Want to write a compelling piece for critique?

One of the key pieces of advice that bubbles to the surface of my consciousness time and time again is, "to write well, you have to read well."
That means reading the chosen piece twice. Once for shear enjoyment and then a second time to analyze the authors technique and craft points.
It also means, reading what you want to write - be it technology articles, poetry, literary fiction, historical non-fiction, travel writing, short stories, or mysteries in all their glorious sub-genres.
It's a tall order and that is why sometimes, picking a genre or theme and sticking with it is so important for new writers.
Focus and practice, not every four weeks, but every day develops a flow and a rhythm and there is no better way to do this than writing a short blog on a subject that interests or entertains you.
The blog can be set to private for you alone or shared with only those you nominate, at least until you're ready to face the world or have it face you.
If anyone would like help or advice in setting up there own blog drop me a line.

In the meantime, I can recommend reading Andrew McAleer's "The 101 HABITS of highly successful novelists" available on Amazon or on 14 day loan from our very own Lincoln Library.

To be verbs and avoiding 'was'

We discuss passive voice often at our meetings (some people even count the number of times was is used). Here's a neat explanation:

8. Am/Is/Are/Was/Were (“to be” verbs)
Action verbs are always preferable to state-of-being verbs. Use words that describe the action occurring. Rather than saying what something/someone is, show the reader what something/someone does.

Example: “I am envious of her success.” This can be revised as “I envy her success.”

Example: “She was dressed in leather chaps and a flannel shirt.” This can be revised as “She wore leather chaps and a flannel shirt.”

The above is from snippet is from

10 over used words - see the rest are here.

http://preciseedit.com/Article10OverusedWords/tabid/215/Default.aspx

It's a Mystery

Why are we in this financial mess? It's a mystery, or is it?

If it's due to incompetence then the telling of the story does not meet the criteria for the mystery genre.
If it is due to a criminal act, or a criminal act is implied then it does belong to the mystery genre.

Who says so?

Well, the authors, no less, of Mystery Writing in a Nutshell, John and Andrew McAleer.

Paragraph 1.1 quotes Otto Penzler's definition of a mystery as, "Any short work of fiction in which a crime or threat of a crime is central to the theme or plot. It is a broad definition, covering detective, espionage, suspense, and crime fiction. Horror or supernatural is not included."

So there you have it, at least for the purpose of Crimestalker's Casebook.

I'm told the library has a copy of this excellent little book, used by Andrew McAleer, Professor of Crime Fiction at Boston College, to teach his course.

If you want to get into mystery writing, (and by the way, it goes way beyond - a sort of Strunk and White for fiction writers) it is also available at Amazon.com for $9.95 new or less secondhand.

A challenge!

Last night's talk by Andy McAleer, author of MYSTERY WRITING IN A NUTSHELL and three mystery novels, was excellent. We had a nice turnout; thanks! Andy is a lawyer, works for the Department of Corrections, teaches mystery writing at BC in the evenings, and edits a literary magazine called CRIMESTALKERS CASEBOOK (see crimestalkers.com). In that semi-annual publication, he includes only short short stories (200 to 1200 words) and each issue ideally has a piece by a recognized mystery writer. He also has a book coming out this fall, 101 HABITS OF HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL NOVELISTS with a forward by Bill Pronzini. He left copies of the magazine for us.

He also donated a copy of UNIT PRIDE, a novel by his late father John McAleer and Billy Dickson; the pair met when Billy was incarcerated and wrote to John. It's a novel of the Korean War and was blurbed by Lt. General James M. Gavin, who served as Ambassador to France and then chairman of Arthur D. Little, Inc. (during my tenure; we used to exchange pleasantries in the halls.)

I am challenging Write Stuffers to write a short short story, 200-1200 words; make it a mystery and we can hone them and perhaps submit them to Andy for CRIMESTALKERS CASEBOOK. Let's say a September 30 deadline.

