COLA III Meeting Recap for 04/13/2021
NINE of us made it to the meet. SIX read for critique:
With nine of us there, this meeting marks our highest attendance this year (we’ve been averaging seven). Actually, it is our highest since Jan 14 of 2020, when we had eleven. Even with the disruptions of last year, we averaged seven attendees then as well. Of course, we’ve only had seven meetings so far this year, so the numbers are a bit skewed.
We welcomed a new writer to our group this week. Abby Morales writes novels, having self-published one and is working on another. She says she wants to “get connected with some like-minded individuals to sharpen my writing skills.” We hope to be that kind of help for her. She contributed, ably, to our critiques.
Kudos are in order for our own Larry Cobb. Larry has just published his novel, The Letters in the Attic, on Amazon. This is the novel he read for us through all of last year and the first part of this one.
The Letters in the Attic by Larry Cobb
You can purchase Larry’s book HERE on Amazon.com. If we buy The Letters in the Attic, we can probably persuade Larry to sign our copies. Congratulations Larry!
And speaking of congratulations, our meeting night was also Chris and Jim’s wedding anniversary! Larry and Carolyn provided cupcakes in their honor. So congrats to Chris and Jim!
Danielle also has some kudos coming to her. She has submitted to the Moonshine Review Press poetry contest. Also known as KAKALAK, the press promotes the poetry and art of the Carolinas. Good luck, Danielle!
As I said, our attendance at this meeting was the highest we’ve had in a while. With six of us reading, we struggled to finish by 9:00pm. We also lost control of our critiquing process and we need to recommit to it, especially if we continue to have a high attendance. So let’s use our initial thirty minutes next week to review our process and make sure we understand and adhere to it. It is actually a pretty good process, we just need to diligent in following it. I will send out a copy of our process to everyone before the meeting so we can all can review it.
COLA3's next meeting is scheduled for April 27th.
Ray
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ELEMENTS OF THE WRITING CRAFT CHALLENGE
PART I: STORYTELLING
LESSON: 18 REVELATION
PRINTED BOOK PAGES: 24-25
READING EXCERPT: The Doctor by Andre Dubus
Monday morning an answer—or at least a possibility—was waiting for him, as though it had actually chosen to enter his mind now, with the buzzing of the alarm clock. He got up quickly and stood in a shaft of sunlight on the floor. Maxine rolled away from the clock and was still asleep.
MY NOTES ON THE LESSON
This lesson is about using revelation as a turning point for a character. It can be as compelling and jarring as any physical action. In the excerpt, Mr. Dubus shows revelation sneaking up on his character through a “nonthinking” activity such as sleeping. The exercises encourage us to consider other nonthinking activities that cover the deep, subconscious levels of our psyche that carry on the ruminating process even as our conscious minds shut down. This I where “Eureka!” moments come from and their depiction can be very effective in our fiction. That’s especially so, I think, when they are coupled with a contrasting, not-involved, character. The clueless person highlights the individual nature of this kind of revelation.
MY ANSWERS TO THE WRITING POSSIBILITIES
1. Make a list of ten times when your mind is not paying attention to itself.
1. Driving a familiar road 6. Waiting in dentist office
2. Watching a boring TV show 7. Listening to HR video
3. Listening to a conversation 8. Sitting in barber chair
4. Brushing teeth 9. Soaking in a hot tub
5. Fishing 10. Watching NASCAR
2. Write a paragraph in which you give one of these activities to a character. Now bring her out of her quiet with an opposite action accompanied by the idea she’s been waiting for.
Subtle as a heart attack. Of course. Fred Sanford faking an attack to make his point. You big dummy! Pam felt like a dummy. Why hadn’t she seen through Prospero’s guise? He was no dummy. He was a near-genius, living in his trailer for years, collecting measurements, readings, observations, and books—piecing together the outlines of the horror flying over our heads.
3. Now create a new paragraph in which you give your character an unaffected companion.
Jeb guffawed at Sandford and Son. “They don’t do comedy like that anymore,” he said, propping his feet on the coffee table. “They can’t do it. Too much political correctness.”
