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Posts Tagged ‘Ray Bradbury’

Writer’s Mail

Posted in Newsletter, tagged , , on October 24, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Writer’s Mail for October 14th, 2014

“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

Notes from the night itself…
Katelin read from a revised chapter 1 of The Battle of Sista.
The group agreed that capitalizing the alien races would make it more clear. Wording like “drinking in the stillness” and overuse of the words “create” and “creation” made things confusing. Jack pointed out some continuity errors like “popped slowly.” Alicia thought that since there is so much to introduce, it could be good to tell more clearly what these new things are. What is the central conflict? Possibly bring that closer to the beginning while setting the scene more clearly.

Alicia read from chapter 1 of Coastie Girl.
Consider using “irreverent” instead of “sacrilegious.” Liam thought that the father would not stay in uniform after he was home and would not be washing dishes in his uniform. Katelin liked the voice of the narrator. Rebecca suggested demonstrating the girl’s talent to help people and her motivation for acting. (more…)

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Writer’s Mail

Posted in Newsletter, tagged , , on July 4, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Tuesdays With Story
July 4, 2012
editor Alicia Connolly-Lohr

“The best of a book is not the thought which it contains, but the thought which it suggests; just as the charm of music dwells not in the tones but in the echoes of our hearts.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes

Last Night at the B & N:
Pam shares part 2 of her screenplay, Beyond the Shadow of a Doubt. Judith liked the characters but had a question about psychics and how much they charge. Pat thought it moved fast, but she wants to like or get to know the main character more than she does already. Also, does the psychic need to be such a vibrant character? Lisa thought so. But she’s having a problem following how the character thinks she can see the future. Alicia (Liam’s roommate) wonders if she could introduce it earlier. Aaron suggests having the manifestation appear so the main character sees it before anyone else. Pat thought the teacher’s character switched in the middle of the scene and found it disconcerting.

Judith shares the first part of her short story, The Man With the Broken Heart. Pat liked the style and could see the jumping in and out of the vignettes. She doesn’t know how they go together and neither did Lisa. The beginning consists of the thoughts running through a character’s mind as he dies. Andy sort of picked that up by the time he got to the end. The experimental writing style was a little hard to follow and lost him at some points. Alicia enjoyed her character descriptions. Jerry had a note about hyphens and dashes.

Amber shares Chapter eight and nine from Noble. Pam thought it was in a weird order and the discussion of the librarian should move up. She also thought Moira wouldn’t fall in with Bertram so quickly. Aaron thought it worked to bring up the librarian after the idea that naming something gives it power. Is it Ms. Noble now and forever, or should Moira tell Bertram to use her first name. Jerry wondered how Moira would see over the jock’s shoulder. (more…)

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