Next Noble Pen Meeting

August 4th, 2016 at 7 pm

Scott’s Family Restaurant

1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

News

Film studios often turn a hit movie’s script into a book to ride its popularity.  But they buy rights to many more books and scripts than they turn into movies.  Now someone is adopting an unusual business plan, buying scripts the large studios have abandoned and turning them first into books, and possibly into movies.

Victories

Dylan wrote 18k words in a two-day writing binge.  He finished a commission.

Randy finished the draft of Sins at 93k words.

Ciuin edited part of Chessmaster, reducing it by 3k words and changing the ending.

Shannon spent two weeks at a Master Class writing workshop.

Cassie’s second book is through edit and into the publishing process.

Education

Worldbuilding is important to your story, whether it deals with a subculture in Cedar Rapids, ancient Mesopotamia, or the natives on the planet Gzhorg. The writer has to select where the story is placed, who is involved, and which cultural aspects are significant to the story.  David Hair lists thirteen  basic principles that will usually apply in any world of people.   Using most of those rules will make the story more believable to readers.  Breaking one or more can make your story interesting.

Fiction Factor lists a bunch of resources for world builders, including some setting or world building comments that are more generally applicable than just to F&SF.  This one applies  to a wide range of genres.

Patricia C. Wrede of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America offers an extensive list of questions to help fiction writers build their story’s world.  Even Wikipedia has some suggestions on methods, although a bit dry to read.

Here’s a lighthearted checklist to avoid for fantasy authors.  Despite their warning, I wouldn’t worry if you match some of the tropes, but you don’t want too many of them to apply.

Upcoming Schedule

August 4
Nick (5300)
Aime W. (4000)
Ciuin (2700)

August 11
Ciuin
Randy
Open slot

August 18
Laura
Stacy H.
Aime W. (?)

August 25
Open slots

Sept 1
Stacie S.
Open slots

Sept 8
Open slots

Keep Writing,
Bill