Mark your calendars, too, for two upcoming programs.
On Monday July 28, at 7 pm, attorney Dan Polvere will talk about Sherlock Holmes and the Speckled Band of Boston (that's not a title...). Should be interesting--let's quiz him on what makes Holmes so memorable and so lasting a character (it's over 100 years now...)

Then on Wednesday July 30, PLEASE PLEASE come hear JoAnne Deitch speak on "Publishing Your Book." She is an editor and former publisher with a lot of experience and will cover self-publication, the editing process, and if there's time, we may be able to present a short piece (say an opening sentence) for critique. (The opening sentence from your short short story, right?)

Have a good summer, keep cool (the AC has been repaired in the Tarbell Room) and keep writing. Jeanne

That's a good question

It's strange how much in the group develops by osmosis. It's only when someone new asks questions that this becomes evident. This blog is as good a place as any to record 'the way we work' when 'rules' would be too strong a term to describe it.

Question.

I see people provide written comments at the meeting, sometimes with every page covered in annotation. Is this required and what comments are acceptable?

Answer.

The basic rule is two things that worked well, two that can be improved. Many people choose to provide more, suggesting grammar and spelling corrections that would not be appropriate or a good use of time in the face to face setting of the meeting. In general writer's appreciate comments covering all aspects of their, including words of encouragement and positive reinforcement.

Question

Should a person providing comments assume that the piece submitted is for publication and address its suitability in their comments?

Answer.

Many people write for themselves and for the pleasure it gives them.

Others seek fame and some even fortune and openly declare such intent. Either way, it is a good idea when sending out work for comment to provide some idea of the target audience, e.g. young adult, mystery readers, cooking fiends, not for publication etc. and if the writer is seeking to have the work published, the potential markets considered/targeted.

Reading aloud in public

Congratulations to Amy, Neil, Palmer, Tim and Wes on their excellent public readings tonight.

From the ancient craft of boat building to head banging (slugging it out perhaps), a girls tormentors and her eerie stage presence, to making a perfect baby (made me smile) and getting fired in thriller set up - we had it all.

Neil's amusing introductions, the Tarbell room's ambiance, an appreciative audience and a generous helping of snacks (thanks to everyone who contributed) rounded out an most entertaining evening.

We should "play it again" soon.

Sepllnig mttaers not to unredsadntnig, but punctuation does.

Turn off your spell checker and get the first and last letters right and you are all set.

I pledge to be more tolerant of misspelled words - just as long as all the letters are present and the first and last letters are correct.

Now, if only the same also applied to punctuation.

The sentence - A woman without her man is nothing. - might offend some people when punctuated as follows:

A woman, without her man, is nothing.

Then again it might well offend others with this punctuation:

A women: without her, man is nothing.

Does anybody have other favorite 'eats shoots and leaves' type punctuation examples?

Wayside Magazine

Did anyone see the new quarterly magazine serving the towns of Lincoln, Wayland and Sudbury - very glossy, way upmarket advertisements and contributions from local writers.

There are no indications on pay rates (if any) and the website www.waysidemagazine.com is not up, but can not be far away and they are requesting submissions. It says it is distributed free to all homes in the listed towns.
Will the Lincoln Review answer the challenge and go glossy?

There is a very good article on CSA's in Lincoln and also one on Sophie Freud. The photographs are superb.

Write Stuff stay united as one.

The group decided not to split into two groups to provide a growing membership more reading slots.

Rationale:

• Leadership - someone has to volunteer to facilitate a second group. (Personal note: Neil is a tough act to follow.)
  
• Accommodation - loss of space due historic vault construction will make one group more difficult to arrange, let alone two.
• Many participants are not active writers, but provide comments - freeing up reading slots.
• Actively critiquing other's work can be as valuable as having one's own work critiqued.
• If participants limit comments to two things that work well and two that could be improved, then everyone will get a chance to speak.
• Some people prefer not to speak, but to provide written comments*.
• Summer's 'a coming' and numbers always drop.
• We know and trust each other and its helps to introduce new members into a consistent environment.
• We can procrastinate, which is a writer's second favorite pastime.
  

