Next Noble Pen Meeting

Nov 26, 2015 at 7 pm

Scott’s Family Restaurant

1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

News

As many employers, including our restaurant, are giving people the day off to work on their writing, we will not meet on Nov 26.  The next submissions will be due on November 30th for the December 3rd meeting.

Victories

Cassie’s book is in proof print.

Benjamin completed two freelance projects that led to more jobs.

Dylan got a story commission.

Erin’s blog is on line, with a revision of her recent submission to the group.

Education

Homophones that are heterographs are a recurring problem for many writers.  That’s what we get for using a language that has borrowed from many others and adapts readily to new usages. This article explains the difference between homophones, homonyms, and homographs.

You have to learn each and every set of homophones, as theiyr’re is no general rule to help.  Here’s  a guide to some common ones.

Upcoming Schedule

Nov 26
Thanksgiving – no meeting

Dec 3
Nick
Robyn

Dec 10
Randy
Aime W.

Dec 17
Dylan
Charlie

Dec 24
Christmas Eve – no meeting

Dec 31
New Year’s Eve – no meeting

Jan 7
Open slots

Keep Writing,
Bill

Next Noble Pen Meeting

November 19th, 2015 at 7 pm

Scott’s Family Restaurant

1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

News

A poem and a snippet of prose discovered on a paper stuck in an old book have been identified as being from Charlotte Bronte, and are being sold for $300,000.  How much is that per word?  If you get famous, your descendants will want you to have passed on every scrap of writing you have done.

Victories

Erin wrote her first blog entry.

Charlie started a story.

Robyn had a flash story accepted by a magazine.

Kelsey finished the draft of a short story.

Ciuin got a thank you and a fan mail from her City Revealed article.

Education

Every story needs to keep the reader wondering what will come next — why else would they finish reading it? In some stories that will be just uncertainty of the outcome, and in others it will be nerve-tingling suspense.  This blog discusses how to get and hold the reader’s attention.

A series of events that are logical but not everyday, ordinary occurrences can make a plot interesting. Lee Masterson offers some advice on arranging your plot to hold the reader.

After you get the reader wondering, suspense can be heightened by giving more detail to slow down the events in a creepy scene.

Upcoming Schedule

Nov 19
Erin
Kelsey

Nov 26
Thanksgiving – no meeting

Dec 3
Nick
Robyn

Dec 10
Randy
Aime W.

Dec 17
Open slots

Keep Writing,
Bill

Next Noble Pen Meeting

November 12th, 2015 at 7 pm

Scott’s Family Restaurant

1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

News

A judge for a writing award talks about the process.

Victories

Robyn wrote the draft of a flash fiction and revised another.

Dylan found an editor for a piece among his fans.

Education

Every writer needs to find methods that work for them, and those may differ from those of other successful writers.  You need to try lots of advice and see what helps you.  Jan Ellison offers some tips.  I particularly like her point that you need to get to the end of the story before you polish parts of it.  That approach is consistent with the Snowflake Method.  It’s hard to bring yourself to tear up a beautiful chapter when you find later that the plot needed to go a different direction.  There are many ways or levels of detail to outline, from a strict structure to a loose summary of the story.

Other people aren’t plotters, but write by the “seat of their pants”, to use a metaphor that came from pilots who stay oriented by their senses instead of by instruments.  They let the story develop as it seems to need to go.  Which are you, or can you take a middle road? John Irving says he always knows where he’s headed, though it would appear from this interview that he doesn’t necessarily know how he will get there.

Upcoming Schedule

Nov 12
Ciuin
Aime W. (2nd part)

Nov 19
Erin
Kelsey

Nov 26
Thanksgiving – no meeting

Dec 3
Nick
Robyn

Dec 10
Open slots

Keep Writing,
Bill

Next Noble Pen Meeting

November 5th, 2015 at 7 pm

Scott’s Family Restaurant

1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

News

The problem of untrustworthy online reviews, often by paid reviewers, continues.

Victories

Ciuin succeeded in getting an advertising sign’s GUMS corrected.

Kelsey finished a draft of a story and started another.

Shannon’s 3rd book, Panic No More, is published.

Charley wrote material for a stand-up routine.

Robyn started a story draft.

Shakyra is outlining a story to write for NanoWriMo.

Benjamin finished early on the writing for his client.

Education

None of us would take a large chunk of someone else’s writing and pass it off as our own.  But where are the boundaries of plagiarism?  This essay takes a rather firm stand (skim down to the part on fiction) but does not do a lot to clarify the line between use of common words and phrases versus being too similar to another’s work.  Randy Ingermanson gives a more practical and lenient discussion.  Here’s another good discussion of the blurry line.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. ~Charles Caleb Colton

Don’t worry about people stealing your … work. Worry about the day they stop. ~Jeffrey Zeldman

Upcoming Schedule

Nov 5
Nick
Aime W.

