Next Noble Pen Meeting

Dec 29th, 2011 7 pm

Scott’s Family Restaurant

1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

Christmas crept into Pine Cove like a creeping Christmas thing: dragging garland, ribbon, and sleigh bells, oozing eggnog, reeking of pine, and threatening festive doom like a cold sore under the mistletoe.

–Christopher Moore, The Stupidest Angel

News

In a monumental vacuum of coordination, Bill didn’t tell Shannon whether or not he would send the weekly newsletter. The result was each of them sending a newsletter. This page attempts to combine both, so it is longer than usual.

An unusual miniature manuscript by Charlotte Bronte sold for an amazing sum of 690,000 British Pounds, somewhat over a million dollars US. It has 4,000 words on 19 pages, each page less than 1/4 the size of index card. Can you put 900 words on an index card?

Could your next computer be watching you, like HAL?

Ridley Scott has a scifi movie coming out next summer. Everybody denies it is a prequel to Alien.

Read about a move to put more interactive content in fiction books on e-readers.

Victories

Dylan’s serial is sparking internet arguments, which are very rare and always civil.

Dylan did not win Lulu’s short story contest. Though he should have, and I’m willing to start an Internet argument with anyone who disagrees

Shannon submitted an article to ParABnormal magazine, which will no doubt make him a pariah amongst is skeptical friends. He actually wanted to be a piranha.

Education

Another article on e-book pricing. http://gigaom.com/2011/12/15/publishers-still-missing-the-point-on-e-book-prices/

Since some of us have been struggling with grammar lately, I looked for a quick guide to solve some common problems. http://ollinmorales.wordpress.com/2011/02/02/8-common-grammar-mistakes-you-dont-know-youre-making-and-how-to-fix-them/

And, as always, if you’re looking for a good place to look up a grammar issue, try Grammar Girl http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/

Well, maybe not education but at least food for thought. Last week the material was about planning. Sometimes you need to get started without a plan, and then go back to straighten out the plan.

Writing comes more easily if you have something to say. ~Sholem Asch

Write down the thoughts of the moment. Those that come unsought for are commonly the most valuable. ~Francis Bacon

Writing became such a process of discovery that I couldn’t wait to get to work in the morning: I wanted to know what I was going to say. ~Sharon O’Brien

Storytelling reveals meaning without committing the error of defining it. ~Hannah Arendt

Upcoming Schedule

December 29th

Shannon
Tyree
Ronda

January 5th

Kate
Aimee
Shannon

January 12th

Nick
Ciuin
Shannon

January 19th

Nick
Tyree
open slot

Keep Writing,
Shannon and Bill