Noble Pen Meeting

September 2nd, 2010
Happy Chef, 1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

My name is Victoria Winters. My journey is beginning, a journey that I hope will open the doors of life to me and link my past with my future, a journey that will bring me to a strange and dark place, to the edge of the sea, high atop Widows’ Hill, a house called Collinwood, a world I’ve never known, with people I’ve never met, people who tonight are still only shadows in my mind, but who will soon fill the days and nights of my tomorrows.
–Opening Monologue, Dark Shadows, Episode 1, 1966

Victories

Ciuin has been asked to take a class which will make her a writing fellow. I think this means we’ll have to address her as “My fine fellow.”

Dylan got a reader’s choice and editor’s choice for his last contest entry. He also has a new commission. It’s a sick world out there.

Tony was able to struggle through and prepare his chapter for next week, despite the ongoing Mafia Wars. Why can’t the mafias just get along?

Housekeeping

We decided on 3 changes to scheduling last week.

1. We will be going to 3 critiques a week, starting September 9th. I am going to adjust the schedule below. Please note your new dates and tell me if there are any changes you need made.

B. We will suspend scheduling for the next few weeks to make room for further discussion and see how the 3 per week works.

Pi. We will return to scheduling at least one educational program per month instead of just scheduling when we have an empty slot. I’m volunteering for the first slot, there’s been something I wanted to try all summer.

News

Janet Reid posted something older than God. I still find it very funny.

Character, character, character, character, character, character. Oh, and did I mention character?

Upcoming Schedule

September 2nd
Nick
Tony

September 9th
Tyree
Dylan
Shannon

September 16th
Tony
Dave
Mark

September 23rd
Dylan
Bob
Nick

September 30th
Ian
Dylan
Educational Programming — Shannon

October 7th
Tony
Ciuin
Bob

October 14th
Shannon
Tyree
Open slot

Keep Writing, Penites.

Shannon

Noble Pen Meeting

August 26th, 2010
Happy Chef, 1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

Artists are people who say I can’t fix my country or my state or my city, or even my marriage. But by golly, I can make this square of canvas, or this eight and a half by eleven piece of paper, or this lump of clay or these twelve bars of music, exactly what they ought to be.
–Kurt Vonnegut, Timequake

Victories

Nick got back the professional critique of his cowboy novel. His condition is listed as stable.

Dave got paid for writing, not just the promise of, but actual money.

Ciuin sent Petty Theft to an agent, who seems very interested. I am immediately adding more Nazis to all my stories.

Tony thanks everyone for the fine comments on his last chapter, which he has already acted upon–in a good way, no stomping or cursing or anything.

Rachel has returned to school and is, by now, studying commercial music, which I think involves using all four chords.

Housekeeping

Now that we have grown to around a dozen regular and semi-regular members, maybe we need to readdress how we do scheduling. I want to keep it relatively simple, but make it a little less random. I’m just throwing this out as an idea, to see what people think.

I’m thinking of a 2 round lottery type system, where on the first meeting of every month we assign slots for the next month.

In the first round, we would hand out numbers to people who do not have a piece scheduled for the current month, and have about 50% attendance.

If any slots are left, we will open up a second round to anyone else who wants a slot.

News

From The New York Times, via George, an interesting article about the world of music recording which makes an interesting point on the dangers of too much copyright.

As someone who has sent hundreds of emails to agents, I know they make mistakes, because frankly, I rule. I’m also very humble.

Upcoming Schedule

Noble Pen Meeting

August 19th, 2010
Happy Chef, 1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

I wanted to write about the moment when your addictions no longer hide the truth from you. When your whole life breaks down. That’s the moment when you have to somehow choose what your life is going to be about.
–Chuck Palahniuk

Victories

Rachel earned a dollar through creative effort.

Tyree wrote, edited, and submitted a piece in one week and it has already been accepted.

News

You know why you can’t get your experimental novel published? You’re not Keith Hernandez.But there is good news, this is all you need to get started towards that goal. In full disclosure, until five minutes ago, I had no idea who Keith Hernandez was, but I picked up through context that he was someone.

Yet another piece on dialog tags.

Upcoming Schedule

Noble Pen Meeting

August 12th, 2010
Happy Chef, 1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

Somewhere along the way though, Russell had made a conscious decision to turn his back on the law and a life of the status quo. He revealed his homosexuality to his friends and, eventually, his family. He forsook the teachings of his childhood, and embraced a life of crime. It was a life in which he flourished, for the most part. But more than his talents as a thief and a confidence man, it would be the flamboyant, nonviolent brilliance of his jail and prison escapes–usually on Friday the 13th–that would eventually earn the affable, quick-witted, but occasionally vengeful Russell a national reputation in law enforcement and the media. He was known as the King of Con.
–Steve Mcvicker, I Love  You, Phillip Morris

Victories

Nick is finally going to get his story back from his editor–and then the pain will really begin. He also might be interested if anyone has a lead on a good used vehicle–he’s all right, but his truck is gone.

Ciuin went to Philadelphia for an intensive writing class. She visited the Cheeseburger Palace, which looked suspiciously like a Hardee’s.

Tyree snagged a Robert J. Sawyer story for Aoife’s Kiss. Robert J. Sawyer is probably the most important Canadian, after William Shatner and Kiefer Sutherland.

Bill submitted his misheard song lyric flash fiction to “A Fly in Amber.”

News

From IO9, James Marsters tips for supervillains. Marsters has played villains on Buffiy the Vampire Slayer, Smallville,  and Torchwood.

Barnes and Noble has announced it’s open to selling itself, which is a great disappointment to it’s parents.

Google has announced that through advanced mathematics, they have determined there are 130 million books in the world. Google will be scanning them and making them available in enema form by late 2017.

The Rejectionist is hosting a Feminist Science Fiction week for those of you who currently are or are interested in becoming female.

Words of Wisdom

Between victories and the first critique next week, Tyree is going to share some ideas on writing hooks.

Upcoming Schedule