Next Noble Pen Meeting

February 28th, 2013 at 7 pm

Scott’s Family Restaurant

1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

News

Due to cancellation last week, the schedule has been juggled somewhat.  See below and let me know if it doesn’t work.

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We just passed the 200th anniversary of the publication of Pride and Prejudice.  A blogger notes how it has influenced novels since its time.

Education

Setting is important.  Josh Pahigian gives some reasons for setting your story in a famous place.  You have to know your territory and time period well, however, and it can be limiting because your characters’ movements and public exposure are constrained by the real geography (unless you’re an author we won’t name who rearranged Rome for a key plot point).

You have much more freedom if you make up your setting, whether it is “Anywhere, USA” or Sirius 5, but then you are responsible for making it consistent with the expectations you raise in the reader.  Moira Allen has some advice on bringing the setting to life without stopping the story.

Every story would be another story, and unrecognizable if it took up its characters and plot and happened somewhere else… Fiction depends for its life on place. Place is the crossroads of circumstance. ~Eudora Welty

Upcoming Schedule

Feb 28th (otherwise known as March zero’th)

Shannon (material sent last week)
Tyree

Mar 7th

Janice
Aimee (item sent last week or update?)
Open slot

Mar 14th

Nick (double)
Tyree

Mar 21st

Nick (double-rumor has it this is the end of the Knight story)
Open slot

Mar 28th

Open slots

Keep Writing,
Bill