC in such a way that it will last, and having Ben and Veda join us is the next logical step. I love Ben’s energy and that he’s an idea guy—and a book publisher.”

In his own comments, LeRoy observed: “I was fortunate to start two independent publishing companies [and] am a tireless advocate for words and their power to meaningfully impact the lives of readers. I think protecting and celebrating independent voices is absolutely crucial at this time. I look forward to doing what I can to advocate for publishers, writers, and booksellers.”

IPC currently has 120 members, according to Seven Stories’ Simon, who “receive our periodic emails and have attended programming at one of the last two Winter Institutes, and/or our cocktail reception on the eve of this year’s BEA.” Simon said that the 120 individual member represent roughly 60 participating presses and that his expectation is that membership will “grow exponentially in the coming year.”

According to the IPC, its mission is to “foster a true and mutually beneficial sense of community among independent publishers, between publishers and booksellers, and with readers through a variety of initiatives and shared resources.”

On September 15, the IPC is holding an event at the Founders Hall Auditorium at St. Francis College where its member publishers can meet LeRoy and Kamra.

What’s Ben been doing

Ben’s not moving. He will continue to work out of Madison and will continue his business as a freelance editor. Here’s Ben’s statement from his LinkedIn page:

In my life I’ve had the good fortune to travel across all corners of America. I’ve slept on couches and had Sunday dinner in rural America, urban America, blue America, Red America. I’ve gone to megachurches, Wiccan services, stargazing with atheists, and a dozen other religious experiences. I’ve walked the red carpet at a Hollywood premiere, gotten a personal tour of a billionaire’s private art collection, and met the President. I’ve volunteered in all 50 states.

I understand the things that make people tick, that make up the human experience in 21st Century America, and love helping people distill the stories that resonate with others. I am fluent in American.

Relevant Experience:

I’ve got nearly two decades of experience in the publishing industry, most recently as the Publisher of Tyrus Books until it was acquired in the spring of 2017 by Simon & Schuster. Along the way, I’ve had to manage books from submission to shelf, including editing, interacting with the sales team, helping to plan marketing campaigns, and working closely with authors to make sure the book is the best it can be, all while adhering to critical deadlines.

I currently work as a freelance editor and writer with a wide range of clients including unpublished writers working on their first novel [which requires talking about writing and story basics], respected journalists branching out into fiction, and previously published novelists working on new projects. Along the way, the approach changes, but the goal is the same—understand what the author is trying to say, and help them realize it in a full, readable, and marketable way.

Jerry contributed this for the newsletter.

President Obama’s summer reading list. His August 19 post on his Facebook page:

One of my favorite parts of summer is deciding what to read when things slow down just a bit, whether it’s on a vacation with family or just a quiet afternoon. This summer I’ve been absorbed by new novels, revisited an old classic, and reaffirmed my faith in our ability to move forward together when we seek the truth. Here’s what I’ve been reading:

Tara Westover’s Educated is a remarkable memoir of a young woman raised in a survivalist family in Idaho who strives for education while still showing great understanding and love for the world she leaves behind.

Set after WWII, Warlight by Michael Ondaatje is a meditation on the lingering effects of war on family.

With the recent passing of V.S. Naipaul, I reread A House for Mr Biswas, the Nobel Prize winner’s first great novel about growing up in Trinidad and the challenge of post-colonial identity.

An American Marriage by Tayari Jones is a moving portrayal of the effects of a wrongful conviction on a young African-American couple.

Factfulness by Hans Rosling, an outstanding international public health expert, is a hopeful book about the potential for human progress when we work off facts rather than our inherent biases.