WE’RE A TEN!
Ten of us met Wednesday night for another exciting meeting of dedicated scribes. Norah Dunlop and Ron Young were two new faces. Welcome to the fold.
I started by telling everyone the September issue of Writers’ Digest has a lot of excellent material in it. There is a list of agents looking for new writers. There are some very good sample Query letters. And there are several articles looking at various aspects of memoir writing. Worth picking up a copy if any of those topics interest you. I also put out a number of writing resource books that I am willing to lend, but I did ask for a list of who took what as I don’t want to lose any of them in the process.
Jim said he had been inspired to write a short story after receiving two emails requesting submissions that I had forwarded. His story was called “Dimensions”, and Danny read it aloud so Jim could hear how it sounded. It is about a male who changes realities every time he reaches his 40th birthday. That is when he is removed from that lifetime and plunked into another where he begins again at age 16. The story has him leaving a wife and 2 children when he turns 40. But before he is inserted into his next 24 year lifespan, there is a glitch and he wakes up beside a beautiful woman whom he wants to make love to. In this short lifespan, we see him trying to find some coffee and trying to figure out how the appliances work, since all these daily essentials are different with each incarnation. But very suddenly he is removed and wakes up at age 16, on a farm, where he toils till he’s 40. He wants to, and tries to commit suicide, but is unable to accomplish his desire. So he works the farm till his next transition. Fascinating theory. Jim says he is also half way through the 2nd draft of his novel.
Margaret read us the last chapter of “Blow Up The Castle”. The clergy of the area have come to Castle Hall to meet and listen to the Bishop, whom most of them have never met. Unfortunately, Rev. Peacock had to bring Joey, his parrot, with him and he was hidden under the reverend’s coat. As the meeting progressed, Joey looked out from under the coat and all the clergy, dressed in black and white, appeared to him to be penguins. On seeing a model of a clipper ship resembling one blown up by pirates, Joey immediately assumed the worst and screamed “Blow up the Castle!” The Hall was evacuated in five minutes flat. Margaret said she has a publisher currently reading her story collection. We all have our fingers crossed for her.
Ron read from his first draft of a novel about Hungarian ancestors who immigrated to Canada around the late 1800s and early 1900s, entitle “Of Stalwart Peasants”. Ron read his prologue, about Alistair MacArthur’s career as press secretary for Clifford Sifton, Minister of the Interior. It was Sifton’s idea to populate the prairies with immigrant farmers, ideally eastern European Slavic peasants who could settle and work and farm, which caused a great deal of controversy among the predominantly English population that existed outside of Quebec at the time. There was a great deal of relevant Canadian history in this prologue, and fascinating to us listeners.
Danny read the prologue from his book. We hear he is seriously depressed and suicidal after his breakup with his love interest. He unscrews the gas line where she lives. Suddenly there are the sirens of police cars and fire trucks. He is in the midst of a breakdown. Then Danny read the next paragraph, which tells us he was born August 14, 1959, the oldest of eight. Danny’s writing is very gritty and to the point, portraying the pain and angst of what he was going through.
Bob had some more writing about the history of B.C.’s jewellery business to read. This chapter is about the salespeople who worked in the trade and traveled the province during the last century, which could be a difficult process. In 1958 they formed the B.C. Chapter of the Canadian Jewllery Travellers Association, which eventually organized jewellery buying shows, which brought the buyers to them instead. In 1987 their show was the first event held in the new Canada Place Convention Centre. But the show in 1995 was their last.
Jason read his 2nd Chapter. We see the funeral for Iris, who passed away. Her great grandsons are teenagers, not really wanting to be there. Greg is bored and wants to be gone. Dave is more spiritual, and asks for the appearance of an angel. Outside, he sees a form take shape from the dust, but his father calls him and says he can drive the car. His mother’s thoughts are all about the details of catering to all the guests after the funeral. This was a good chapter for showing us the family setup of characters we assume will be major players in the novel.
Gemma brought copies of her book, “What Heidi Knows”, and asked for some volunteer readers. Bob and Jim each took a copy and we look forward to their views about this dog story. Gemma also has a poem accepted for the anthology being put out by Polar Expressions. Congratulations.
Lynette and Norah and I didn’t read anything. But we sure enjoyed listening to everything. Maybe we’ll read next time.
The contest deadline for the Surrey International Writers’ Conference is 4:00 p.m., Friday, September 4th. You can find contest guidelines at www.siwc.ca
Next meeting will be here at my place on Wednesday, September 2nd at 7:00 p.m. Look forward to seeing you then.
Lisa
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Saturday, August 8, 2009
THE REVIEW
THE SONG OF SEVEN SCRIBES
There were seven of us again on Wednesday, all eager to meet and share with other writers. Gemma wasn’t able to attend, but Danny Halmo joined us for the first time, so we were still seven in number.