Nov 12
Ciuin
Laura

Nov 19
Erin
Kelsey

Nov 26
Thanksgiving – no meeting

Dec 3
Open slots

Dec 10
Open slots

Keep Writing,
Bill

Next Noble Pen Meeting

October 29th, 2015 at 7 pm

Scott’s Family Restaurant

1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

News

A court sided with Google Books in the fair-use issue.  Google has now scanned about one fourth of all the books they think exist.

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The balance between e-books and print may be stabilizing.

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There is a Twitter hashtag for Noble Pen.  If you are interested in tweeting quotes, victories, etc., or posing questions use   #NoblePenCR  but be aware than some don’t do Twitter.

Victories

Ciuin’s ghost hunting article is out in City Revealed and she turned in another article for them.  She is starting on a nine-page midterm.

Dylan moderated a panel at ICON and sold some books there.  The anthology that was to contain one of his short stories was cancelled.

Erin did her critiques under difficult circumstances.  She continues to expand her outline.

Cassie put out another article on her website and newsletter.  She has booked an author event for Until Death Do Us Part in February.

Benjamin got an agreement to write blogs and advertising articles for a business.

Education

Your writing effort can get intense, but sometimes pushing harder doesn’t work.  This article offers some tips on how to enjoy life and restore your productivity.   Here’s another article on productivity.  Sometimes you can’t get up the motivation to work hard, and this article helps identify why.

Upcoming Schedule

Oct 29
Benjamin
Dylan

Nov 5
Nick
Aime W.

Nov 12
Ciuin
Laura

Nov 19
Erin
Open slot

Nov 26
Thanksgiving – no meeting

Dec 3
Open slots

Keep Writing,
Bill

Next Noble Pen Meeting

October 22nd, 2015 at 7 pm

Scott’s Family Restaurant

1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

News

The Marion Public Library is holding a writers’ event on October 24 with several authors discussing topics such as shaping your writing for an audience segment and publishing. It’s free and a $5 lunch is available. Advanced registration is needed to assure a seat.

Victories

Erin made progress on the outline for a long story.

Nick edited on his Earth Ends novel.

Benjamin found a long-term client for his writing business.

Cassie edited three chapters and added two chapters to Until Death Do Us Part.  Her copy editer returned  material and she incorporated the edits.  She is outlining and started writing the second novella in that series.  A couple authors have agreed to write blurbs for her story.

Ciuin has added characters and two thousand words to Stories of Paris and a thousand to Search for Nightmares.

Laura is developing an idea for a series based on her work for the anthology.

Education

Rewriting is an essential part of creating a good story.  Here’s some advice on rewrites.  Another list offers some important things to ponder about your story to find what needs revising.  And another list.

Upcoming Schedule

Oct 22
Cassie
Erin

Oct 29
Benjamin
Open slot

Nov 5
Nick
Aime W.

Nov 12
Open slots

Nov 19
Open slots

Nov 26
Thanksgiving – no meeting

Keep Writing,
Bill

Next Noble Pen Meeting

October 15th, 2015 at 7 pm

Scott’s Family Restaurant

1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

News

NOTICE – MEETING TIME: Because many members are interested in the book signing which starts at 6:30 on October 15th, we voted to start our meeting at 7:30 on that night only.

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The book signing is held on Thursday Oct 15 at Barnes and Noble. Several well-known authors (scroll down) will participate.   It is in conjunction with the ICON science fiction and fantasy convention (schedule).  Own Dylan is in the book signing and on some panels.

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The Marion Public Library is holding a writers’ event on October 24 with several authors discussing topics such as shaping your writing for an audience segment and publishing. It’s free and a $5 lunch is available. Advanced registration is needed to assure a seat.

Victories

Nick wrote 40,000 words of reports covering his railfan trip.

Benjamin found a client for his writing business.  He has read/listened to twelve books this week and written every day.

Ciuin is making progress at restructuring Stories of Paris and adding several characters.  She also wrote more on the ghost-hunter stories.

Barbara has her home office organized for writing and set a goal of 15,000 words by the end of October.

John signed up for an on-line writing course with U of Iowa and has been submitting homework pieces.

Education

It’s hard getting something written well and then published – there are many mistakes you can make and even good manuscripts are often rejected.

Here’s a list of few mistakes concerning the overall approach.  Moira Allen offers an excellent list of ways to get a manuscript rejected.  Jefferson Smith tabulated and ranked the mistakes that broke his immersion in stories.  James Scott Bell lists elements of a story that may be lacking interest.  Here’s Susan Breen’s list.