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WRITING MY NOVEL
Construction: Story Event
I have found that most often when I have trouble with a scene’s construction, it comes from not having the “story event” for the scene clear in my head. As you might expect, the story event is what happens in a scene (or a segment, act, or the whole story). I find that’s not enough for me, though. I need some guidance in defining the event, and in understanding it, so I can be clear in working out the other elements for a scene (character, subplot, theme, imagery, etc).
Scene Sketch
Much of my understanding of “event” comes from The Story Grid by Shawn Coyne and from A Practical Handbook for the Actor by Melissa Bruder. While the Actor’s Handbook addresses the “event” concept from the standpoint of acting, it’s ideas are germane to fiction writing. In fact, this little handbook is a gem for gaining an understanding of dramatic concepts and analyzing scenes.
The Actor’s Handbook speaks of a scene’s “action” rather than “event,” but it is referring to the same concept. It defines “action” as a scene’s “…physical pursuance of a specific goal.” Further, a scene’s action (event) has the following characteristics:
1. Capable of being physically done.
2. Done with believable motivations by the characters.
3. Specific in action and results.
4. Testable in other characters.
5. Not an errand—must be possible to fail.
6. Not presupposing any physical or emotional state (these arise from the event).
7. Not manipulative—not meant to produce a desired emotional state.
8. Endable—have a “cap” or endpoint that completes the event/action.
9. In line with the story plot/themes/characters.
Each of these points are expanded upon in the Actor’s Handbook, so I refer you there for thorough explanations. I’ll just say that in thinking of a scene’s event, it needs to be a very definite “thing.” Even if the “event” is a an internal—a decision that impacts substantially on the protagonist.
Point four refers to using reactions between actors to judge whether a scene contains an event. So if a scene event is “John convinces Bill to plant petunias,” the result should be Bill planting petunias or not. The point is that there is an action/event that, whether it happens or not, anchors the scene’s dramatic arc.
Which takes us to point five. It must be possible for the event to fail. Bill may not be convinced by John that petunia planting is something he wants to do. If an action cannot fail (John telling Bill it is good to plant petunias but having no stake in convincing him to do it) then it is not an event, but an errand (message delivery). When a scene strikes me as weak, it is usually because the “event” is an errand.
The event should not assume a certain emotional state in the characters, but should arise from the working out of the event. Also, the aim of the event should not be to produce an emotional state, but the emotion should arise from it. This point is a little gray and may pertain more to acting. Generally, though, I think a dramatic arc will play out better if it is not manipulative of character emotions.
An endpoint is important. That is, there should be a definite ending to the working out of an event. Not only should the reader be able to identify a scene’s event, he should be able to see when it ends.
The very idea of storytelling is often expressed as “something happens.” A story is often defined as a “series of events.” I think this is true, even if the events are internal.
As with the dramatic arc, the idea of a central event applies to scenes, groups of scenes, acts, and the story as a whole. And, like the arc, the writer may not think a lot about events as he writes, but they should become evident in the process of revision.
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ARTICLES AND OTHER WORTHIES
Here are a few articles, podcasts, and videos that might inspire and lift your spirits.
Write On SC shownotes
Episode 141: The Core Wound
On April 10th, Rex was back! We took on the idea of the core wound and its impact on the character.
Yak Babies
144- Canon or Cannon: George Orwell’s 1984
Canon is Cannon. The pals discuss George Orwell's 1984 and whether it's as important as everyone who hasn't read it says it is.
145- The Worst Books We Ever Read
The pals discuss the worst books they ever read. Most they read while drunk.
Write By Night
Discussion questions: Should fiction writers create only characters that readers will like? If we write unlikeable characters, does it mean we’re writing unlikeable books or stories? As a reader, do you need to like a character in order to enjoy a book? Can you relate to or identify with an unlikeable character and therefore still enjoy the book? Do you even prefer unlikeable characters?
My Reply.
Discussion questions: As a reader, how does a writer hook you within the first few lines of a book or story? As a writer, how do you hook a reader with your opening? Share the best opening you’ve ever written, or share one you’re currently struggling with (and tell us what the struggle is). And don’t be afraid to comment on another writer’s opening!
My Reply.
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CALENDAR
COLA3 Meetings for 2021:
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