Margaret read first, her second to last chapter in the Peabody series. In ‘The Bishop’, we hear that Mr. Lamb, the farmer, is depressed about the loss of his still. The innkeeper tells him about a recipe that doesn’t require machinery to make, and so Mr. Lamb makes a concoction he calls ‘The Bishop’, and then puts up a sign inviting everyone to come and ‘enjoy The Bishop’. Marie sees the sign and rushes home to tell Rev. Peabody that the Bishop is staying at Mr. Lamb’s farm, instead of with them at the manse. Rev. Peabody thanks God for small miracles, as now he won’t have to give in to Marie and renovate the manse to accommodate such an esteemed guest.
Lynette read us “Who Is Salome?”, a lot of background information she had gathered after seeing the Strauss opera. But we were concerned that Lynette was only recapping what others had done, rather than telling us what she thought the story was really about. And we all encouraged her to write her own version, giving today’s world the female perspective of this character.
Danny read from his autobiography “One Flew Over The Racer’s Nest”. In the year 2000, he had a fight with his brother Tom, at Easter. Five days later Tom was in a car accident and ends up hospitalized. Shortly after that, Danny’s friend Walt was driving, drunk, and also badly injured in an accident. He is hospitalized two beds away from Tom. Unfortunately, Walt never recovered and died a year later.
Danny also read two poems from his book. ‘Les Miserables’ was about being on suicide watch while in jail in protective custody, awaiting transfer to a medical facility. ‘Hey Buddy’ was about finally being able to get over an ex-girlfriend with the help of friends.
Jason read to us a rewrite of his prologue, which strives to give us the context of the world where his novel takes place, an imperative in fantasy novels. As listeners, we thought things were a little slow until the arrival of the dragon and all the fire and action thereafter. I think Jim was the only listener who had read any fantasy, so the rest of us didn’t really know how much validity the change of prologue would have. I don’t know if we were any help at all.
Jim read to us further along in his first chapter, where Joseph sits down beside Daniella at the tennis club. He feels attracted to her and loves the fluidity of her long dark curls when she moves. But at the entrance of his former tennis partner, whom he had hurt, he feels obligated to take her to lunch and gets up and leaves. Daniella heard him admit he hurt the other woman, and is impressed he wants to make amends. She thinks she should ask him out on a date herself.
Bob didn’t have anything to read and nor did I. Maybe next time. Jim and Danny both have said they want to hear something Bob has written about the jewellery business.
I recently had a manuscript printed up down at Staples and found it to be a good solution. The manuscript was an MS Word document burned to a CD, 229 pages in length, double spaced. I took the CD down, and they printed the manuscript at $0.08 a page for that number of pages, which turned out to be less in cost than buying an ink cartridge and doing it myself at home. And the finished product came in a box, something to remember when you need a manuscript box for shipping. They also have a lot of options for binding, as well. So if you are thinking of putting together a publication of your own, be sure to go down and pick up their brochure.
Regarding Susan’s young adult novel on geo-caching, it was interesting to note that an activity now offered by Langley City is a family Saturday course on learning to geo-cache. I still think there’s a growing market for her novel.
Next meeting will be Wednesday, August 19th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Bring your Muse and I look forward to seeing you then.
Lisa
There were seven of us again on Wednesday, all eager to meet and share with other writers. Gemma wasn’t able to attend, but Danny Halmo joined us for the first time, so we were still seven in number.
Margaret read first, her second to last chapter in the Peabody series. In ‘The Bishop’, we hear that Mr. Lamb, the farmer, is depressed about the loss of his still. The innkeeper tells him about a recipe that doesn’t require machinery to make, and so Mr. Lamb makes a concoction he calls ‘The Bishop’, and then puts up a sign inviting everyone to come and ‘enjoy The Bishop’. Marie sees the sign and rushes home to tell Rev. Peabody that the Bishop is staying at Mr. Lamb’s farm, instead of with them at the manse. Rev. Peabody thanks God for small miracles, as now he won’t have to give in to Marie and renovate the manse to accommodate such an esteemed guest.
Lynette read us “Who Is Salome?”, a lot of background information she had gathered after seeing the Strauss opera. But we were concerned that Lynette was only recapping what others had done, rather than telling us what she thought the story was really about. And we all encouraged her to write her own version, giving today’s world the female perspective of this character.
Danny read from his autobiography “One Flew Over The Racer’s Nest”. In the year 2000, he had a fight with his brother Tom, at Easter. Five days later Tom was in a car accident and ends up hospitalized. Shortly after that, Danny’s friend Walt was driving, drunk, and also badly injured in an accident. He is hospitalized two beds away from Tom. Unfortunately, Walt never recovered and died a year later.
