Writer’s Mail
Tuesdays with Story
May 10, 2019
Way back in the bookstore
A dozen writers circled up on B&N’s bargain book Tuesday evening to critique the works of seven of their colleagues. Here are some of the comments that were shared:
Bob Kralapp (chapter 7, Capacity) . . .
Lisa McDougal (chapters 10-11, The Tebow Family Secret) . . .
Amber Boudreau (chapters 4-5, Mavis): Amber read from Chapters 4 and 5 of her untitled urban fantasy. It was unclear to Lisa if the main character was following a recipe for cookies in Chapter 4. Lots of suggestions to cut Chapter 4 in its entirety or to really cut it down. Otherwise, not much to tell.
John Schneller (chapter 6, Broken, rewrite): On the positive side, characters and mystery came through as rich. On the negative side, description of the interior of the Ruins was too much for some. Chris recommended to remedy the problem by tying description with plot movement and include Broken’s reactions/speculations. Jerry needs me to install a garage door opener or change the overhead door. Cindi identified the phrase “must be the power of suggestion” as not fitting Broken’s voice.. Thanks to all
Jack Freiburger (chapters 41-42, A Walk upon the Water) . . .
Larry Sommers (chapters 17-18, Freedom’s Purchase): Once again, Jerry, John, and Jack were kind enough to straighen me out on some agricultural details regarding wheat seeds and dairy cows. Tracey and Cindi found Maria’s responses to the vicissitudes of childbirth too distanced and not real and vibrant enough. Several people caught places where my lapse into a third-person “helicopter” mode did not well suit the purposes of the narrative. Thanks again to all—many good changes made as a result.
Jerry Peterson (short story, “The Fish and Five”) . . . Jack had a lot of suggestions to make the story a true noire story: move it back to the 1930s, The Fish drives a Dodge rather than a Kia, he takes a Yellow cab to the apartment building and the horse track rather than renting a scooter. Can one be spontaneously hungry? he asked. Several said yes, but Jack would prefer The Fish spontaneously visit the Cupcake Pagoda. Several, including Tracey and Chris, wanted to see The Fish pick a wrong word, a word that doesn’t work in the package of five, a word that could serve as a red herring. Several also took issue with the ending, suggesting it would be far better if The Ink Man left The Fish with a winning ticket rather than a losing ticket. Said Jack, The Ink Man promised The Fish a payoff of $10,000. He has to fulfill that promise.
Who’s up next
May 21
Kashmira Sheth and Amit Trivedi (chapters, untitled novel)
Cindi Dyke (chapter, The Mansion Secrets)
Jack Freiburger (chapters, A Walk upon the Water)
Jessica Smith (???)
Chris Zoern (???)
Mike Austin (???)
Jerry Peterson (chapter 21, Night Flight)
Our next Fifth Tuesday
Put it on your calendar now . . . July 30. Larry Sommers will host the group at his home.
Our collection of April Fifth Tuesday stories is now up on our Yahoo group page. Click on FILES, then on FIFTH TUESDAY CHALLENGES to find and read the collection.
Thoughts on flash fiction
A story is frequently defined as flash fiction if it is shorter than 1,200 words. But writing coach and Storyaday.org’s Julie Duffy says flash fiction is more than that. “It is deliberately taut, vivid, and short,” she says. “It should contain one or two vivid moments or images that stay with the reader long after they’ve gone.”
May’s editor
Tracey Gemmell is editing this month’s issues of Writer’s Mail. Send her your good stuff for the next issue.
More Or Less Annie
Speaking of Tracey, (and she’s the editor so we WILL speak of her) her novel, More Or Less Annie, releases on May 18th, 2019. It’s available now for eBook pre-order on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Smashwords. Paperback edition can be purchased as of 5-18-19. Thanks so much to all at TWS for your support during the writing of More Or Less Annie. The group gets a mention in the acknowledgements! As TWS members know, reviews are the lifeblood of authors so extra brownie points to anyone reviewing this book!
Alumni news
From Pat Edwards now living in the Great Southwest: “I am doing really well. Thank you for asking.
“I am enjoying the desert much more than I thought I would and learning about the native flora and critters. I’ve had to learn new gardening schedules, but having fresh salad greens all winter is worth the effort.
“My Hero’s Journey book is still selling well—probably because I am consistent with blog posts that update social media. I’ve learned being an author is really different (harder!) from being a writer (especially a self-published one). I’m back on the easy part with the new book I’ve started, stories of Midwesterners transplanted to the desert.
“I enjoy reading the blog posts from TWS members and keeping up that way. I haven’t yet found a new writing group, although I’ve visited a couple. They all have a pretty high bar to meet. :)”
From Millie Mader: “I don’t know how to tell you, but I think I’ll have to resign from Tuesdays with Story. It’s so hard to do, but I’ve passed the big 90, and don’t get back inside my garage here (after meetings at Barnes & Noble) till 9:30. My girls encouraged me to stay safe, and I guess they will blame me if something should happen. I’m lucky in that I have no problem with my eyes or my hearing, but my legs are getting pretty weak.
“I just can’t tell you how much I’ll miss you. I thank you so much for all the help and friendship you have given me.”
And from Shel Ellestad: “I’m FINALLY ready to publish my World travels book. I also have two other small books near ready.” Shel now is looking for a literary agent to represent him.
New member coming aboard
Kalli Kravitz first visited us back on January 15. When she learned we didn’t have an opening on our membership role for her, she created a writing retreat of her own. She went to Costa Rica to finish her novels. Kalli will return to Madison in July and become an active member at that time.
Tuesdays with Story 
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