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Next Noble Pen Meeting
May 30th, 2013 at 7 pm
1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids
News
A unpublished novel by Nobel Prize winner Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973) was recently found in storage and is being published. Keep you unpublished work — your grandchildren may be able to reap the reward after your other books succeed.
Victories
Ciuin survived the semester and aced all her papers including the final in the writing course. An author to whom she had complained about Romani stereotypes has apologized and asked her to consult on the next book to get it right.
Bill actually wrote fiction for a few hours.
Education
Commas are often a sore subject for writers. There are grammatical rules to dictate some of their uses, but they may also be used for effect, such as pauses . Fortunately, the rules are somewhat flexible and you have leeway. Unfortunately, the rules are somewhat flexible and you never are sure what is right or wrong or will fit an editor’s styling preferences.
Wikipedia summarizes the uses of the comma. They may be used for lists, separation of dependent clauses, setting off non-essential interrupting phrases, setting off initial adverbs (like therefore, however, and so), between multiple adjectives, and several other ways.
An optional comma can be used to indicate where the writer wants the reader to pause in a sentence. This changes the emphasis of the parts of the sentence, and can help in parsing a complicated sentence or suggest which of multiple interpretations is intended. It is not necessary to put a comma everywhere you pause, however.
A frequent problem is running two sentences (independent clauses) together into one using a comma instead of a conjunction. Wikipedia and Tina Blue explain comma splice problems, but she also has some partly contrary examples showing how comma splices can be used artistically. Wikipedia also
The Most Comma Mistakes shows us what we probably most need to watch out for.
Most writers paragraph for effect, punctuate on impulse, and let split infinitives and comma splices fall where they may. Omnivorous reading substitutes for systematic study. Syntactic nomenclature is a thing they learn only if, somehow trapped into teaching others the craft, they find themselves in need of terms to describe the errors of their students. ~Dwight Swain
I have spent most of the day putting in a comma and the rest of the day taking it out. ~Oscar Wilde
And finally, a slightly risque cartoon, the Comma Sutra.
Upcoming Schedule
May 30th
Jed
Tyree
Ciuin
June 6th
Aimee
Jed
Janice
June 13th
Jed
Open slots
June 20th
Open slots
June 27th
Open slots
Keep Writing,
Bill
Next Noble Pen Meeting
May 23rd, 2013 at 7 pm
1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids
News
Publishers had a good sales year, and ebooks accounted for 20% of sales.
The Justice Department is still putting together a case on ebook price fixing, with Apple taking much of the heat.
Victories
Dylan’s submission to Harper Voyager is one of 900 that passed the first round out of 4600 submitted.
Tyree’s doctor says he will probably live a while longer. He didn’t promise long enough to see Nyx’s century, however.
Education
A couple weeks ago we saw some articles about having a character change through the events of the plot. There are many ways a character can change. Nancy Kress discusses characters that do or do not change in personality, or in motivation.
Lillie Ammann talks about motivations a character might have.
Wanting something is not enough. You must hunger for it. Your motivation must be absolutely compelling in order to overcome the obstacles that will invariably come your way.
~Les Brown
When an actor comes to me and wants to discuss his character, I say, ‘It’s in the script.’ If he says, ‘But what’s my motivation?, ‘ I say, ‘Your salary.’ ~Alfred Hitchcock
We would frequently be ashamed of our good deeds if people saw all of the motives that produced them. ~Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Upcoming Schedule
May 23rd
Janice
Jed
Rachel
May 30th
Jed
Tyree
Open slot
June 6th
Aimee
Open slots
June 13th
Open slots
Keep Writing,
Bill
Next Noble Pen Meeting
May 16th, 2013 at 7 pm
1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids
News
Please read the Member Guide on the web site and reply to the moderator or at the meeting with any suggested changes.
–//–
Dylan is preparing for a panel discussion and would like to be reminded of any sci-fi women characters in military situations.
–//–
The summer (northern hemisphere) edition of Science Fiction News is available.
Along with more literary matters, they report the gossip that Gandalf will officiate at the marriage of Captain Jean Luc Picard to his fiancee.
Victories
Dylan lost a commission due to delays, but will now have more time for other writing. He got 4th place in the first round of a writing contest and advances to the next round.
Education
The writer must balance between conflicting advice:
-Uncertainty is what makes tension. Tension is what keeps the reader turning pages. A shoot-out has no tension if we are sure the good guy won’t get hurt. A romance has no tension if we know how the girl will end up with the prince. A murder mystery usually isn’t mysterious if we know who did it and how.
-No “deus ex machina”, pulling a miracle out of nowhere to save the protagonist. You can’t make up an ending that has no roots in the earlier pages. Important events should be foreshadowed. The Ellery Queen mysteries had a rule that the reader should always think at the end that they could have figured out the mystery, because all the necessary clues were there.
-Chekhov’s gun: if there is a gun on the mantelpiece in an early scene, it must be used later in the story. The reader shouldn’t have to remember and sort through too much irrelevant detail.