Danny also read two poems from his book. ‘Les Miserables’ was about being on suicide watch while in jail in protective custody, awaiting transfer to a medical facility. ‘Hey Buddy’ was about finally being able to get over an ex-girlfriend with the help of friends.
Jason read to us a rewrite of his prologue, which strives to give us the context of the world where his novel takes place, an imperative in fantasy novels. As listeners, we thought things were a little slow until the arrival of the dragon and all the fire and action thereafter. I think Jim was the only listener who had read any fantasy, so the rest of us didn’t really know how much validity the change of prologue would have. I don’t know if we were any help at all.
Jim read to us further along in his first chapter, where Joseph sits down beside Daniella at the tennis club. He feels attracted to her and loves the fluidity of her long dark curls when she moves. But at the entrance of his former tennis partner, whom he had hurt, he feels obligated to take her to lunch and gets up and leaves. Daniella heard him admit he hurt the other woman, and is impressed he wants to make amends. She thinks she should ask him out on a date herself.
Bob didn’t have anything to read and nor did I. Maybe next time. Jim and Danny both have said they want to hear something Bob has written about the jewellery business.
I recently had a manuscript printed up down at Staples and found it to be a good solution. The manuscript was an MS Word document burned to a CD, 229 pages in length, double spaced. I took the CD down, and they printed the manuscript at $0.08 a page for that number of pages, which turned out to be less in cost than buying an ink cartridge and doing it myself at home. And the finished product came in a box, something to remember when you need a manuscript box for shipping. They also have a lot of options for binding, as well. So if you are thinking of putting together a publication of your own, be sure to go down and pick up their brochure.
Regarding Susan’s young adult novel on geo-caching, it was interesting to note that an activity now offered by Langley City is a family Saturday course on learning to geo-cache. I still think there’s a growing market for her novel.
Next meeting will be Wednesday, August 19th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Bring your Muse and I look forward to seeing you then.
Lisa
Sunday, July 26, 2009
THE REVIEW
SUMMER TALES
Wednesday’s meeting saw seven of us gather to shoot the breeze, spin the yarn, and frolic in the fiction. An awesome good time!
Jason Vance was a new face. He’s writing a fantasy series based on the theme that because heaven is boring, individuals are allowed to experience the drama they crave by incarnating in physical existence where they are challenged by the illusion of so-called reality. The story includes characters and a dragon, entities lost on the astral plane, a murder, and an out-of-body experience. The first book is called “A Rude Awakening”, and is complete. Jason is looking to start submissions.
I read my Synopsis for “Fire”, and also my query letter to an agent (who rejected my ms.), as Jason said he would like to hear how I had written these two items.
Jim rewrote his first chapter 5 times after the last meeting, and read his revised beginning, with the focus now mostly on Joseph, through his own point of view, and also through that of his housekeeper. It more clearly stresses his mental illness, which is what catches the reader. Jim said he had also written a short story, and we hope to hear it sometime.
Margaret read her second to last chapter from “Blow Up The Castle!”, where nobody knows for sure if the Bishop is coming to visit, or where he is staying. Mr. Lamb, the sheep farmer who now has no still, brews up a new concoction he calls the 'Bishop', and puts up a sign inviting everyone to meet the 'Bishop' at his place. Marie thinks the real Bishop is going to stay with Mr. Lamb. Of course, Reverend Peabody is relieved that the Bishop is staying elsewhere, as he does not want to give in to Marie's demands the manse be updated and prettied up.
Bob is still watching baseball. He came all dressed up and looking spiffy, on his way back from a memorial service in Chilliwack.
Gemma has finished doing her re-writing of “Heidi Knows”, and says that’s it. No more. She’s tired of working on that story and will now turn her attention to other writing.
Lynette attended on Wednesday, and we were so pleased to see her after such a long time. She said she’s finally doing some writing again. She recently saw a play about Salome, and was struck that all the works about this Biblical character have been written by men. She really wants to write something that will give a needed comment from the female perspective.
We had some discussion about what constitutes the criteria for a Young Adult novel. I remember Susan researching this when she was here, and the main rule is that the protagonist must be in the age group of 13-18, and navigating the transition from childhood to adulthood. It is usually first or third person point of view. Average length is 40,000 to 75,000 words. It does not contain erotica, and any profanity must be used sparingly. And it is wise not to beat the readers over the head with moralizing. Teenagers are pretty savvy and they can slam a book shut as well as they can slam the door.
Next meeting will be here at my place on Wednesday, August 5th at 7:00 p.m. and I hope to see you then. And in the meantime, don’t melt in the heat wave.
Lisa
Wednesday’s meeting saw seven of us gather to shoot the breeze, spin the yarn, and frolic in the fiction. An awesome good time!
