HANGING IN THERE
Three of us kept the fires of creativity burning at our Meeting on Wednesday. Bob and Jason joined me and we all had something to read. Margaret was still not well. Ellie is still otherwise occupied. Jim worked a very long day and wasn’t able to attend. And I don’t know about anybody else. I’ve had three ladies ask about joining the group, but so far none of them have arrived at the door.
For a change, I read first, the third chapter in “Nigel Wingate Is Dead”. Jason asked me all sorts of questions about what I hoped to do with this story which made me think more deeply about it. He thought I should start with a scene I want to use for the climax of the story, and then tell retrospectively how that happened. But Bob thought that would detract from the suspense of the mystery. I did say I wanted to show the disintegration of a family, step by step. So far I’ve written in first person, past tense, but I may have to switch and rewrite in third person, past tense, so I can include all I want to show. Have to think about it some more.
Bob had three pieces to read. They are in response to a request from the Vancouver Historical Society Newsletter for articles under 450 words about the history of Vancouver. Bob’s first story was “Visiting The Aorangi” about he and a female friend going aboard a docked liner in 1951 and being given a guided tour of the former WWII troop ship. The second story was “Wreck Beach” and Bob’s experience there cooking potatoes in the coals of a fire with his Scout troop in 1944. And the third story was “My Memories of David Spencer Dept. Store”, where he used to go shopping with his father. He loved the Christmas displays and having lunch in their dining room with a bank of windows overlooking the water. It became an Eatons store in 1948.
Jason read Chapter 3 of “Provoked” which now has this part of the novel focused in a totally different plane of existence with different characters. It shows us the people of the Nornir and The Source, a piece of which is in the necklace worn by Jodie, in the earthly realm, portending the conflict about to ensue. The writing was nice and tight and portrayed the menace they are all facing.
Our next Meeting will be Wednesday, December 1st at 7:00 p.m. at my place. Hope to see you then.
I did ask if people want that to be the last Meeting of the year, or if they still want one on December 15th as well ? It was suggested I pose the question in this blog. What are your thoughts? Do you want a little holiday celebration where everyone brings a snack? Or would you rather have the time free for other pursuits? And if we have a Meeting on the 15th, who would attend? I would appreciate your response on this, either way, RSVP. Thanks.
Happy Writing to you all.
Lisa
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Saturday, November 6, 2010
THE REVIEW
UN ET DEUX ET TROIS!
One by one people dropped out of coming to Wednesday’s meeting. I didn’t know whether to cancel, or hold the meeting in case people whom I hadn’t heard from still showed up. As it turned out, Jim arrived on time, and then Jason arrived after 8:00, when he was finished having his son’s picture taken with his soccer team. Margaret was ill, Bob was still playing bridge, and Ellie is busy with renovations and an agility class.
Jim read two short stories from the collection he is writing for the Coffee Shop Author contest. The first story was “The Oddest Coffee Shop” where a female customer in search of a great latte enters a coffee shop where no-one is allowed to leave until they finish their coffee. Meanwhile, the interior of the shop and the attire of the owner keep changing. It’s spooky, but the customer is finally allowed to leave when she finishes her latte, which she says was the best she’d ever had. Jim’s second story was “The Coffee Shop Escape” where a female customer is accosted by a male customer whom she rejected. He stalks her, but she calls for police protection, and thinks she is safe when the stalker is apprehended, but then discovers the policeman is the serial killer. Using her own killer driving instincts with her BMW, she rams the policeman and makes her escape. These were two very interesting short stories I thoroughly enjoyed.
I read the second chapter of “Nigel Wingate Is Dead”, which gives a little more background information on the narrator and about Nigel and his wife. I don’t know whether this could be a novel, or just a very long short story. I did spend some time doing an outline to give myself some direction with it and will see where it takes me, I guess. I did submit my previous short story “Treachery?” to the CBC contest.
When Jason arrived he told us about the time he spent at the Surrey International Writers’ Conference. The critiquing session by agents that he had signed up for was a great disappointment, as he had intentionally arrived early and submitted his first chapter, only to have the venue swarmed by others at the last minute and his manuscript got buried in the pile and not read at all. It should have been done first come, first served, but wasn’t. And he says he probably won’t attend again until he has a completed novel to take with him. He feels there isn’t much more offered to him there that he would find beneficial.
Jason did read to us his rewritten Chapter 2, which is again tightly written with defining action and descriptions that tell us what the goals of the antagonists are and make us want to keep reading.
Ellie said she talked to an editor at the SIWC about her children’s story, and was told if she does a re-write, the editor would take a look at it. That’s encouraging.
Next Meeting will be Wednesday, November 17th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place and I do hope to see you then. Keep writing in the meantime.
Lisa
One by one people dropped out of coming to Wednesday’s meeting. I didn’t know whether to cancel, or hold the meeting in case people whom I hadn’t heard from still showed up. As it turned out, Jim arrived on time, and then Jason arrived after 8:00, when he was finished having his son’s picture taken with his soccer team. Margaret was ill, Bob was still playing bridge, and Ellie is busy with renovations and an agility class.
Jim read two short stories from the collection he is writing for the Coffee Shop Author contest. The first story was “The Oddest Coffee Shop” where a female customer in search of a great latte enters a coffee shop where no-one is allowed to leave until they finish their coffee. Meanwhile, the interior of the shop and the attire of the owner keep changing. It’s spooky, but the customer is finally allowed to leave when she finishes her latte, which she says was the best she’d ever had. Jim’s second story was “The Coffee Shop Escape” where a female customer is accosted by a male customer whom she rejected. He stalks her, but she calls for police protection, and thinks she is safe when the stalker is apprehended, but then discovers the policeman is the serial killer. Using her own killer driving instincts with her BMW, she rams the policeman and makes her escape. These were two very interesting short stories I thoroughly enjoyed.
I read the second chapter of “Nigel Wingate Is Dead”, which gives a little more background information on the narrator and about Nigel and his wife. I don’t know whether this could be a novel, or just a very long short story. I did spend some time doing an outline to give myself some direction with it and will see where it takes me, I guess. I did submit my previous short story “Treachery?” to the CBC contest.
When Jason arrived he told us about the time he spent at the Surrey International Writers’ Conference. The critiquing session by agents that he had signed up for was a great disappointment, as he had intentionally arrived early and submitted his first chapter, only to have the venue swarmed by others at the last minute and his manuscript got buried in the pile and not read at all. It should have been done first come, first served, but wasn’t. And he says he probably won’t attend again until he has a completed novel to take with him. He feels there isn’t much more offered to him there that he would find beneficial.
Jason did read to us his rewritten Chapter 2, which is again tightly written with defining action and descriptions that tell us what the goals of the antagonists are and make us want to keep reading.
Ellie said she talked to an editor at the SIWC about her children’s story, and was told if she does a re-write, the editor would take a look at it. That’s encouraging.
Next Meeting will be Wednesday, November 17th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place and I do hope to see you then. Keep writing in the meantime.
Lisa
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