Next Noble Pen Meeting

November 7th, 2013 at 7 pm

Scott’s Family Restaurant

1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

News

Iowa authors Max Allan Collins and Ed Gorman will be speaking at 7 pm on Wednesday Nov 6th at Mystery Cat Books, 112 32nd St Dr SE, Cedar Rapids.  Ed’s latest is called Flashpoint, in the Dev Conrad series of mysteries.  Max will discuss Ask Not, his most recent novel, third in a series wherein Detective Nathan Heller investigates a thwarted assassination attempt on John Kennedy.  This is historical fiction about a true event, shortly before JFK was killed Dallas.  This is timely, of course because we are approaching the 50th anniversary of Kennedy’s death.

Victories

Dylan got 2nd place in a writing contest and moves to the next round.

Jed wrote 6,000 words on Castalia II and finished reading Peer Gynt.

Aimee has nearly finished part 1 of her novel.

Education

Characters are more interesting if they change internally during the course of the story.  Many  consider this an essential attribute of a good story.  The change may be for the better or in some cases for the worse.   Jeff Gerke explains the development of a character.  Here’s more advice on writing unforgettable characters.

Lillie Ammann has an 8-part series on writing characters:  Part 1     Part 2     Part 3     Part 4 Part 5     Part 6     Part 7     Part 8.

Character development is what I value most as a reader of fiction. If an author can manage to create the sort of characters who feel fully real, who I find myself worrying about while I’m walking through the grocery store aisles a week later, that to me is as close to perfection as it gets. ~J. Courtney Sullivan

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power. ~Abraham Lincoln

There is something intensely interesting to me about characters getting swept into unexpected appetites, of not knowing they were going to do these things. ~Joan Silber

Upcoming Schedule

Nov 7th
Tyree’s 5-minute lesson
Riley
Tyree
Nick

Nov 14th
Cassie
Dylan
Jed

Nov 21st
Tyree
Nick
Laura

Nov 28th
Thanksgiving – no meeting

Dec 5th
Tyree
Barbara
Dylan

Keep Writing,
Bill