Jason Vance was a new face. He’s writing a fantasy series based on the theme that because heaven is boring, individuals are allowed to experience the drama they crave by incarnating in physical existence where they are challenged by the illusion of so-called reality. The story includes characters and a dragon, entities lost on the astral plane, a murder, and an out-of-body experience. The first book is called “A Rude Awakening”, and is complete. Jason is looking to start submissions.
I read my Synopsis for “Fire”, and also my query letter to an agent (who rejected my ms.), as Jason said he would like to hear how I had written these two items.
Jim rewrote his first chapter 5 times after the last meeting, and read his revised beginning, with the focus now mostly on Joseph, through his own point of view, and also through that of his housekeeper. It more clearly stresses his mental illness, which is what catches the reader. Jim said he had also written a short story, and we hope to hear it sometime.
Margaret read her second to last chapter from “Blow Up The Castle!”, where nobody knows for sure if the Bishop is coming to visit, or where he is staying. Mr. Lamb, the sheep farmer who now has no still, brews up a new concoction he calls the 'Bishop', and puts up a sign inviting everyone to meet the 'Bishop' at his place. Marie thinks the real Bishop is going to stay with Mr. Lamb. Of course, Reverend Peabody is relieved that the Bishop is staying elsewhere, as he does not want to give in to Marie's demands the manse be updated and prettied up.
Bob is still watching baseball. He came all dressed up and looking spiffy, on his way back from a memorial service in Chilliwack.
Gemma has finished doing her re-writing of “Heidi Knows”, and says that’s it. No more. She’s tired of working on that story and will now turn her attention to other writing.
Lynette attended on Wednesday, and we were so pleased to see her after such a long time. She said she’s finally doing some writing again. She recently saw a play about Salome, and was struck that all the works about this Biblical character have been written by men. She really wants to write something that will give a needed comment from the female perspective.
We had some discussion about what constitutes the criteria for a Young Adult novel. I remember Susan researching this when she was here, and the main rule is that the protagonist must be in the age group of 13-18, and navigating the transition from childhood to adulthood. It is usually first or third person point of view. Average length is 40,000 to 75,000 words. It does not contain erotica, and any profanity must be used sparingly. And it is wise not to beat the readers over the head with moralizing. Teenagers are pretty savvy and they can slam a book shut as well as they can slam the door.
Next meeting will be here at my place on Wednesday, August 5th at 7:00 p.m. and I hope to see you then. And in the meantime, don’t melt in the heat wave.
Lisa
Sunday, July 12, 2009
THE REVIEW
BACK IN PRODUCTION
Wednesday’s meeting was exciting, with five of us here, and after a month without a meeting. Gemma has decided to come back to our meetings after taking a long break to recover from injuries sustained in a car accident. And we have a new member, Jim Williams, who attended Wednesday as well. Jim has written an exceptionally long novel he is turning into a trilogy, and wants some serious feedback on his endeavors. Welcome, Jim, to the fold.
I shared some pictures and a note received from our dear Susan out in Newfoundland. There was an awesome picture of her and Chris with their five offspring, and a cute one of Declan with a hockey stick, standing by the net. As soon as school was out, they were all heading to Lancashire, England to visit Chris’s birthplace.
Sylvia Taylor attended a recent meeting of the Murrayville Library Writers’ Group, and talked about the publishing industry, the function of editors, and the basics of acceptable prose. She said the U.S. publishing industry has been in free fall since last year and the economic downturn, and that American agents and publishers are NOT accepting any new writers. But the Canadian publishing industry has still been plugging along, the same as always, as Canadians are wont to do, not huge or mega-successful, but still viable. Unfortunately, that means American agents and writers now have their eyes on getting published up here. Where is Canada Customs when you need them?
On the subject of what editors or contest judges look for, these are the points she stressed, in order of importance:
- Formatting of manuscripts!!! (double spaced, 12 point font, acceptable margins all around, pages numbered top right, title & author name & date top left every page, except for blind contest entries)
- Punctuation
- Language
- Point of view (only one per scene if using multiple points of view)
- Tenses
- Descriptions
- Dialogue
- Character development
- Show, don’t tell
- Story arc
- Weaving of plot and sub-plots
- Showing character remembering, or thinking, or use of flashbacks.
Sylvia also said that she is judging a novel writing contest back east this summer and with over a hundred novels to consider, there is a system judges tend to follow. They read the first page, the last page, and maybe every fortieth page in between to check for story arc.So there you have the latest info from somebody in the know
Jim was the first to read from his novel, “Power Tends To Corrupt”. Book One of his trilogy is “Joseph And Daniela”. In the first chapter we are introduced to Joseph, cutting back on his meds in order to fuel his obsession for writing. He wants control of the creative process, which he doesn’t have taking medication for a mental illness that is hinted at, but not clinically defined. Jim does a good job of showing Joseph’s teeter-tottering between reality and illusion, and how members of his household react. We look forward to meeting Daniela, the other protagonist in this story.
