Tuesdays with Story
10/12/21

The first word . . .

“If you write about the things and the people you know best, you discover your roots. Even if they are new roots, fresh roots… they are better than… no roots.” —Isaac Bashevis Singer

Tuesday evening critiques . . .

Seven TWS writers flocked in a hybrid of in-person and Zoom critiques. Here is some of what was said:

— John Schneller (chapter 22, Precious Daughter) . . . Two needs were pointed out. Jaime pointed out that does not deal with regret at delaying the call for the village. It was something he (and the author) never thought about. (author’s note: he will have a lot more to regret in the next book). Jerry wanted more stumbling through the dark hold of the ship. Author will stumble through these revisions. Thanks!

— Jaime Nelson Noven (chapter, New York, After All) . . . This week, we took a critical look at the opening line, removed some extraneous details that seemed to be related to things that they weren’t related to, and Jack provided some ideas on how to make the magazine ads section more powerful by leveraging the names of the advertisers. Thanks, all!

— Jack Freiburger (poem, “Evening Ski”) . . . Not much as far as comments, but generally positive reactions.  Pretty simple semi-imagist poem.

— Larry Sommers (One-page synopsis of The Maelstrom) . . . Nobody felt the plot was hard to follow. There was a concern for showing more clearly the individual, interweaving, character arcs of Anders and Daniel, and making Daniel’s forward motion at the end clearer. Kashmira wanted more insight into the characters’ emotional responses. Jack and Jerry felt I could eliminate quite a few words, mostly adjectives and conjunctions, and thus leave more space to make the end more satisfying and less abrupt. John suggested “maelstrom” is one of those troublesome words that might not be appropriate for a title due to readers’ unfamiliarity, and Jaime agreed, based on her knowledge of how publishers approach titling. Thanks, everybody. Very helpful.

— Amber Boudreau (chapters 32-33, Dragoneer, Book 2). . . Amber read from chapter 32 last night of the sequel to The Dragoneer. John was happy with where she finished reading because he thought the rest of that paragraph could go. He also suggested changes to the beginnings of both chapters, to get rid of the throat clearing and get to the good stuff. Larry wanted to know why the MC kept her old backpack. Jack wanted the MC to keep her old scabbard though it was empty, the sword long gone. Amber thinks scabbards aren’t interchangeable. Jerry wanted to know if we’ll ever find out what the explosions were. People seemed to enjoy the chapter endings. 

— Jerry Peterson (chapters 29-30, Night Flight) . . . Sammy, as presented, is not a likeable character. He’s a bad boy, a bad man, a thief, a liar. Jack suggested that he hear voices telling him to steal another infantryman’s medals. Voices. “We want the readers to have some sympathy for Sammy,” Jack said. Jaime said chapter 32 is one of the strongest chapters she’s read in the manuscript to date.

Who’s up next . . . 

On October 19, here’s who will be presenting:

Kashmira Sheth (chapter, Nina Soni, Best Hostess)

John Schneller (chapter, Precious Daughter)

Larry Sommers (revised synopsis and jacket description, The Maelstrom)

Amber Boudreau (chapters 34-36, Dragoneer, Book 2)

Jerry Peterson (chapters 31-32, Night Flight)

Our editor . . .

Jaime Nelson Noven continues as our October editor for Writer’s Mail. Do you have something that you’d like to share with the group? Please email it to Jaime.

A Note from Jack . . .

My Mother-in-law wrote Remembering, a memoir about the holocaust, her survival and life after, working for food security for children.  It was printed by the University of Worcester Press, where she completed a master’s degree when she was in her late eighties.   There was a single printing and our family will talk to WUP about getting the rights.  Profits have gone to a Worcester Urban Life foundation.  We have The Hickory Knoll Fund, a non-profit that would take over and can easily finance the costs.

We are interested in not just having print copies, but would like to develop a Kindle version.  The book is being considered for high school use as it is accessible.

If anyone has advice, referrals, etc. to someone who could help us set up, print at demand, kindle, Amazon sales, etc., we’d appreciate the help.  If anyone wants a free copy let me know.

Judy Blume on writing . . .

Blume has written 32 books ranging from picture to juvenile fiction to novels for adults, so she knows a thing or two about our business of writing. Emily Temple, Lit Hub’s managing editor, pulled together fifteen of Blume’s thoughts on writing for a recent article. It’s a good read. Here’s the link: https://getpocket.com/explore/item/judy-blume-s-advice-for-aspiring-writers?utm_source=pocket-newtab

Tool tip: Emotional Wound Thesaurus (subscription / book)

Emotional wounds—such as a toxic relationship, witnessing a murder, or losing a loved one—create your character’s worldview, steer behavior, dictate her actions, and cause negative traits to form. Understanding the effects of any kind of trauma your character has experienced is essential to making her believable in the mind of your readers. This Emotional Wound Thesaurus applies some psychiatry to the drama or trauma that your character may experience.

Writing tip: Punch from behind

• Put your most forceful words at the end of the sentence.
• Create tension through inversion of information, diction, and where the breath falls when reading.
• What’s not said can create tension or, if intended, dread.

Ten Things Nobody Tells You About the Publishing Industry

In this new article from Publishers Weekly, we learn about the publishing world from the point of view of published authors. Notably:

• The industry moves slowly
• There are more gatekeepers than you think
• Not every deal is a good deal
• It matters how big a fish you are and what size the pond is
• You’ll have to sit on good news
• You’ll feel more competitive than you’re proud of
• The goal is always moving
• It takes a long time to get paid
• Readers are a tricky bunch to please
• The intangibles make the struggle worth it

The last word . . .

“There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all.” —The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde