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Writer’s Mail

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , on May 26, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Tuesdays With Story

May 16, 2023

First Word…

“Create dangerously, for people who read dangerously. This is what I’ve always thought it meant to be a writer. Writing, knowing in part that no matter how trivial your words may seem, someday, somewhere, someone may risk his or her life to read them.”

— Edwige Dandicat, Create Dangerously

Tuesday evening…

Eight TWS writer attended the meeting via Google Meet, six of which read from their works in progress. Here is a summary of what was said:

Judy Cummings – A Real Hero, Chs. 18-20. Larry noted that the wording of the Bible verse referenced in Chapter 18 did not exist in 1944. Amber suggested that Steve might reveal some jealousy of Gordy’s ability to keep his innocent fantasies about superheroes. There was discussion of the likelihood of a deep foxhole near the river caving in and a recommendation to move it to higher ground. Thanks for the feedback.

Jack Freiburger – Jesus at the Ihop, Ch. VII. The written comments I received were very helpful and had some questions.  Made a few edits as a result.

The discussion mostly had to do with adding a foil for Jesus.  I read ahead and we have two more chapters without a interlocutory in the chapters, until we get to the Jew in the Basket. Chapter VIII for next time is again in the mind of Jesus and the next is a travelog.  I’ll consider once we get to Chapter XI and we see how things are going.  J

Kashmira Sheth & Amit Trivedi – If Not For the Partition, Chs. 18, 19. The chapters worked well. Larry pointed out the tense shift in Kedar’s chapter. Jack wanted to tweak a few sentences in Uma’s chapter and mention the food from the previous chapter. Judy wrote in her note that she wanted to see Uma thinking more about the resistance against the government rather than her personal loss. She also thought that the flashback was too long and Virabha’s chapter should be told from Kedar’s POV. Overall, everyone liked the new part.

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Writer’s Mail

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged on April 17, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Tuesdays with Story Newsletter

April 4th Meeting

The First Word

“Advice? I don’t have advice. Stop aspiring and start writing.

—Alan Wilson Watts

Nine writers met via Zoom to offer input for the submitted stories and to watch Larry spill his wine. In truth, it was more heard than seen, and free of profanity. Wonderful restraint on Larry’s part.

Submission Summaries

Bob Kralapp, “Delay”

The areas of the story that need work include the ending, which reads as inconclusive. As it stands, there is little evidence to judge how Kathe’s folks will react to the gas station incident Baker must reveal. Likewise, it isn’t clear whether Baker and Kathe are suited for each other, and there needs to be some narrative backfill in order to bring it all together. The nature of the drinking game around the kitchen table should be clarified. Thanks, all, for the helpful comments.

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Writer’s Mail

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged on April 17, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Tuesdays with Story
March 21, 2023

The first word . . .

“Stories of imagination tend to upset those without one.” – Terry Pratchett

Tuesday evening on Zoom . . . seven TWS writers gathered together to critique the chapters and children’s book story of 5 of their colleagues with the group. Here is some of what was said:

— Kashmira Sheth & Amit Trivedi (chapters 11-12, If Not For the Partition) . . . 1 Kedar’s chapter is well done and moves fast. In one place the POV needs tweaking. 2 Uma’s chapter needs more action and intrigue. 3 Also her reflection could use a little relevance to her present situation. 

— Suzanne Gillingham (chapters 3&4 rewrite, Kaleidoscope) . . . There was agreement that Brandon mentioning a gay bar was still too much and that there were way too many eye rolls. I agree. I’m rolling my eyes at myself. LOL. Judy thought my writing was more fluid, Larry agreed. Mike asked about the characters’ ages. Amber thought Carey seemed very self-aware and asked why he hadn’t seeked out professional help. Various editing and stylistic suggestions were made.

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Writer’s Mail

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , on March 22, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Tuesdays with Story
March 7, 2023

The first word . . .

“Each writer is born with a repertory company in his head. Shakespeare has perhaps 20 players. … I have 10 or so, and that’s a lot. As you get older, you become more skillful at casting them.”
—Gore Vidal

Tuesday evening on Zoom . . . and in person at Larry’s place, eight TWS writers gathered together to critique the chapters and a short story 6 of their colleagues shared with the group. Here is some of what was said:

— Kashmira Sheth & Amit Trivedi (chapters 8-10, If Not For the Partition) . . . 1. Tense is not right in some places. 2. Uma’s letter to Rukhi seems more distance and detached. & 3. The cricket scene was very effective.

— Suzanne Gillingham (chapters 1&2 rewrite, Kaleidoscope) . . . There was universal agreement that Chapters 1 and Chapter 2 should be expanded to include more information on why Brandon, as a child, thought he was seeing souls, on the loneliness of the two men, and on their attraction to each other. Jack suggested expanding “routes” to include Brandon’s lack of routes in his life. Larry gave some suggestions on making my writing more personal.  Amit would like to see some difference in how the two characters react. Right now their reactions seem too similar. Thanks everyone! I appreciate the input.

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Writer’s Mail

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , on December 22, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Tuesdays with Story

Meeting notes from Tuesday (of course), December 7

“Collaborative workshops and writers’ peer groups hadn’t been invented when I was young. They’re a wonderful invention. They put the writer into a community of people all working at the same art, the kind of group musicians and painters and dancers have always had.” 
― Ursula K. Le Guin, Steering the Craft: Exercises and Discussions on Story Writing for the Lone Navigator or the Mutinous Crew

Five writers presented their work at Tuesdays meeting. Here are some of the comments they received.

John Schneller

Precious Daughter

Most found the chapter engaging. Amit appreciated the change in tension when storylines jump from Nia to Kotel. Kashmira thought the dialogue should be given prior to the hawk catching the breeze and exiting. Larry noticed that I like to have minds ‘bounce’ a little too often. Thanks for reading.

Bob Kralapp

“Don’t Take It Personally”

Mike wanted to know if there was anything Kenny and the narrator respected about the coach that would make them feel his betrayal in betting on the game. Or if he was just another authority figure. Amber felt that the story read a lot more streamlined than before. She and several others agreed there should be something more at the end that would bring it around and make it feel more finished.

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Writer’s Mail

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , on November 30, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Tuesdays With Story

November 16, 2021

A mistake for authors is defining their author platform as a list of people to market their next book on social media.

If you view your author platform as nothing more than transactional relationships, it will fail. If you view it primarily as sharing your heart and caring for a group of people, it will have far more value and possibly be responsive when you have a book. 

Dan Balow, Steve Laube Literary Agency

Here’s who presented Tuesday evening

Kashmira Sheth (chapters 1-2 rewrite, Nina Soni, Best Hostess) – Kashmira submitted two chapters of Nina Soni, Best Hostess. Most of the comments were positive. There were some questions about how to make the flow of a story better. This was a revised submission and overall the revision worked well. Everyone preferred the title Nina Soni, Best Hostess over Nina Soni, Perfect Hostess. 

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Writer’s Mail

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , on November 30, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Tuesdays with Story
November 2nd 2021

The first word . . .

Be polite. The editor you email today may be the CEO of  your publisher next year.

Here’s who presented this week

Larry Sommers (MemoirDebriefing) . . . My introductory chapter to a projected memoir, titled “Debriefing,” was generally well-received as a tentative start of something as yet indefinite. John felt the material between the initial aerial reconnaissance scenes and the final paragraph, looping back to the concept of debriefing, could be omitted. Jack felt the passage from Yeats’ “The Second Coming” may have been misplaced. Jack and Jerry suggested that the idea of having been born in a golden age could be expanded. Thanks everybody. Onward and upward.

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Writer’s Mail

Posted in Uncategorized on February 24, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Tuesdays with Story
February 16, 2021

The first word . . .

Whatever you’re writing today do it with the confidence of a four year old in a batman T-shirt. 

Tuesday’s With Parkas . . .

Some members of our group proved they are mere mortals this week, succumbing to illness or household calamities. Subzero weather outdoors, Covid lurking in nooks and crannies, the rest of us gathered via zoom. Here is some of what was said:

— Kashmira Sheth   Kashmira will present her chapters next week as she got knocked down by her Covid vaccine booster. Fortunately she reported doing considerably better on Wednesday.

— Amit Trivedi (Poem: When I Think of You Now I Smile) . . . Poem received mixed reviews. Jack felt it did not make much sense whereas Larry felt it was simple but complex. John and Jerry mentioned a few words changes and suggested rewriting a sentence. 

— Bob Kralap (Poem: Everbearing) . . . The poem “Everbearing” got a mixed reception. Jerry liked it, especially the line about a morning that hums with bees. Although Larry liked its rhythm and sensibility, he was uncertain, because of details relating to weather, whether it was set in early summer or late. Jack focused on line breaks, as well as the imagery used. 

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Writer’s Mail

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , on February 8, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Tuesdays with Story
February 2, 2021

The first word . . . Panegyric

Some of us don’t use the word blessed much anymore. Maybe too complicated, used by some, misused by others.

But I’ll use it anyway:  Tuesday with Story has been blessed to have Jerry Peterson as its leader/administrator/guru/guide/inspiration/add your own panegyric, for the last God knows how many years. 

Author of at least six novels and novellas and as many short story collections, and according to him, a suitcase full of early rejection letters, Jerry gives hope to all of us who envision invitations to book fairs once our successful book is published.  He’s been our under spoken friend, mentor, and guide.  Some of the success obtained by the published authors in the group, and those authors who have left for England or ceased attending due to age, must be attributed to Jerry.

The life of TWS has been usually friction free for the two decades or so that I have attended.  We offer each other critiques without criticism, stretch from our own literary venues into the strange worlds others are creating, to participate and email endless notes of advice and encouragement to one another.  That too is a reflection of our leader.

So define blessed:  VENERATED:  Not yet, he’s still too young.   HALLOWED: Close, but it would be an overstatement that Jerry would edit out.  OF ENJOYING HAPPINESS:  That’s a good one.   Despite our endless wrestling with words, the community Jerry has formed and fostered with TWS provides the joy of solidarity and mutual support.  We are a bit like the fraternal organizations that once dotted all Wisconsin towns, local clubs and organizations with some sort of general goal that brought together men and women of disparate employment, culture and age to form a supportive community, providing not only some attainment, but also the pleasure of each other’s company.

For the joy we need to thank Jerry, blessed as we have been by his efforts.

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Writer’s Mail

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , on January 21, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Tuesdays with Story
January 5, 2021

The first word . . . 

“Language is courage: the ability to conceive a thought, to speak it, and by doing so to make it true.”
― Salman Rushdie

 Six people submitted this week.

— Jaime Nelson Noven (chapter 5-6, Outsleep). . . A lot of important things to chew on this week, including illustrating what makes Rice tick, in particular why she hates outsleep and why she’s a standup. We looked at other low birthrate stories and stories where kids live their lives in the limelight and ask what makes my story unique. We wondered what the media’s and her parents’ expectations were for her, how she would have subverted them, and how that would have affected her life. I’ll be working hard at connecting all these dots! Thank you.

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