Tuesdays with Story

Tuesdays with Story

February 4, 2020 meeting.

The first word…

Ernest Hemmingway wrote: “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” But that seems a little too dramatic to me, like the guitar player saying he “played until my fingers bled.” Really? More realistically from Hemmingway is, “The first draft of anything is shit.” Years later, Anne Lamott followed up on this idea with an entire chapter of her book on writing, “Bird by Bird,” entitled, “Shitty First Drafts,” which explained that it’s okay to have a first draft that might be a little rough. I’m not sure where I’m going with that, except to say that it’s good to know that even Hemmingway had to start somewhere.

There was a small but lively gathering of six writers at the Barnes and Noble on Tuesday evening; Mike, Jack, Huckleberry, Larry, Amit and Paul.

Amit Trivedi, Comments on Chapter 34, Untitled Novel

Last line – “You owe me a tree” is good. End the book with it.

Show more conflict at the dinner table. Resolve it when Kedar and Uma go for a walk.

“In the past he would start eating….” have Damaji whisper it to Uma.

And as usual grammar corrections and few minor modifications. Thanks, All.

Amit

Larry Sommers, Comments on Chapters 40-42 of Freedom’s Purchase

Huckle wanted to know how Maria knew which train to meet, and wanted a better description of the hackney cab and a bit more feeling for Anders’ difficulties in moving about, such as into and out of the cab. Jack suggested refinements possible in the characterization of Daniel as Anders’ servant on his trip home. Everybody thought Thor’s decision to accept Daniel as a cabin-mate was an opportunity for better exploration of Thor’s character and frame of mind. Mike thought the merging of Thor’s aspiration and Maria’s need in the final scene was too abrupt; and Huckle felt Thor should have had more empathy for Maria’s wishes in the matter. Thanks all for the helpful ideas.

John Schneller, Comments on “Broken,” Chapter 14, first half.

Lots of fine tuning suggestions came in. Words to be deleted/ writing tightened. The slipping into telling instead of staying in POV and showing ….identified with numerous 1 or 2 line slipups. The Yoda moment of wisdom coming from a beaver was appreciated by some. Others thought it could be broken up. A fine bit of critiquing, it was.

Mike Austin, Comments on “Second Date.

Jerry thought I had a “nice work-out” for the story. Bob thought I could expand on the comment on being “raised a Catholic,” and that the story read more like part of a longer story, or a chapter in a novel, while John liked the resolution at the end, though wasn’t sure what was being communicated in the last paragraph. Thanks everyone!

Fifth Tuesday March 31 at Hickory Knoll Farm in Fitchburg.

Take US 14 south to the Orgeon/MM exit, get off headed north towards Oregon, but turn right as soon as you can onto M.  Farm is in two miles.  Watch for white fences and lights on.  We will met in the garden room behind the carriage barn.  That is the area attached to the house with the Freiburger sign above the large green sliding doors.  Enter there.

Fifth Tuesday Writers’ Challenge:  Metamorphosis (Kafka, not Ovid)

Like Gregor, you (or he/she) wakes up in the morning and something has certainly changed!  500 words max.

Up next:

Amber Boudreau
John Schneller
Bob Kralapp
Huckleberry Rahr
Kashmira Sheth
Amit Trivedi

The last word…

“If you want to write, if you want to create, you must be the most sublime fool that God ever turned out and sent rambling. You must write every single day of your life. You must read dreadful dumb books and glorious books, and let them wrestle in beautiful fights inside your head, vulgar one moment, brilliant the next. You must lurk in libraries and climb the stacks like ladders to sniff books like perfumes and wear books like hats upon your crazy heads. I wish you a wrestling match with your Creative Muse that will last a lifetime. I wish craziness and foolishness and madness upon you. May you live with hysteria, and out of it make fine stories — science fiction or otherwise. Which finally means, may you be in love every day for the next 20,000 days. And out of that love, remake a world.”
― Ray Bradbury