Next Noble Pen Meeting

April 3rd, 2014 at 7 pm

Scott’s Family Restaurant

1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

News

Some editors have selected what they think are the 10 best sentences in literature, and tell you why.

Victories

Tyree’s story for the Tauren anthology was accepted.

Barbara learned that a teacher is using her article on homonyms in class.

Rachel added to a collaborative piece.

Dylan got more fan mail, including art inspired by his writing.

Ciuin’s hectic life has finally allowed her to write again and she has several ideas.  She has received all the expected feedback on Petty Theft and is beginning to work on re-edits.

Education

The “fourth wall” is the imaginary wall at the front of a stage through which the audience views the action.  Breaking the fourth wall means that the author, narrator, or characters speak to the audience, rather than the characters speaking only to each other.  The same can be said of a film or book.

This can happen in several ways.  Most obviously, some older writing may say “Dear reader, you will find that …”, but a comment using “you” not directed to a character must also be taken as directed to the reader.

If a narrator or the characters realize that they have an audience, or are just characters and not real, or the characters talk with the narrator, they are breaking the fourth wall, and this is sometimes done for comedic effect.

Writers are generally advised to not break the fourth wall casually by addressing remarks to the reader.  It should be a deliberate stylistic choice, used only when needed for effect.  It tends to be more acceptable in first-person narratives than for third person, but can problematic there also.

It can be jarring as it tends to “pull the reader out” of the story.  It takes away from the realism they may feel for the world of the story in the same manner it would in a movie if the camera pulled back to show the crew working around the set.

Having hit a wall, the next logical step is not to bang our heads against it. ~Stephen Harper

Upcoming Schedule

Apr 3rd
Nick
Ciuin

Apr 10th
Tyree
Cassie
Barbara

Apr 17th
Laura
Janice
Open slot

Apr 24th
Open slots

Keep Writing,
Bill