Noble Pen Meeting

October 1st, 2009
Happy Chef, 1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart.
-Jalal ad-Din Rumi

In the future, everything will be easy, except IKEA
-Ivan Raszl

Victories

Julie Query and Shinkai Hakimi attended the meeting and asked to be added to the list. Julie’s email address threw me off a little, as it is also the name of my favorite javascript library.

Cuiun did rewrites of Petty Theft and finished another chapter of Quint’s Adventures. She was also happy not to be the only girl. Now, for some reason, I want a mirror-ball codpiece.

Nick sent me dispatches from Needles, CA and San Bernardino this week. He photographed 14 trains in San Bernardino, which to him is not a large number of trains to photograph, but to me seems a huge number of trains to photograph.

News

Best Buy is going to start selling ebook readers. My guess is that Best Buy enthusiasts will consider an ebook about as attractive as a fart in an elevator. Then again, even I go there occasionally. (Yes, that last sentence was purposefully ambiguous.)

Rachel Gardner has written a blog post on the importance of a proactive main character.

Upcoming Critiques

Thursday, October 1st. Happy Chef, 7pm Welcome and Victories, 7:30pm Critique–Wow October already?

Hard Luck by Shannon, Chapter three and four–go to http://shannonryan.net/user and enter username:noblepen and password:nblpn or ask me for a copy. They should be up Saturday Night.

Adam – Legend of Ardloc 3

Thursday, October 8th. Happy Chef, 7pm Welcome and Victories, 7:30pm Critique

George

Ciuin

Thursday, October 15th. Happy Chef, 7pm Welcome and Victories, 7:30pm Critique

This space can be yours.

Keep Writing

Shannon

Noble Pen Meeting

September 24th, 2009
Happy Chef, 1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
–Mark Twain
Generally speaking, I think it is fair to say that I am a friend to the creatures of the Earth when I am not busy eating them or wearing them.
— John Hodgman

Victories

Someone broke into George’s car. He hunted them down like dogs. High cigarette taxes are ultimately to blame.

Adam has two apartments, he will soon become a London cab driver whose wives don’t know about each other.

Adam also got to visit the morgue. Fortunately, he made it back out.

Wendy was paid promptly for her writing, because promises won’t buy mashed potatoes, no gravy.

News

Bad – a man who has not made a fortune off his books criticizes Dan Brown for his writing, Worse – the article is written by a known poet.

Sometime shortly after I sent out last weeks email, September 31st disappeared. I blame Faction Paradox, or more specifically their agent on earth, Lars Pearson.

Upcoming Critiques

Thursday, Sept 24th. Happy Chef, 7pm Welcome and Victories, 7:30pm Critique

Ciuin–Quint 3, I think. I’m verry confused at this point.

Hard Luck by Shannon, Chapter One and Two (one more try)–go to http://shannonryan.net/user and enter username:noblepen and password:nblpn or ask me for a copy

Thursday, October 1st. Happy Chef, 7pm Welcome and Victories, 7:30pm Critique

Adam – Legend of Ardloc 3

George

Thursday, October 8th. Happy Chef, 7pm Welcome and Victories, 7:30pm Critique

Clear

Keep Writing

Shannon

Noble Pen Meeting

September 17th, 2009
Happy Chef, 1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

“When your mama was the geek, my dreamlets,” Papa would say, “she made the nipping off of noggins such a crystal mystery that the hens themselves yearned toward her, waltzing around her, hypnotized with longing.”
–Katherine Dunn, Geek Love

Mr. Heller is a first-rate humorist who cripples his own jokes intentionally–with the unhappiness of the characters who perceive them. He also insists on dealing with only the most hackneyed themes. After a thousand World War II airplane novels had been published and pulped, he gave us yet another one, which was gradually acknowledged as a sanely crazy masterpiece.
–Kurt Vonnegut Jr on Joseph Heller

Victories

I delivered my beta reader copy to the legion of self-lothing masochists who enjoy my books.

Wendy made her first submission to the Assembly of Roma and will soon be considered a criminal in Italy.

Wendy has written two pages of Russian longhand. This will be of no help after the ninjas take over.

News

Don’t worry. If you have recently stolen a Kindle, Amazon has you covered.

If  you gave a copy of Ted Kennedy’s memoir to the New York Times, the publisher would like to have a word with you. Come on guys, it’s not like it’s a new Harry Potter.

Upcoming Critiques

Thursday, Sept 17th. Happy Chef, 7pm Welcome and Victories, 7:30pm Critique

George

Adam – more Legend of Ardloc

Thursday, Sept 24th. Happy Chef, 7pm Welcome and Victories, 7:30pm Critique

Ciuin–Maybe actually Quint 2 this time?

Hard Luck by Shannon, Chapter One and Two (one more try)–go to http://shannonryan.net/user and enter username:noblepen and password:nblpn or ask me for a copy

Thursday, Sept 31st. Happy Chef, 7pm Welcome and Victories, 7:30pm Critique

Clear

Keep Writing

Shannon

Noble Pen Meeting

September 10th, 2009
Happy Chef, 1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

“You see,” I explained to Joshua, “what Joy is doing is ironic, yet that’s not her intent. That’s the difference between irony and sarcasm. Irony can be spontaneous, while sarcasm requires volition. You have to create sarcasm.”
“No kidding?” said Josh.
“Why do I waste my time with you?””
— Christopher Moore Lamb

This is a bawdy tale. Herein you will find gratuitous shagging, murder, spanking, maiming, treason, and heretofore unexplored heights of vulgarity and profanity, as well as non-traditional gramar, split infinitives, and the odd wank.”
— Christopher Moore Fool: A Novel

Editor’s Note

Sadly, due to complications, Scott will not be able to join us until the new year.

Victories

Nick has officially retired from the USPS. Congratulations Nick. He is going to go on vacation for awhile, but he will rejoin us in the new year.

George is another year older, and now owns his car. Let’s celebrate with 90’s techno.

Ciuin is not failing Russian, and she was interviewed in the Daily Iowan about her Russian class. But can any of us really understand the noble Russian culture?

News

Fiction can cause fights.

Amazon is suing Google over Google Books. The Author’s Guild has an official statement that reads like a rant.

CBS is making a comedy about how book publishers trash our hopes and dreams. Ha ha, very funny CBS, you jerks.

Upcoming Critiques

Thursday, Sept 10th. Happy Chef, 7pm Welcome and Victories, 7:30pm Critique

Quint #2 by Ciuin

Hard Luck by Shannon, Chapter One and Two –go to http://shannonryan.net/user and enter username:noblepen and password:nblpn or ask me for a copy

Thursday, Sept 17th. Happy Chef, 7pm Welcome and Victories, 7:30pm Critique

George

Adam – more Legend of Ardloc

Thursday, Sept 24th. Happy Chef, 7pm Welcome and Victories, 7:30pm Critique

Ciuin

Hard Luck 3&4 by Shannon

Thursday, Sept 31st. Happy Chef, 7pm Welcome and Victories, 7:30pm Critique

Clear

Keep Writing

Shannon