Noble Pen Meeting

August 5th, 2010
Happy Chef, 1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

Kirk: All is well. And yet I can’t help wondering about the friend I leave behind. “There are always possibilities,” Spock said. And if Genesis is indeed life from death, I must return to this place again
Bones: He’s not really dead, as long as we remember him.
–Star Trek II, The Wrath of Khan

George: What were you saying to the Rosses over there, anyway?
Jerry: Oh, I don’t know. I told them her death takes place in the shadow of new life. She’s not really dead if we find a way to remember her.
George: What is that?
Jerry: Star Trek II.
—Seinfeld Episode 135, The Foundation

Victories

Rachel read both stories for this week while riding a horse and didn’t fall off–I might have gotten something mixed around there.

Dave got word that an online publication is going to run “Snake Eyed Sue.” For reasons of national security, he can’t tell us where.

Tony got his piece out on time this week despite a complete re-write at the last minute. I’m still not sure I understood the bit where he gave the pig a bath.

News

According to the “Gender Genie,” I write like a female. That thing has to be broken.

Lifehacker has their 5 favorite book recommendation services. I get me better recommendations from Dylan.

Cnet has an article on ways to self-publish your ebooks. Their tip #1 is: Write a good book. Thanks guys. Thanks for sharing.

Some Fun

A mini-assignment for the next week. Think of your favorite villain from fiction and a one sentence description of why you chose that person.

Upcoming Schedule

Noble Pen Meeting

July 22th, 2010
Happy Chef, 1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

Man, you’re like school during the summer. No class.
-Rudy, Fat Albert

TURK: You’re like a 24 hour convenience store. You never close.
JD:  That’s like a Fat Albert joke.
—Scrubs

Victories

Dylan’s last commission was not his last commission as he now has a new commission, which is new.

Mark submitted a book proposal to an open call, he has not yet got a chance to submit anything to the group, so he should do well.

Ciuin leaves next Thursday for Philadelphia, the polar opposite of the planet Venus.

Tyree will be as OSFest teaching people how to write and serenading  the dealer room with his rich baritone voice and collection of off-color sea shanties.

After his abduction by the benevolent aliens of Mastadon VI, Tony has decided to wrap several of his short stories into a novel.

News

Agent Andrew Wylie has sold exclusive e-book right to Amazon for a group of authors including Norman Mailer and John Updike. The publishers of their paper books, whose contract were written before e-book were a reality, are calling foul.

In more e-book news, Amazon is now selling more e-books than hardcovers. Wow!

Upcoming Schedule

Noble Pen Meeting

July 22th, 2010
Happy Chef, 1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

Super automatic pilot motor running down circles in the parking lot
Self-sustaining system bit her in the neck and quick and kissed her and took all she got
Did you come here to dance?
Whats in your glass?
Do you feel better?
–OK GO, Let it Rain

Victories

Dylan’s commission was accepted without edits. His patron is probably going all Karate Kid right now–that’s and old school Karate Kid joke, you know: Wax on…

George wrote an ad which has run on three podcasts and it scheduled for one more. I imagine it something like this.

Tyree used email to reply to everyone on the list and was shocked to find out just how many of you are lurking out there.

News

This tool has book going around the internet: Find out who you write like.

For all you non-fiction guys, here’s how you write a book proposal.

I’ve always wondered about this.  A YA writer talks about how to keep up with the kids.

Carl East from Hull topped Apples’s iBookstore charts with his novel “Incest Urges of a Nymphomaniac.” Coming up next on Sick Sad World.

Upcoming Schedule

Noble Pen Meeting

July 15th, 2010
Happy Chef, 1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

I love talking about nothing. It is the only thing I know anything about.
–Oscar Wilde

Victories

Tyree’s fantasy story Acorns is being considered by the Darrell Award jury. It is not known at this time what they consider it.

Tyree will be putting out a magazine of Cosmic Crime Stories, sci-fi pulp detective stories. Remember there are 2^22.931 stories in the naked city.

Dave’s picture of the Abbey Creek school will go on the cover of a pamphlet about Mt. Vernon. Sadly, they aren’t letting him do any words.

I got a piece on the Six Sentences blog. Just a thousand more good sentences, and I ‘ll have a novel.

Dylan finished his last commission piece, but he has lost his best customer to matrimony–the customer’s that is, Dylan’s already married.

Tony has figured out what the short story he is writing is about. Hopefully, it’s something awesome.

News

A new study shows that kids who have books to read over summer vacation do better in school. Well, duh.

Once again, IO9 has a great gallery of pulp covers.

Upcoming Schedule

Noble Pen Meeting

July 8th, 2010
Happy Chef, 1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

I wanna be a cowboy baby
Ridin’ at night ’cause I sleep all day
Cowboy baby
I can smell a pig from a mile away
–Kid Rock, Cowboy

It never takes longer than a few minutes, when they get together, for everyone to revert to the state of nature, like a party marooned by a shipwreck. That’s what a family is. Also the storm at sea, the ship, and the unknown shore. And the hats and the whiskey stills that you make out of bamboo and coconuts. And the fire that you light to keep away the beasts.
–Michael Chabon, The Yiddish Policeman’s Union

Victories

Ciuin is go for her intensive class in Philadelphia. Something, something, cheese steak, Rocky V.

George’s podcast is going well, he’s getting good feedback from the artists whose music he’s playing in his podcasts, and it has been 12 days since his last OSHA reportable accident.

Rachel schooled me in the fact that not all women dig Doctor Who for the beefcake.

News

Gregory Levey tells us how having 700,000 Facebook fans can be a bad thing.

More advice from editors. This time it’s Cat Rambo of Fantasy Magazine. Cat Rambo, I wonder if that’s an assumed name.

Here is an article about idea generation which talks about the rule of 20, the idea that you have to have 20 ideas before you have an original one. Personally, I’ve never had 20 ideas.

Upcoming Schedule