—–
So how do you put in all the information, and omit irrelevant information, without spoiling the uncertainty? If everything is important, there isn’t much room for uncertainty. Some writers advise a moderate amount of misdirection.
-Give the important event or fact an obvious, unimportant reason to be there. Let the reader assume a lower relevance for events than they turn out to have. Use details that just seem like scene-setting but turn out to be critical.
-Think like the stage magician, who keeps you focused on one had while the other does the tricky work. Give the reader clearly vital information but distract them by immediately going into the battle, chase, or emotional confrontation.
-Let something obviously important turn out to have a different meaning than assumed.
-Don’t lie to the reader, or place too much emphasis on the red herring, or they will feel cheated. Just lead them to lie to themselves.
See these articles: misdirection, another, and this one.
Upcoming Schedule
May 16th
Jed
Tyree
May 23rd
Janice
Jed
Open slots
May 30th
Aimee
Tyree?
Open slot
June 6th
Open slots
Keep Writing,
Bill
Next Noble Pen Meeting
May 9th, 2013 at 7 pm
1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids
News
Welcome to Rachel and Barbara, who found the group.
Major publishers have loosened their policies on libraries lending e-books.
Victories
Nick sent a train spotting report to his associates and it was well-received. He wrote more on his sci fi story.
Janice got feedback from a reader who finished and commented on her story.
Education
Many, if not most, good novels show the protagonist, and perhaps other characters, changing in some way as a result of the experiences of the plot. Here’s a discussion of how to show your characters changing. Another article discusses possible changes and this one evaluates several movies as examples to see how the characters changed.
Life is a series of experiences, each of which makes us bigger, even though it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and grieves which we endure help us in our marching onward. ~Henry Ford
Nothing contributes to the entertainment of the reader more than the change of times and the vicissitudes of fortune. ~Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BCE)
When writing a novel a writer should create living people; people not characters. A character is a caricature. ~Ernest Hemingway
Upcoming Schedule
May 9th
Jed
Tyree
May 16th
Jed
Tyree
Open slot
May 23rd
Janice
Open slots
May 30th
Open slots
Keep Writing,
Bill
Next Noble Pen Meeting
May 2nd, 2013 at 7 pm
1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids
News
Wikipedia is moving American Women Novelists to a subcategory, leaving men as American Novelists, bringing charges of being sexist.
Victories
Tyree received a copy of the newly published steampunk anthology Gadgets that he contributed to. He reports the convention in Nebraska was a good one.
Aimee got her old computer to work, and recovered all of her old writing files.
Education
Adverbs have a bad reputation among writers. Often (but not always) instead of using the adverb, there is a clearer or more forceful way to say the same thing that will improve the reader’s experience. Be sure you have the best nouns, verbs, and adjectives you can find before resorting to adverbs. Be sure any adverb you use adds something that isn’t already obvious. Sometimes, after those considerations, they are the right word to use. Here are some references and commentaries on adverbs:
A summary sheet was passed out at the April 26 meeting.
Basic explanation of adjectives and adverbs
A list of 3732 adverbs (just in case you didn’t think they were numerous)
Use Carefully
What’s so Bad about Adverbs?
Adverbs are the tool of the lazy writer. When you catch an adverb, kill it. ~Mark Twain
The road to Hell is paved with adverbs. ~Stephen King
Upcoming Schedule
May 2nd
Tyree
Laura
Janice
May 9th
Mark S.
Jed
Tyree ?
May 16th
Jed
Open slots
May 23rd
Open slots
May 30th
Open slots
Keep Writing,
Bill
Next Noble Pen Meeting
April 25th, 2013 at 7 pm
1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids
News
The American Library Association recently announced their 2012 top-ten list of most challenged books in libraries and schools. It is of some comfort that half of them include the comment “unsuited for age group”, but the other half apparently were things that those objecting did not want anyone to read.
Victories
Dylan was one of a limited number selected to participate in a multi-round flash fiction contest.
Janice was accepted into a masters program in Applied Behavior Analysis. That’s really a lot of trouble to go to just to understand her protagonists better.
Education
Frustration is good. No, not yours, but your characters’ frustrations. Not getting what they want is what makes a plot. It leads to other emotional reactions, wise or foolish courses of action, and later events in your story.
Expectation is the mother of all frustration. ~Antonio Banderas
I’ve come to believe that all my past failure and frustration were actually laying the foundation for the understandings that have created the new level of living I now enjoy.
~Tony Robbins
Success is not built on success. It’s built on failure. It’s built on frustration. Sometimes its built on catastrophe. ~Sumner Redstone
Upcoming Schedule
Apr 25th
Jed
Tyree
Ciuin
May 2nd
Tyree
Laura
Janice
May 9th
Mark S.
Open slots
May 16th
Open slots
Keep Writing,
Bill
Next Noble Pen Meeting
April 18th, 2013 at 7 pm
1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids
News
Barnes and Noble is changing the print service for self-publishing authors, in some ways making it a better deal, and calling the new version Nook Press.