Upcoming Schedule

Oct 15 (7:30 start)
Ciuin
Laura

Oct 22
Cassie
Erin

Oct 29
Benjamin
Open slot

Nov 5
Nick
Open slot

Nov 12
Open slots

Keep Writing,
Bill

Next Noble Pen Meeting

October 8th, 2015 at 7 pm

Scott’s Family Restaurant

1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

News

The Marion Public Library is holding a writers’ event on October 24 with several authors discussing topics such as shaping your writing for an audience segment and publishing.  It’s free and a $5 lunch is available.  Advanced registration is needed to assure a seat.

Victories

Laura and Cassie are getting together with the other Avon contest participants to self-publish an anthology of Regency Romances.

Cassie finished the draft of Death Do Us Part.

Erin returned.  She outlined a story with potential as literary fiction and her first long piece of writing.

Ciuin’s article is in the current issue of City Revealed.  She got an A on a school paper.

Education

It’s been said that your first sentence must get the reader interested enough to read the first paragraph, the paragraph must get them to read the first chapter, and the chapter get them to read the book.   Others break it down to the first three paragraphs, or the first five pages, or first fifty pages, but the idea is widespread.

The first-sentence hook is a good tool for generating interest in your story.

This article (partway down) quotes Nancy Kress, in her book Beginnings, Middles, and Ends, which says in order to hook an editor or reader the first three paragraphs of a story (in a novel perhaps more) should accomplish several things: establish a character, at least hint of conflict, anchor the story in a setting, and demonstrate clear writing with good mechanics.  Others echo the general sentiments. While some may not agree these are hard requirements, few would call them bad attributes for an opening.

Anne R. Allen offers a checklist for things the first chapter needs to do.

Here are some tips on getting readers interested in the rest of the book.

Upcoming Schedule

Oct 8
Nick
Benjamin

Oct 15
Ciuin
Laura

Oct 22
Cassie
Erin

Oct 29
Benjamin
Open slot

Nov 5
Open slots

Keep Writing,
Bill

Next Noble Pen Meeting

October 1st, 2015 at 7 pm

Scott’s Family Restaurant

1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

News

Lawrence “Yogi” Berra contributed many colorful sayings to our language.   “It ain’t over ’til it’s over” but unfortunately it is over for him at age 90.

We also lost Jackie Collins, known for steamy stories, at age 77.

Finally, some depressing news about award-winning books; they don’t make a lot of money.

Victories

Ciuin finished two articles about ghosts for City Revealed’s October issue.

Benjamin has settled in after moving and is working again at the writing business.  He found the Vault Coworking space and started a short story.

Aaron’s novel-in-a-month effort taught him a lesson on lack of conflict and tension.  Nevertheless, it gave him some good material to rework.

Education

One of the many confusing sets of verbs is the lay/lie group ( another source).  In present tense, lay expresses your action of placing something and requires that object to be named.  Lie is what you or the subject thing does while resting in place, and does not operate on an object.

I lay down the book because I am tired.  Yesterday I laid it on the table.  I have laid it there often.  I am laying it there as you enter.

A confustication occurs because lay occurs again in past tense, and we generally misuse laid instead – so consistently that I suspect it will formally change in some future decade.  The book lies where the others lie on the table.  It lay there all yesterday.  It has lain there a long time and is still lying there.

This of course, has nothing to do with telling a lie, but we have fewer problems with that meaning.

Upcoming Schedule

Oct 1
Laura
Cassie

Oct 8
Nick
Benjamin

Oct 15
Ciuin
Laura

Oct 22
Open slots

Oct 29
Open slots

Keep Writing,
Bill

Next Noble Pen Meeting

Sept 24th, 2015 at 7 pm

Scott’s Family Restaurant

1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

News

The short list for this year’s Man Booker prize for fiction has been announced.

Victories

Dylan is included in an interview with participants in the Mark Lawrence competition.

Aaron is on pace at the halfway mark to finish his NaNoWriMo novel in September.

Cassie added 4,000 words to a story and plans to finish the draft in September.  She put out more quotes in picture form on Facebook, web page, blog, and newsletter.

Benjamin has been writing a lot and found the group.

Education

You may encounter the term “high concept” story.  The definition is a quite vague, but generally requires a fresh idea, often starting from a “what if ….” premise.  Jeff Lyons lists some qualities that are associated with “high concept.”

Upcoming Schedule

Sept 24
Ciuin
Aaron

Oct 1
Laura
Cassie

Oct 8
Nick
Benjamin

Oct 15
Open slots

Oct 22
Open slots

Keep Writing,
Bill