Margaret read another story from her Peabody collection we are now calling “Blow Up The Castle!”. The latest story is “Sheep Dip”, and tells of two detectives going to visit Mr. Lamb after his still blew up. He steadfastly maintains he was only brewing sheep dip, and that was what blew up. Margaret is almost at the end of the Peabody collection and is already planning another series of stories about a detective. Go, Margaret!
Gemma has done a lot of thinking and revising of her canine novel “What Heidi Knows”. She will use points of view of two different dogs, Heidi and Checkmate, and will title chapters/sections based on periods of history (ie: ‘Age of Innocence’).
Bob and I did not have anything of our own to read. I think Bob’s been watching baseball, and I’ve been very busy typing a manuscript for another writer.
Meetings this month are a little out of whack since the first Wednesday was a holiday. Our next meeting will be Wednesday, July 22nd at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Hope to see you then, and be sure to bring your Muse.
Lisa
Wednesday’s meeting was exciting, with five of us here, and after a month without a meeting. Gemma has decided to come back to our meetings after taking a long break to recover from injuries sustained in a car accident. And we have a new member, Jim Williams, who attended Wednesday as well. Jim has written an exceptionally long novel he is turning into a trilogy, and wants some serious feedback on his endeavors. Welcome, Jim, to the fold.
I shared some pictures and a note received from our dear Susan out in Newfoundland. There was an awesome picture of her and Chris with their five offspring, and a cute one of Declan with a hockey stick, standing by the net. As soon as school was out, they were all heading to Lancashire, England to visit Chris’s birthplace.
Sylvia Taylor attended a recent meeting of the Murrayville Library Writers’ Group, and talked about the publishing industry, the function of editors, and the basics of acceptable prose. She said the U.S. publishing industry has been in free fall since last year and the economic downturn, and that American agents and publishers are NOT accepting any new writers. But the Canadian publishing industry has still been plugging along, the same as always, as Canadians are wont to do, not huge or mega-successful, but still viable. Unfortunately, that means American agents and writers now have their eyes on getting published up here. Where is Canada Customs when you need them?
On the subject of what editors or contest judges look for, these are the points she stressed, in order of importance:
- Formatting of manuscripts!!! (double spaced, 12 point font, acceptable margins all around, pages numbered top right, title & author name & date top left every page, except for blind contest entries)
- Punctuation
- Language
- Point of view (only one per scene if using multiple points of view)
- Tenses
- Descriptions
- Dialogue
- Character development
- Show, don’t tell
- Story arc
- Weaving of plot and sub-plots
- Showing character remembering, or thinking, or use of flashbacks.
Sylvia also said that she is judging a novel writing contest back east this summer and with over a hundred novels to consider, there is a system judges tend to follow. They read the first page, the last page, and maybe every fortieth page in between to check for story arc.So there you have the latest info from somebody in the know
Jim was the first to read from his novel, “Power Tends To Corrupt”. Book One of his trilogy is “Joseph And Daniela”. In the first chapter we are introduced to Joseph, cutting back on his meds in order to fuel his obsession for writing. He wants control of the creative process, which he doesn’t have taking medication for a mental illness that is hinted at, but not clinically defined. Jim does a good job of showing Joseph’s teeter-tottering between reality and illusion, and how members of his household react. We look forward to meeting Daniela, the other protagonist in this story.
Margaret read another story from her Peabody collection we are now calling “Blow Up The Castle!”. The latest story is “Sheep Dip”, and tells of two detectives going to visit Mr. Lamb after his still blew up. He steadfastly maintains he was only brewing sheep dip, and that was what blew up. Margaret is almost at the end of the Peabody collection and is already planning another series of stories about a detective. Go, Margaret!
Gemma has done a lot of thinking and revising of her canine novel “What Heidi Knows”. She will use points of view of two different dogs, Heidi and Checkmate, and will title chapters/sections based on periods of history (ie: ‘Age of Innocence’).
Bob and I did not have anything of our own to read. I think Bob’s been watching baseball, and I’ve been very busy typing a manuscript for another writer.
Meetings this month are a little out of whack since the first Wednesday was a holiday. Our next meeting will be Wednesday, July 22nd at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Hope to see you then, and be sure to bring your Muse.
Lisa
Sunday, June 7, 2009
THE REVIEW
HEAT WAVE
Wednesday’s meeting was in the middle of the heat wave, but there were four of us here enjoying my air conditioning anyhow. Gemma arrived first, bringing a gorgeous orchid plant in apology for her long absence. We were thrilled to see her. And our faithful cohorts, Bob and Margaret, also attended.
