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Six of us made it to the meet. Four read for critique:
Our Writing Goals:
Our numbers were down a bit, but it did allow for some flexibility in our critiques, especially with only four of us reading. We were able to get into some discussion on story formats and options without concerns for burning too much time. It created kind of a “workshop” dynamic that I think everyone enjoyed and benefited from.
We continued reading from our ongoing projects, though Danielle brought a new prose poem. That poem contributed to a “military history” theme that arose among us. In particular, Danielle’s poem and Larry’s novel excerpt. These concerned letters being written home by soldiers/marines who were either in training or in the field. Certainly, such letters can be a powerful way to create an ambiance of time and place for a story (or poem). They can also create sympathy for a character and provide a tool for providing information in place of a flashback.
Jim’s reading featured a 1933 newspaper clip, which augmented our soldiers’ letters discussion with considerations for how such source material can be used/presented in a work. I think the consensus was that there are many ways to do it. Which one a writer decides upon is mostly an artistic decision, depending on the kind of work being written and what the writer wants to achieve.
Larry added his own interesting note to the discussion by reading an actual letter he wrote home from boot camp as a young marine-in-training in 1966. Such material is grist for the writing mill. It made me consider memoir, which is the theme of the latest issue of The Writer magazine (see below, Articles and Other Worthies). Specifically, what are the writing possibilities from taking a personal artifact (like Larry’s letter) and using it as a base from which to say something in a memoir format. We didn’t get into that during our meeting, it’s just something that occurred to me.
After our readings, the evening was still young so we discussed a number of writing subjects. The main one was about creating an author platform. It seems this was the topic of the SCWA Summer Series that day. Such a platform is about creating an Internet presence with the intent of becoming known. It’s a poor writer’s marketing strategy, but it can be effective. My study and playing with the idea over the years has led me to the conclusion that it can be helpful, but is a lot of work. It can also be a distraction from actual writing.
I’m not saying that an author’s platform (i.e., Internet presence) is not worthwhile, but that a balance needs to be found between maintaining/leveraging that platform and producing work. The latter is the most important, else your platform has no point or it becomes something else.
A major goal of an author’s platform (according to many commentators on the subject) is the creation of an email list (like the Chapter Three email list, for example). This list is composed of people who have elected to follow the writer’s work. Email lists typically grow from the writer regularly offering something of value for free. These offerings include such things as advice on a subject important to the followers (like writing), or freelance market info, or day-trading tips, etc. The possibilities are endless, but they do need to be important to a target group. This group joins the writer’s email list and become potential buyers of the writer’s books. Obviously, the larger the email list, the better.
That’s the author’s platform theory in a nutshell. I’ve never been able to build mine to the point of a long email list. I do maintain two websites and a social media presence (mostly Twitter, a seldom used Facebook account, and an author/reviewer’s page on Amazon) but I’ve not built a following. At least, not an expressive one. But again, I don’t have a major book to offer or anything else other than book reviews and essays (blog posts). There are many books and Internet articles on the subject of platforms if you want to pursue it. Books by Tim Grahl and Craig Martelle are a place to start.
Finally, our group shared in a kind of micro flea market. Larry had a couple of boxes of vinyl records he was giving away. Jim and Chris offered some vegetables from their garden. I took a bag of jalapeno peppers. Chris also shared a recipe for Jalapeno Poppers with me, which I’m passing along below.
Our next meeting is scheduled for July 28th.
You can always check the status for the next scheduled chapter meeting here.
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PART I: STORYTELLING
LESSON 1: OPENING WITH THE STORYTELLER
PRINTED BOOK PAGES: 4-5
READING EXCERPT: The opening to Moby Dick by Herman Melville.
Call me Ishmael. Some years ago—never mind how long precisely—having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world.
From Moby Dick by Herman Melville
MY NOTES ON THE LESSON
The first part of Elements of the Writing Craft is about STORYTELLING and deals with the different aspects of telling your story, whether fiction or nonfiction. For fiction writers this concerns plotting, but the lessons are even more elemental, focusing on the sentence-by-sentence movement of the telling. You'll see that this applies to nonfiction as well.
The first seven lessons concern openings, that is, how we start our stories. The very first lesson is about starting with the focus on the narrator--the storyteller. These openings immediately introduce a character, with the emphasis being on the character more than the situation (i.e., inciting incident, setting, location, etc).
This first lesson presents us with the potential power of starting a story this way, pointing out the tone that it can set right off, and even the mysteries it can plant. The Writing Possibilities direct us to explore some different angles for the Storyteller Opening.
In my solutions, I drew from an idea I considered for the framework of an anthology. The setup involves writers hiding their insecurities behind pen-names in the sense that Melville's protagonist hides behind a pseudonym. Such masks, even when known, can keep people apart and dancing around one another throughout a story. Seeing their true selves emerge, or not, can be a source of much drama.
The second writing possibility exercise is a variation on the first, showing a writer not quite confident at living up to the promise of her pen-name. I expounded on that theme in the third exercise where we're showing character relations through introductions. There, I'm trying to hint that the two characters are starting off at different places with regards to how they see themselves through their pen-names. The idea is that they will grow from there towards, or away from, the promise of their pseudonyms and maybe towards-or-away from each other.
The last exercise is in two parts and, to me, is a study of contrasts. We're supposed to use our normal method of introducing ourselves in an opening and I used my normally introverted style, putting it in the mouth of the Dustin character. He would be intimidated by an author who has achieved local success whereas the gregarious editor and part-time agent, Chuck, would see him as a source for potential business.
The reading for this lesson is the famous start of Moby Dick that is Mr. Olmstead's model for an opening that introduces a character. It is of the introductory sort that was common for nineteenth century novels and not generally tolerated by agents and publishers today. Such introductions are usually expositions of the author's voice, though Melville used his protagonist’s voice, making it an expression of Ishmael’s character. More typical for that time period would be the opening to H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds, which is not identified with a character but still effective.
