Next Noble Pen Meeting

July 16th, 2015 at 7 pm

Scott’s Family Restaurant

1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

News

Should novelists try to be moralists via their stories?  These commentators seem to be against embedding more than a hint of moral teaching.  Do you agree?  I mostly disagree.  Did Grapes of Wrath have only a hint?  Brave New World?  I think it shouldn’t be blatant preaching, but having an underlying message can be good.

–//–

You’ve probably used the phrase “It’s all Greek to me.”  Here’s some history on why Shakespeare used it.

Victories

Cassie wrote Chapter 4 for the Avon contest with 4200 words and Chapter 5 with 3000.  She got comments on her chapter from a prominent guest author.  She wrote 7000 words toward a goal of 30,000 for Camp NaNoWriMo, and wrote two blog posts.

Tyree has Bombay Sapphire in print.  He broke through a block and wrote 2300 words on Yoelin in two hours before the meeting.  His short story collection was accepted for publication in October.

Erin convinced her husband that writing was a worthwhile use of her time.

Laura finished Chapter 5 for the Avon contest.  She is reworking the beginning of The Ice Lord to submit to a call for submissions by Mills and Boon.

Education

Whether fiction or non-fiction, most writing is about people.  Real or imagined, the people you are writing about need to seem real and alive to the reader.  This article discusses making the reader feel your character’s emotions, Part 1 and Part 2.

Upcoming Schedule

Jul 16
Nick
Ciuin

Jul 23
Jed
Erin

Jul 30
Dylan
Ciuin

Aug 6
Tyree
Open slot

Keep Writing,
Bill