Gemma wants to enter two contests, one at Polar Express and one at the Poetry Institute of Canada. She plans on sending one poem and one short story to each. With her short story “Out Of Order”, Gemma had to cut back the word count, and read to us her revision. If anything, it sounded even more powerful recounting a child choosing death rather than an upbringing in a convent when her own mother doesn’t want her. Gemma also read to us her short story “The Chase”, a humourous account of an escaped white pet mouse taking refuge in a mother’s purse. Because her boys are so upset at losing the mouse, she goes shopping for another one, but at the pet store the original mouse appears and is finally apprehended by the Mom. Gemma and I also exchanged finished novels for each other to read.
Margaret had her article “Gibsons” published in the June edition of Today’s Senior Newsmagazine. It tells of how friends she met while vacationing there during the summer later introduced Margaret to the man she married.
Margaret read a prologue she had written for her Peabody collection. It tells of the three reverends meeting at Cambridge University and becoming fast friends. They went their separate ways after graduating, but later all came together while officiating at three different churches in Wickerton. After some discussion, the title “Blow Up The Castle!” was chosen for Margaret’s collection of stories. That was the command often repeated by Joey, the parrot.
The next chapter “New Year’s Eve” was read by Margaret. Mr. Lamb, the sheep farmer, was bottling his distilled whiskey for their dinner guests up at the house, the three reverends. Mr. Lamb was sampling as he bottled. Mrs. Lamb wanted her guests to use noisemakers at midnight, when the church bell was supposed to ring. But there was a very loud explosion instead when the still blew up.
I read a revised story of mine called “His Rant”, which had been written when we took subject matter from ‘the bucket’. This is the story I entered in the contest at Polar Express. I did receive a rejection from the first agent I queried about my novel. Have to look for others to approach. The latest issue of “Writers’ Digest” suggests sending multiple submissions to agents, rather than one at a time.
Bob said he hadn’t done any writing as he’s been so busy, and of course, it’s baseball season, too.
As Margaret’s going on vacation, and the first Wednesday in July is a holiday, our next meeting isn’t scheduled until Wednesday, July 8th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Would love to see you then.
Happy Writing!
Lisa
Wednesday’s meeting was in the middle of the heat wave, but there were four of us here enjoying my air conditioning anyhow. Gemma arrived first, bringing a gorgeous orchid plant in apology for her long absence. We were thrilled to see her. And our faithful cohorts, Bob and Margaret, also attended.
Gemma wants to enter two contests, one at Polar Express and one at the Poetry Institute of Canada. She plans on sending one poem and one short story to each. With her short story “Out Of Order”, Gemma had to cut back the word count, and read to us her revision. If anything, it sounded even more powerful recounting a child choosing death rather than an upbringing in a convent when her own mother doesn’t want her. Gemma also read to us her short story “The Chase”, a humourous account of an escaped white pet mouse taking refuge in a mother’s purse. Because her boys are so upset at losing the mouse, she goes shopping for another one, but at the pet store the original mouse appears and is finally apprehended by the Mom. Gemma and I also exchanged finished novels for each other to read.
Margaret had her article “Gibsons” published in the June edition of Today’s Senior Newsmagazine. It tells of how friends she met while vacationing there during the summer later introduced Margaret to the man she married.
Margaret read a prologue she had written for her Peabody collection. It tells of the three reverends meeting at Cambridge University and becoming fast friends. They went their separate ways after graduating, but later all came together while officiating at three different churches in Wickerton. After some discussion, the title “Blow Up The Castle!” was chosen for Margaret’s collection of stories. That was the command often repeated by Joey, the parrot.
The next chapter “New Year’s Eve” was read by Margaret. Mr. Lamb, the sheep farmer, was bottling his distilled whiskey for their dinner guests up at the house, the three reverends. Mr. Lamb was sampling as he bottled. Mrs. Lamb wanted her guests to use noisemakers at midnight, when the church bell was supposed to ring. But there was a very loud explosion instead when the still blew up.
I read a revised story of mine called “His Rant”, which had been written when we took subject matter from ‘the bucket’. This is the story I entered in the contest at Polar Express. I did receive a rejection from the first agent I queried about my novel. Have to look for others to approach. The latest issue of “Writers’ Digest” suggests sending multiple submissions to agents, rather than one at a time.
Bob said he hadn’t done any writing as he’s been so busy, and of course, it’s baseball season, too.
As Margaret’s going on vacation, and the first Wednesday in July is a holiday, our next meeting isn’t scheduled until Wednesday, July 8th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Would love to see you then.
Happy Writing!
Lisa
Sunday, May 24, 2009
RAM'S HEAD REVIEW
SPRING IS SPRUNG
Wednesday’s meeting saw the faithful trio of Bob, Margaret and myself here to share our writing pursuits.
Bob is going to submit his story “Going Downtown” to the short story contest at the Poetry Institute of Canada. He brought it along and asked for help in re-writing it for submission. So we read the story aloud and verbally edited every paragraph and ended up with a version that satisfied the three of us. Great fun. But that only worked because Bob had brought a hard copy for each of us to look at. Smart man.