I have experimented with such "stage setting" openings. They sound dramatic and the idea, I think, is that they setup the story's mystery-tension right off and then the plot can unfold within that framework. In the stories that make up my collection, The Wider World, I replaced all such openings with action scenes. This was probably good for the most of the stories but maybe not so much for Madam President where the original opening was:
I sold my soul to the Devil. I know it now. At the time I thought I was just getting the endorsement of a very powerful man. He was bizarre, but then, the head of an international banking cartel can afford to be. Especially when he has the power to decide an American presidential election. Awe of that power made me devalue my immortal soul. You see, I believed Eleazar Santos could make me the first woman President of the United States.
It was an opening with the storyteller and introduced some tension. It might have worked.
MY ANSWERS TO THE WRITING POSSIBILITIES
1. Write a paragraph in which you introduce a character to begin a story.
I'm Dustin Press, the author of The Table's Turning and many short works of mystery and murder. At least, according to my bio. Not that my bio's wrong. I did write The Table's Turning and some short fiction in the mystery genre, mostly self-published on my website. And I wrote it all under the name of "Dustin Press," which struck me as a very literary pen-name. Sounds like an imprint. I even used it to register at the 2016 Magnolia Writer's Conference in Natchez, Mississippi. I stuck with it as I sat around a campfire on a sandbar with my associate author wannabes, drinking a local brew that made a pilgrimage to William Faulkner's home seem like a good idea.
2. Write an opening paragraph in which the character introduces himself by saying who he is not.
I'm not Jane Dodd. Jane Dodd is a Functional Analyst who works for a state agency, accounts for every second of her day in a timesheet, feeds too many stray cats, and can't get a good man interested. I look and act like her a lot, but not in the good times. The real times. Then I'm Alicia Kensington, author of historical romances who tells the tales of temptresses and beguilers of highland warriors and Jamaica buccaneers.
3. Write a paragraph in which characters meet and greet each other and try to characterize the relationship by the type of greeting.
Having introduced me to the group's mystery writer, the science fiction writer, the military action writer, the paranormal romance writer, and the urban fiction writer, Chuck swung me around to a thirty-something woman whom I can only describe as "mousey."
"And this is Alicia Kensington," Chuck said, keeping his hand on my back and pointing me at the woman who was barely keeping her "flight" reaction in check. "She's our historical romance writer."
The woman made a couple of false starts at extending her hand before she left it out there for me to shake.
"Jane Dodd, actually," she said.
4. Have a char use your personal method of introduction, introducing himself to another char who is a stranger. Write a few lines of dialogue. Then, in a new scene, have a char use a method completely different from your.
4a. [My method: feeling assaulted by a strong personality and so withholding.]
"I'm Joseph Sharp," he said, and extended his hand to me. I took it.
"Dustin Press," I said. I felt the doubt in his eyes behind his perfunctory smile and considered telling him my real name.
"Nice to meet you," he said. He released my hand and immediately turned to Chuck.
4b. [Not my method: overwhelming the other person to make points, etc.]
"I'm Joseph Sharp," he said, and extended his hand to Chuck.
Chuck pumped his hand enthusiastically. "Mr. Sharp, what a pleasure to finally meet you. I'm Chuck Sandler. I work for Writer's Weekly. I'm an agent too, and I'm impressed with your work's local appeal. Have you considered reaching out to a national readership?"
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Recipe offered by Chris Lyles.
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Here are a few articles, podcasts, and videos that might inspire and lift your spirits.
Write On SC shownotes
Episode 101: Summer Reads and Other Good Advice
On June 27, 2020, Kasie went solo in the studio and talked about a hodge podge of things.
Episode 102: You Know Less Than You Think You Do
On July 4, 2020, Kasie and Rex were in the studio to take on that most American of all traits: overestimating your own competence.
Episode 103: Publishing Options
On July 11, 2020, Kasie and Rex took on the three major categories of publishing.
Yak Babies
108- Typeface and Book Design
The pals talk about how the design and aesthetics of a published book affect their reading and enjoyment.
110- Romance Novels
The pals discuss romance, a genre they are wildly ill-equipped to discuss intelligently.
111- The Death and Return of eReaders
Thousands of years ago, the Yak Babies ran Chamber Four, which featured the internet's most prominent (good luck fact checking that) eReader hub. Few really cared about eReaders then, and less do now. The pals look back on the formats' slow, quiet demise and wonder if they have any future beside the Kindle.
The Writer Magazine
Top tips for older writers who want to write a memoir
These tried-and-true tips for older writers who want to write a memoir will help you begin your path to sharing your wisdom and memories with the world. NOTE: I posted this in the last C3 issue, too. But I referred to memoirs in the Meeting Recap, so I’m including it again.
How to foster more empathy in your memoir
A successful memoir hinges on empathy – for your characters, yes, but also for yourself. Here’s how to convey it in every direction on the page.
Write By Night (Blog)
Discussion questions: What is the best thing you’ve written this year? A line or passage that made you sit back and think, “Wow, I’m a talented writer!” And are you willing to share it with us? If so, copy/paste it in the comments below. Provide some context if you want, or let your words speak for themselves. Fiction or non, poetry or screenplay, even text message or email, let’s see an example of your best work of 2020.
My Reply.
Discussion questions: Are you on pace to hit the 2020 writing and reading goals you laid out at the beginning of the year? In what ways has the COVID-19 situation affected, or even altered, your goals and your approach? What’s your plan for the rest of the year, reading- and writing-wise? What are the biggest roadblocks in your way?
My Reply.
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Remaining COLA3 Meetings for 2020:
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