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Posts Tagged ‘The Writer’s Almanac’

Writer’s Mail

Posted in Newsletter, tagged , , , on January 22, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Writer’s Mail
January 20, 2011
by Randy Haselow

Fifth Tuesday Update
Have you had that conversation with your character, yet? Have you distilled it down into a dynamite 500-word piece?
No? Come on, get with it. It’s the writing challenge for our next Fifth Tuesday, March 29.
Select one of your fictional characters – major or minor – and take her or him on an adventure, and the two of you talk.
(thank you, Jerry)

Invasion of the Tablets
A post from blogger Nathan Bransford, written 10 days ago:

I’m in Las Vegas this week at the International Consumer Electronics Show, aka CES, and if there’s one hot device out there this year it’s the tablet. Tablet tablet tablet.

People have been joking that it’s raining tablets in the desert. Seemingly every company even tangentially related to creating consumer electronics is debuting their own tablet, and that’s on top of the iPad, which some people think could sell as many as 65 million units worldwide this year.

What does this tablet explosion mean for books? Well, more and more and more people out there in the coming year are going to own devices that they can read e-books on. All of that competition will inevitably drive down prices. And even if someone buys a tablet for gaming or to watch movies, they still will own an e-reader and will easily be able to download and read books should one strike their fancy. (more…)

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Writer’s Mail

Posted in Newsletter, tagged , , , , on January 7, 2011| 1 Comment »

WRITERS’ MAIL FOR JANUARY 5, 2011
by Randy Haselow

Fifth Tuesday update . . .
We now have a writing challenge for our next Fifth Tuesday, March 29: Write a conversation with your character.
Select one of your fictional characters, major or minor, and take her or him on an adventure – perhaps a rafting trip down the Colorado River – and the two of you talk. Perhaps your character asks, “Why did you kill me in chapter 3? I had so much more to offer.”
Maximum length: 500 words.
Start writing now. Polish your piece to a high luster.


Saturday at the Christmas Castle
Jerry and Marge Peterson will open their home, a Victorian residence at 920 Glen Street in Janesville, to us this Saturday for a Tuesdays with Story post-Christmas party. Plan to arrive at 4 p.m. Bring some great food for the potluck table, and we will feast at 5:00.
Also bring a game the group might play and bring a book to trade or barter. Says Clayton Gill, here’s your chance to unload that awful book someone gave you for Christmas that you don’t want to read. But if it’s an awful book, who’s going to want to trade you for it? So it might be wiser to bring a good book that you’ve read and enjoyed and would like to pass along to someone else who also would enjoy it.
Here’s what you should do right now, if you have not already done so . . . email Jerry and tell him you’re coming and what you intend to bring for the food table. Then look around for someone with whom you can carpool. Share a ride and save gas.


News from our TWS alums
Juliette Crane’s west art exhibition runs through January 31 at Absolutely Art and Café Zoma, 2322 Atwood Avenue in Madison. Friday evening this week is the best night to see it because Juliette is throwing a party there . . . free drinks and food, live music, and loads of whimsical art. The party starts at 5 p.m. and goes on until 9:00. You can see some of the art Juliette has on display by clicking on this link: http://juliettecrane.etsy.com

Jeff Herwig is now office manager for the MATC/Truax student newspaper. He’s also that campus’s orientation coordinator. Says Jeff, “I basically make sure that students feel comfortable with Orientation and have a good introduction to the college.” (more…)

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Writer’s Mail

Posted in Newsletter, tagged , , , , on May 29, 2010| Leave a Comment »

“Substitute “damn” every time you’re inclined to write “very;” your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.” ~Mark Twain

Tuesdays With Story Writers Mail, May 27, 2010
By Carol Shay Hornung

Tuesday Night at the Bookstore

Patrick Tomlinson – wrote a very funny story about zombies being recruited to vote in Chicago. Everyone thought the dialogue was hilarious. There were opposing suggestions on whether or not the zombies should be described, including facial expressions. There was some discussion on whether the dialogue should be described with adverbs or if the dialogue should speak for itself.

Ann Potter – read from her memoir. Everyone was blown away by her writing and being able to channel a 12-year-old girl’s voice. One observation was that it reminded the person of the movie “A Christmas Story.” A suggestion was made to provide some description of how characters look, move their body when they are talking.

Holly Bonnicksen-Jones – didn’t read, but asked the group for suggestions as to how Liza should come to terms with what Taylor revealed to her. Suggestion to have her do some self-revelations through talking to a friend or sister. Then there was a strong debate over whether or how she should have closure with her ex-husband. Should she meet with him, write to him, or meet him to discuss what happened to their marriage.

Kim Simmons – read her science fiction story. The group agreed that it would be a good idea to provide a synopsis of the world she is creating so that the listeners can understand the story better. One observation was that the story needs to show how the characters impacted their physical surroundings.

Jen Wilcher – read her fan fiction story. One observation was to provide a little more context for the characters and stay true to the characters. Another observation was to not describe a character as Chewbacca, but as a sasquatch or some other more generic term.

Who’s Up Next
(more…)

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