Tuesdays with Story

Tuesdays with Story
November 14, 2019

The first word . . .

“If you want to concentrate deeply on some problem, and especially on some piece of writing or paperwork, you should acquire a cat. Alone with the cat in the room where you work, the cat will invariably get up on your desk and settle under the desk lamp. The light from a lamp gives the cat great satisfaction. The cat will settle down and be serene, with a serenity that passes all understanding. And the tranquility of the cat will gradually come to affect you, sitting there at your desk, so that all the excitable qualities that impeded your concentration compose themselves and give your mind back the self-command it has lost. You need not watch the cat all the time. Its presence alone is enough.”

― Muriel Spark (1918-2006), Scottish novelist, short story writer, poet and essayist

Tuesday evening at B&N Westside . . .

A small group gathered, six of our regular writers plus a guest, Huckleberry Rahr, a math prof at UW/Whitewater and write of YA novels looking for help in getting published. She joined the group and is on the schedule for November 19

— Jack Freiburger (chapter 63, Freedom’s Purchase)

My final chapter needs one or two more sentences to achieve the epiphany our hero has. The point is that in telling the story, Sean has made discoveries about himself as well as a better self that will reunite him with Claire. As in Eliot, to return to where we began and to see it for the first time. Your suggestions would be appreciated.

— Larry Sommers (chapter, Freedom’s Purchase)

Jack opined that my recurring character Granger, the liveryman who always comes around to introduce a new direction of the narrative, is an example of “punctuated equilibrium.” He suggested that Granger might have borrowed the fine mount and fancy clothes in which he hopes to make a big enough impression to captivate the Army’s horse market. Jack, Jerry, and John were all concerned that the narrative does not adequately reflect Anders’ tortured and conflicted emotions over his brothers’ departure to fight the war. In general, Anders does not seem to have enough troubles to fight; things go to smoothly. Thanks, all.

— John Schneller (chapter 12, Broken rewrite)

Comments centered around action sequences. Jerry wanted Broken to have more hardship in his chase. He also pointed out that the near drowning was unrealistic when starting in ankle deep water. Lucky for Broken, he can get his foot crushed without drowning in the rewrite. Jack pointed out that short choppy sentences work for action sequences but not for times of less intensity. I continue to work on communicating thoughts without italics and without “telling”. Thanks for the suggestions.

— Bob Kralapp (chapter 11, Capacity) . . .

— Jerry Peterson (short story, “Spirited Solution”) . . . Larry and others suggested downplaying all the rules for ghosts. As clever as they are, they’re overdone, he said. Larry also wanted some other name than Vandalia for the secondary character Beauregard Deauchamps Vandalia. “Sounds like an onion,” he said. Jack gave permission to use Dabney, a fine old Southern family name. All wanted more bread crumbs be sprinkled early in the story about who’s in the picture on Webster’s desk—Webster’s dead wife whom he misses greatly—because the story is really about that relationship.

Who’s up next . . .

November 19

Jessica Smith (chapter, Holding the Balance)

Paul Wagner (???)

Huckleberry Rahr (synopsis and chapter 1, YA novel)

Kashmira Sheth and Amit Trivedi (chapters, untitled novel)

Cindi Dyke (???)

Chris Zoern (???)

Mike Austin (???)

Planning ahead . . .

We will depart Barnes & Noble after November 19 and will meet at the Alicia Ashman Branch Library in December—December 3 and 17.

Also for your calendar, block out the evening of March 31 for our next Fifth Tuesday.

Planning further ahead . . .

As you saw from Tracey’s note on Monday, she and Scott have begun the process of moving to England. The final date, of course, is not yet set, probably sometime in the spring. All is contingent on selling their New Glarus home.

Often we have taken members out to dinner before they move. I sent Tracey a note about our tradition. Here it is and her response.

Me: “When you get closer to a final moving date, pick a date when we can take you and Scott out on the town, say to Hardee’s or Arby’s. No, we’ll do better than that. Arthur Treacher’s Fish & Chips. Are there any of those still around? Yes, there are. Seven. Three in New York and four in Ohio. I looked it up.”

Tracey: “Long way to go for fish and chips, but I’m in! Will keep you posted as soon as I know dates. Thanks!”

Our November editor . . .

It’s Amit Trivedi. If you have good stuff you’d like to share with the group, email it to Amit now for the next issue.

The last word . . .

“Work on a computer that is disconnected from the internet.”

― Zadie Smith (1974-), English novelist, essayist, and short story writer