Margaret read two chapters from the Peabody collection. Peacock is interviewing applicant number five for the position of his housekeeper. Her name is Mrs. Mousley, but she was scared off when Joey started crying like a cat, a habit he picked up while visiting Marigold. Mrs. Mousley was afraid of cats. But she had suspiciously reminded Peacock of Goldie, as in Goldie and Sylvester, who had bombed the Inn on Guy Fawkes Day. Then Rev. Peasley visits and strongly advises Peacock not to hire applicant number six, as she is Miss Dye, who had talked to the town about the resident ghosts of the area. Peacock doesn’t believe in ghosts. But Miss Dye likes Joey, his parrot, so he hires her. She then asks him to call her by her first name, which just happens to be “Marigold”.
I read a short story by a writer at the Murrayville Library Writers’ Group, about a young girl growing up in Jamaica and staying at a boarding school. The girl and her sister and a friend had to take their dirty clothes and linens each Saturday to the on-site laundry, where they were terrified by the mechanic who looked after the boilers and equipment. This was an actual memoir and very interesting to read.
Last week I sent off a short story submission to Polar Express. Am also organizing things for the next novel I will write, putting together a binder with sections for character development, plot outline, chapter outline, research, and the actual writing I will do. This is something I learned I need while doing the first novel. It certainly simplifies the work process and is a great aid when I can’t remember how I spelled somebody’s name or in which chapter something specific happened. No problem with a short story, but by the time I had over a hundred pages in my novel, it was a real nuisance trying to find something. The chapter outline I did after writing each one became invaluable to me when I did the rewriting.
Hope everybody is enjoying the gorgeous spring weather that has finally arrived. It was sure a long time coming this year. Now we can take our notebooks outside to write!
Next meeting here at my place on Wednesday, June 3rd at 7:00 p.m. Hope to see you then. Happy Writing!
Lisa
Wednesday’s meeting saw the faithful trio of Bob, Margaret and myself here to share our writing pursuits.
Bob is going to submit his story “Going Downtown” to the short story contest at the Poetry Institute of Canada. He brought it along and asked for help in re-writing it for submission. So we read the story aloud and verbally edited every paragraph and ended up with a version that satisfied the three of us. Great fun. But that only worked because Bob had brought a hard copy for each of us to look at. Smart man.
Margaret read two chapters from the Peabody collection. Peacock is interviewing applicant number five for the position of his housekeeper. Her name is Mrs. Mousley, but she was scared off when Joey started crying like a cat, a habit he picked up while visiting Marigold. Mrs. Mousley was afraid of cats. But she had suspiciously reminded Peacock of Goldie, as in Goldie and Sylvester, who had bombed the Inn on Guy Fawkes Day. Then Rev. Peasley visits and strongly advises Peacock not to hire applicant number six, as she is Miss Dye, who had talked to the town about the resident ghosts of the area. Peacock doesn’t believe in ghosts. But Miss Dye likes Joey, his parrot, so he hires her. She then asks him to call her by her first name, which just happens to be “Marigold”.
I read a short story by a writer at the Murrayville Library Writers’ Group, about a young girl growing up in Jamaica and staying at a boarding school. The girl and her sister and a friend had to take their dirty clothes and linens each Saturday to the on-site laundry, where they were terrified by the mechanic who looked after the boilers and equipment. This was an actual memoir and very interesting to read.
Last week I sent off a short story submission to Polar Express. Am also organizing things for the next novel I will write, putting together a binder with sections for character development, plot outline, chapter outline, research, and the actual writing I will do. This is something I learned I need while doing the first novel. It certainly simplifies the work process and is a great aid when I can’t remember how I spelled somebody’s name or in which chapter something specific happened. No problem with a short story, but by the time I had over a hundred pages in my novel, it was a real nuisance trying to find something. The chapter outline I did after writing each one became invaluable to me when I did the rewriting.
Hope everybody is enjoying the gorgeous spring weather that has finally arrived. It was sure a long time coming this year. Now we can take our notebooks outside to write!
Next meeting here at my place on Wednesday, June 3rd at 7:00 p.m. Hope to see you then. Happy Writing!
Lisa
Sunday, May 10, 2009
THE REVIEW
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
Since I didn’t write a Review after our meeting in April, I will have to include news from two meetings this time.
On April 1st, Bob and Margaret joined me and Margaret was the only one who read. From the Peabody collection, she read “The Intruder”, which sees Marie come back to the smelly manse after staying overnight at the Inn. She opens the doors and windows to air the place out, then goes to get eggs at a farm. Meanwhile, Peabody gets up to a cold house and calls police to say there’s been an intruder, and the policeman tells Marie, who thinks it’s bad luck because the Xmas tree was removed before New Year’s. Peabody tells her he feels guilty for removing the tree, so then she feels sorry for him and puts the kettle on.
