Next Noble Pen Meeting

July 31st, 2014 at 7 pm

Scott’s Family Restaurant

1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

News

Amazon reported a big loss for the recent quarter.  They have been involved with price wars and disputes with other companies.

Victories

Ciuin and her grandsons are reading the same books and she will get book reports.

Cassie has done plotting and research for another novella/novel.

Tyree started Bombay Sapphire II and did research on a 1962 war to use in the story.

Education

Some authors just sit down and write.  They may think too much planning will limit their creativity.  This article discusses how to work without an outline. Generally the writers who do the least planning also do the most revision.

Others carefully outline.  Many use a crude outline or just a list of major events and character motivations.   One big advantage to some sort of outline is that it can give your story structure, so it doesn’t read like it “just grew.”  Another advantage may be found in consistency of the timeline.  Sometimes drawing  parallel timelines for the characters and the MacGuffin helps avoid anachronisms.

Here’s an article about approaches to outlining a novel, and another that discusses both chapter-by-chapter and character-based outlines.  You can write the synopsis first, and essentially it is a brief outline.   You may want to use these eight suggestions to outline your plot.

Upcoming Schedule

July 31st
Ciuin
Cassie
Tyree

August 7
Ciuin
Tyree (?)
Laura

August 14
Ciuin
Open slots

August 21
Aimee
Open slots

Keep Writing,
Bill

Next Noble Pen Meeting

July 24th, 2014 at 7 pm

Scott’s Family Restaurant

1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

News

Amazon has launched a service offering all you can read for one monthly fee.

Victories

Jed wrote 12,000 words in a week, thus finishing his story before moving out of town.

Barbara beta-read two pieces and returned comments to the authors.

Tyree started Bombay Sapphire 2.

Cassie made a detailed outline for the next ten chapters of Blue Moon Baby.

Education

Most authors use mail or email to pitch their stories to agents or publishers.  Adrienne Crezo describes an event at a writing conference where many agents met many authors in person.  The success rate in this report seemed to be above the average of mailed queries.

You can find lots of advice on crafting your pitch and being prepared.   You should have both a thirty-second “elevator speech” (see also here) and a three-minute more complete explanation.

Upcoming Schedule

July 24th
Laura
Ciuin
Jed

July 31st
Ciuin
Cassie (?)
Tyree

August 7
Open slots

August 14
Open slots

Keep Writing,
Bill

Next Noble Pen Meeting

July 17th, 2014 at 7 pm

Scott’s Family Restaurant

1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

News

News Corporation has bought Harlequin, and is adding it to their Harper Collins division.

–//–

An essay considers how multinational the readership for books may be.

Victories

Dylan submitted a story for publication.

Education

The “blurb” testimonials usually seen on the back covers of books are a common marketing device, intended to convince the reader that this is a book worth reading.   The word blurb was coined in 1907. A search for the terms blurb request will find many articles about getting people to help you by writing them.

Noelle Sterne has some thoughts about gathering testimonials.  Here’s another view, saying the blurbs are a small factor in readers choices but still worthwhile.  Best-selling authors get too many requests to comply unless you have some  connection to them.  More advice on requesting a blurb.

Upcoming Schedule

July 17th
Nick
Tyree
Jed

July 24th
Laura
Ciuin
Jed

July 31st
Ciuin
Jen
Tyree

August 7
Open slots

Keep Writing,
Bill

Next Noble Pen Meeting

July 10th, 2014 at 7 pm

Scott’s Family Restaurant

1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

News

Watch your punctuation.  It could haunt your readers for a long time.  As I write this on Independence Day weekend, I noticed an article about a continuing dispute over a period in the Declaration of Independence.

Victories

Cassie finished two chapters, is working on the next, and has planned the following one.

Dylan submitted a short story and wrote 20 K words on another story.  A fan asked for a sequel and another said he had read everything he has published under that pen name.

Jed wrote three chapters.

Jen found the group, inspired to see what she could learn after getting a short story published in an anthology.

Education

Writers Digest has a good article on storytelling techniques.  While focused on science fiction and fantasy, there is a lot to be gained for other genres.  It is important to give the reader enough information to follow the story, without overloading them with too much disconnected data to remember.

An important method is giving information by implication.  If the characters know something, so they speak and act accordingly, then the reader can often pick up that information without being “told”.  I’m very fond of the example from Heinlein that I quoted a couple years ago, showing how a few lines of dialog paints the outline of the world the characters live in.  This technique helps a lot with finding words to leave out, while still giving the reader what they need.

The best artists know what to leave out. ~Charles de Lint

The more you leave out, the more you highlight what you leave in. ~Henry Green

Upcoming Schedule

July 10th
Tyree
Cassie
Jed

July 17th
Nick
Tyree
Jed

July 24th
Laura
Ciuin
Jed

July 31st
Ciuin
Jen
Open slot

Keep Writing,
Bill