*caveat - providing comments only to the author does not contribute your insights to benefit the group

Feel free to add your own spin by clicking on the word comments below.

Note:
You do not need an account to add comments. Just find the anonymous 'radio button' on the comment page that opens.
Out of respect for others, if you do post using anonymous, please add your given name at the end of your comment.

Geoff

Writing exercises to do at lunch

Kate Flora - who incidentally is one of the publishers of Level Best Books, a collection of short stories that will include the Al Blanchard winner - posted these useful tips on getting the most out of your lunch time.

The post is on the Writers Plot blog that on Thursdays hosts our own Jeanne - who is keeping exalted company these days.

You can go straight to Kate's article by clicking on the title of this post.

Crimebake 2008

Jeanne mentioned the Mystery Writers of America annual conference sponsored by the New England Chapter and Sisters in Crime at our last meeting.
Jeanne also mentioned the Al Blanchard Award for short story fiction set in New England or by an New England based writer.
Al was a Lincoln resident, and among many things in his life time a teacher, mystery author and President of The New England Chapter of the Mystery Writers of America.
In what I can only describe as a sad twist of a story no one could have imagined, Al Blanchard passed away in his hotel room at the Crimebake conference in, I believe, 2004.

Details of the competition for stories of 5000 words or less can be found at

http://www.crimebake.org/Al.htm

Deadline is April 30, 2008. Last year there were only 80 entries, so the odds are better than those of winning the lottery. The prize is publication, a free dinner and attendance at Crimebake.

It's too early to register for Crimebak but I have added a link to under useful links on the left hand side.

It would be fun to attend with fellow Write Stuff members - it is after all where I met Jeanne, who told me about this particular group.

How many comments are enough?

Last night's meeting really got me thinking. We were a healthy sized group of about fifteen. Two comments each on things that worked, and two areas that might be improved adds up quickly to a whole lot of input – perhaps as someone rightly pointed out, enough to destroy the quality of the original work.

I think that's why it's important to take the comments as input and then, as the author, to decide which are relevant and improve it for its intended purpose and which would detract from that purpose.

Writing with purpose – or not.

Often, when I sit down and begin tapping away at the keyboard, I don't know where my initial thoughts will lead me. This approach, likened to throat clearing before making a speech, is an exercise recommended in a writing course I once took.
After a while, ideas take shape and, following several re-writes, they firm up and I understand the purpose or reason for writing the piece. If they don't, well it was just an exercise and is consigned to the wastebasket.
On other occasions, I plot and plan and storyboard and outline and then write. That usually happens for longer, or more complex works of fiction or non-fiction.
Knowing the intended purpose of the piece, its market if for publication and the target audience then helps me when in the self-editing mode.
When we pick up the New Yorker or National Enquirer, we know what to expect and how to receive it.
Describing the purpose of your work, whether intended for publication or not, and presented without the benefit of hardcover or magazine masthead, helps those reviewing or critiquing it to offer comments in an appropriate context.

Lincoln Library's very own blog

I just noticed that the Library has its own blog site (also using blogger). Clicking on the title of this post should take you there.

To comma, or not to comma.

We often have discussions, sometimes disagreements, about the use of commas.

I found this link to six rules for using commas. Click here.

Do these make sense? Is that all there is to it?

Any ideas or information about self-publishing?

Bill Lytle of Lincoln is looking for information on self-publising. Do you know anybody who's used XLibris, PublishAmerica or the like? Geoff, would Grub Street be able to give him any information? I suggested he Google and get opinions on the various vendors; some of the online discussions can be rather...lively. He's at 781/259-9859 and he (and I) would appreciate your calling him with your vast knowledge. Thanks. Jeanne

The burning Question

Now here is the question we writers must often ask:

Does anyone really understand what causes a writer to need to write?

How about some new postings, guys!

Mary Ann