In Seniors Today, there was an article called “Just for Laughs” by Laszlo Tamas, Gemma’s husband.
On May 6th, Bob and Margaret again joined me for another meeting. Margaret brought pictures showing a brass plaque that’s on a pole in Vancouver. The plaque has Margaret’s story “Dinner At Love’s Café” on it. Isn’t that a great way of preserving an author’s work?
Bob read from his jewellery history, about the hub of the business being in the area of Hastings St. and Cordova. There was a very large diamond robbery on 1906, with $8500.00 in rings stolen, and a shot fired at a clerk pursuing the thieves. One thief was caught with 9 diamonds in the butt of a revolver. Bob also read an account of this episode from the Vancouver archives.
Margaret read about Reverend Peacock’s Christmas at Marigold’s in Gretna Green. Unfortunately, he fell out of the hole in the wall bed and Marigold called a vet to attend to his injuries. The vet was more interested in Joey, the squawking parrot. On his return home, he started interviewing for a new housekeeper. He kept praying for another Marigold.
While Sonny and Chantal and baby Grayson stayed with me in April, I asked Chantal to read my novel “Fire”, which she did. She said it was a good read and she really wanted to learn the identity of the arsonist. She also said there weren’t any parts in the book that she felt she had to slog through. This was all very pleasing for me to hear. Chantal is well educated and an avid reader of fiction, so I highly respect her opinion as a reader. After that good news, I sent off my first submission to an agent, which included cover letter, synopsis, and first two chapters.
Now I am getting organized to start another novel. I plan to continue with the same characters in the same setting, but this will be a murder mystery.
Ann is currently taking a course in the History of Africa at Kwantlen, and plans to take a creative writing course in the fall. Her community hosted a talk by Doris Reidwig about having her first novel published.
In yesterday’s Langley Times there was a call for submissions of poetry or short stories to a contest where a lot of submissions will be included in an anthology. You might want to take a look.
Next meeting here at my place on Wednesday, May 20th at 7:00 p.m. Hope to see you then, even if you haven’t written anything.
Lisa
Since I didn’t write a Review after our meeting in April, I will have to include news from two meetings this time.
On April 1st, Bob and Margaret joined me and Margaret was the only one who read. From the Peabody collection, she read “The Intruder”, which sees Marie come back to the smelly manse after staying overnight at the Inn. She opens the doors and windows to air the place out, then goes to get eggs at a farm. Meanwhile, Peabody gets up to a cold house and calls police to say there’s been an intruder, and the policeman tells Marie, who thinks it’s bad luck because the Xmas tree was removed before New Year’s. Peabody tells her he feels guilty for removing the tree, so then she feels sorry for him and puts the kettle on.
In Seniors Today, there was an article called “Just for Laughs” by Laszlo Tamas, Gemma’s husband.
On May 6th, Bob and Margaret again joined me for another meeting. Margaret brought pictures showing a brass plaque that’s on a pole in Vancouver. The plaque has Margaret’s story “Dinner At Love’s Café” on it. Isn’t that a great way of preserving an author’s work?
Bob read from his jewellery history, about the hub of the business being in the area of Hastings St. and Cordova. There was a very large diamond robbery on 1906, with $8500.00 in rings stolen, and a shot fired at a clerk pursuing the thieves. One thief was caught with 9 diamonds in the butt of a revolver. Bob also read an account of this episode from the Vancouver archives.
Margaret read about Reverend Peacock’s Christmas at Marigold’s in Gretna Green. Unfortunately, he fell out of the hole in the wall bed and Marigold called a vet to attend to his injuries. The vet was more interested in Joey, the squawking parrot. On his return home, he started interviewing for a new housekeeper. He kept praying for another Marigold.
While Sonny and Chantal and baby Grayson stayed with me in April, I asked Chantal to read my novel “Fire”, which she did. She said it was a good read and she really wanted to learn the identity of the arsonist. She also said there weren’t any parts in the book that she felt she had to slog through. This was all very pleasing for me to hear. Chantal is well educated and an avid reader of fiction, so I highly respect her opinion as a reader. After that good news, I sent off my first submission to an agent, which included cover letter, synopsis, and first two chapters.
Now I am getting organized to start another novel. I plan to continue with the same characters in the same setting, but this will be a murder mystery.
Ann is currently taking a course in the History of Africa at Kwantlen, and plans to take a creative writing course in the fall. Her community hosted a talk by Doris Reidwig about having her first novel published.
In yesterday’s Langley Times there was a call for submissions of poetry or short stories to a contest where a lot of submissions will be included in an anthology. You might want to take a look.
Next meeting here at my place on Wednesday, May 20th at 7:00 p.m. Hope to see you then, even if you haven’t written anything.
Lisa
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