Victories
Tyree sent Breathless Stars to be printed.
Dylan got feedback from a beta reader on his serial, who read all night to 6 am to finish it.
Education
A recent panel discussion showed common reasons an agent will stop reading the first chapter of your manuscript.
Here’s another short list of reasons.
Upcoming Schedule
Apr 18th
Mark S.
Laura
Aimee
Apr 25th
Janice
Jed
Tyree
May 2nd
Tyree
Laura
Open slot
May 9th
Open slots
May 16th
Open slots
Keep Writing,
Bill
Next Noble Pen Meeting
April 11th, 2013 at 7 pm
1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids
News
In preparation for a WisCon panel (see victories) Dylan would like be reminded of stories you have seen about women in the military.
Cinemax is doing a pilot film of Quarry, based on a series of novels by Iowa author Max Allan Collins.
Victories
Tyree sold a story to a magazine. He is nearly finished reading Jane Eyre. He says he learned some words that he is eager to use in his writing. And we thought he already knew every word in the dictionary.
Shannon finished the draft of Panic No More and started a scene for Manager of Evil (sequel to Minion).
Dylan finished the first draft of his long-running serial at 624k words. He will be on several panels at WisCon, and will lead a session on World Building.
Education
An agent answers 14 questions about the publisning business.
–//–
I recently saw an advertisement for a critique and editing service (I won’t link them) and thought people might be interested in their prices:
Critique service: $3/page for an evaluation of your strengths and weaknesses, fit for your target market, noting consistent issues in grammar, mechanics, spelling, or style, and comments on how to revise.
Developmental Editing: $4/page for detailed notes on plot, pacing, characters, dialog, and marketability. Also an “Emotional Response” chart, rating on how likely an agent is to consider the manuscript, and a 1-page synopsis.
Proofreading service: $2/page for grammar, punctuation, capitalization, verb tense, spelling, and sentence structure.
Short Story Critique: $4/page.
Query Letter: $40
One could conclude that we in the group are performing a valuable service for each other.
Upcoming Schedule
Apr 11th
Tyree
Dylan (double)
Apr 18th
Mark S.
Laura
Aimee
Apr 25th
Janice
Jed
Tyree
May 2nd
Tyree
Open slots
Keep Writing,
Bill
Next Noble Pen Meeting
April 4th, 2013 at 7 pm
1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids
News
Amazon has negotiated the purchase of Goodreads. Many people are upset, questioning whether reviews will remain neutral and if it will be harder for new books to get discovered.
Barnes & Noble are feuding with Simon and Schuster over pricing, and are ordering fewer books from them. As if B&N needed any more troubles.
Bullying is a currently hot topic for books. Despite the sympathy these may create, a study says that overall, literature is getting less emotional.
I was fascinated by a statement in this review of a book on early mapmakers. The map that gave America its name shows information that shouldn’t have been known by the mapmaker at the time. Anyone for an alternate history novel?
Victories
Dylan as someone working on a cover for Sand and Blood.
Tyree had lots of sales at a convention and thinks that people are buying more books in general than last year. One of his stories was nominated for a Darrell Award.
Ciuin was offered the opportunity to write an academic paper for publication. Now if she can just find time …
Bill had a letter to the editor published in the Gazette.
Education
Dina Nayeri (no, not the blue girl) gives a glimpse inside the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She says the writers are very human, with all that implies, and inherently driven to write.
Writer’s Digest has been pushing the idea that writing a great book isn’t enough – they suggest you have to have a marketing plan and a large blog audience and other publicity in order to get an agent or publisher interested. I haven’t researched how widely this idea is accepted, but it sure is discouraging.
Upcoming Schedule
Apr 4th
Janice
Tyree
Jed
Apr 11th
Tyree (double?)
Jed
Apr 18th
Mark S.
Laura
Aimee
Apr 25th
Janice
Jed
Open slot
Keep Writing,
Bill
Next Noble Pen Meeting
March 28th, 2013 at 7 pm
1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids
Reminder
Please try to get your material for review out by Monday night. If it is late, reduce it from the nominal size of 6,000 words per slot. We want people to have a day’s advance time for reading for each 2,000 words of your submission.
Victories
Shannon was invited to submit to a publisher, but unfortunately has nothing ready and suitable for them.
Ciuin’s editor for Petty Theft wants to help get it to an agent.
Education
Some people outline carefully before writing, others get an idea and go for it. Regardless of which approach you use (or something in between) your story ultimately needs structure. James Scott Bell writes about giving your story a structure.
Innovation is not the product of logical thought, although the result is tied to logical structure. ~Albert Einstein
Every king was once a helpless baby & every great structure once a blueprint… Its not where are you today, but where you’ll reach that counts. ~unknown
Upcoming Schedule
Mar 28th
Janice
Jed (double slot)
Apr 4th
Janice
Tyree
Jed
Apr 11th
Tyree
Jed?
Open slot
Apr 18th
Mark S.
Laura
Open slot
Apr 25th
Open slots
Keep Writing,
Bill
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