We will meet at someone’s home at 7 pm, and the address will be in the distribution email. Use the contact form if you need me to add you to the distribution.

Discord and Meetups for Noble Pen

The Discord app provides another way for us to discuss. If you want to check it out, ask for an invitation link that will let you join. Also look for Creative Writing on Meetups.com for Cedar Rapids and make us look active there.

Writing Victories

1. Ciuin and Jeff have a shared victory. Jeff critiqued Ciuin’s entire “Chess Master’s Pawn” manuscript and sent her his comments.

Reading Victories

1. Jeff finished “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley and thought worth the read, though it did start slowly. It was an accurate portrayal of human nature, and he certainly sympathized with John, the savage character not fitting into either world he lived in. Because there were lots of references to Shakespeare, Jeff also listened to “MacBeth” and explored why Shakespeare is difficult for modern readers to grasp. He’s now completed his self-challenge of reading twelve classics this year, and plans to continue reading a few more.

Personal Victories

Literary News

Schedule

Aug. 20
Ben L
Dylan
Jeff

Aug. 27
Robyn
David
open slot

Sept. 3
Robyn
open slots

Keep Writing!
Robyn

We will meet at someone’s home at 7 pm, and the address will be in the distribution email. Use the contact form if you need me to add you to the distribution.

Discord and Meetups for Noble Pen

The Discord app provides another way for us to discuss. If you want to check it out, ask for an invitation link that will let you join. Also look for Creative Writing on Meetups.com for Cedar Rapids and make us look active there.

Writing Victories

1. David received serious kudos, from Ciuin, for his world-building skills.
2. David, on his submission this week, received the coveted smiley face from Bill.

Reading Victories

1. Jeff is reading “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley.
2. David is listening to “Lord of the Rings” by J. R. R. Tolkien, and is impressed with the narration of Andy Serkis. Serkis was also the actor for the role of Sméagol / Gollum in the Peter Jackson films.

Personal Victories

1. Bill gave a favorable movie review for a film that is less than twenty years old. However, we were so shocked that no one remembers what movie it was….lol

Literary News

Schedule

Aug. 13
Robyn
Shannon
Aime

Aug. 20
Ben L
Dylan
Jeff

Aug. 27
Robyn
David
open slot

Keep Writing!
Robyn

We will meet at someone’s home at 7 pm, and the address will be in the distribution email. Use the contact form if you need me to add you to the distribution.

Discord and Meetups for Noble Pen

The Discord app provides another way for us to discuss. If you want to check it out, ask for an invitation link that will let you join. Also look for Creative Writing on Meetups.com for Cedar Rapids and make us look active there.

Writing Victories

1. Ciuin has decided to put much more history in her vampire novels.
2. Ciuin outlined a completely new book, in a new genre. She’ll be working on it after she completes “Bishop’s Decoy,” her current project.

Reading Victories

1. Jeff finished “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad and liked it a lot. It is the eleventh classic novel in his personal challenge to read twelve classics this year. He will most likely continue even after the next one.

Personal Victories

1. Aime is looking for a job and had an interview this past week.
2. David applied to the Hiawatha Library for a part-time position, but hasn’t heard back. He believes they filled it internally because it’s no longer posted.

Literary News

Schedule

Aug. 6
Jeff
David
Robyn

Aug. 13
Robyn
Shannon
Aime

Aug. 20
Ben L
Dylan
Jeff

Aug. 27
Robyn
open slots

Keep Writing!
Robyn

We will meet at someone’s home at 7 pm, and the address will be in the distribution email. Use the contact form if you need me to add you to the distribution.

Discord and Meetups for Noble Pen

The Discord app provides another way for us to discuss. If you want to check it out, ask for an invitation link that will let you join. Also look for Creative Writing on Meetups.com for Cedar Rapids and make us look active there.

Victories

Jeff is continuing to read classics, now starting Heart of Darkness.
Dylan’s son is on the honor roll.

Schedule

July 30
Robyn
Shannon
Aime

Aug. 6
Robyn
Jeff
David

Aug. 13
Shannon
open slots

Aug. 20
Ben L.
Robyn
Dylan (would cede)

Aug. 27
Open slots

Keep Writing!
Bill

We will meet at someone’s home at 7 pm, and the address will be in the distribution email. Use the contact form if you need me to add you to the distribution.

Discord and Meetups for Noble Pen

The Discord app provides another way for us to discuss. If you want to check it out, ask for an invitation link that will let you join. Also look for Creative Writing on Meetups.com for Cedar Rapids and make us look active there.

Writing Victories

1. Shannon wrote more on “Underground Blends,” his sequel to “Medium Roast.”
2. Dylan rewrote a recent chapter of “Allegro.”
3. Ben L. submitted for the first time on July 16, coming back even after his critique, and submitting more!
4. Ciuin outlined a new scene for “Bishop’s Decoy.”

Reading Victories

Personal Victories

1. Bill and his wife, Karen, are at their annual dulcimer festival, this year in Michigan.

Literary News

1. Joey Castillo, the founder of Oddly Specific Objects, has released his five-year-project Open Book Touch, an innovative e-reader. It aims to provide a buttonless, open hardware alternative to traditional e-readers like the Kindle. Castillo is known for crafting open-source gadgets.

Schedule

July 23
Shannon
Jeff
Dylan

July 30
Robyn
Shannon
Aime

Aug. 6
Robyn
open slots

Aug. 13
open slots

Aug. 20
Ben L.
open slots
Robyn

Keep Writing!
Robyn

We will meet at someone’s home at 7 pm, and the address will be in the distribution email. Use the contact form if you need me to add you to the distribution.

Discord and Meetups for Noble Pen

The Discord app provides another way for us to discuss. If you want to check it out, ask for an invitation link that will let you join. Also look for Creative Writing on Meetups.com for Cedar Rapids and make us look active there.

Writing Victories

1. Shannon has written 45,000 on “Underground Blends,” his sequel to “Medium Roast.”
2. Dylan changed the background of his website to dark grey, which demanded all sorts of complicated steps, including writing a new program.

Reading Victories

1. Jeff finished “Jane Eyre,” by Charlotte Bronte. He found it much enjoyable than “Wuthering Heights” (by Charlotte’s sister Emily Bronte). He did find Mr. Rochester a bit suspect when he hid his wife, but promised to marry Jane. And perhaps Jane’s judgement questionable…still, Jeff found Charlotte’s novel preferable to Emily’s.

Personal Victories

1. Bill’s wife, Karen, has moved from treatments every week to every other week. Her health is definitely improving!

Literary News

Schedule

July 16
Ben L.
Aime
Robyn

July 23
Shannon
Jeff
Dylan

July 30
Robyn
open slots

Keep Writing!
Robyn

We will meet at someone’s home at 7 pm, and the address will be in the distribution email. Use the contact form if you need me to add you to the distribution.

Discord and Meetups for Noble Pen

The Discord app provides another way for us to discuss. If you want to check it out, ask for an invitation link that will let you join. Also look for Creative Writing on Meetups.com for Cedar Rapids and make us look active there.

Writing Victories

1. Aime recorded a podcast about her graphic novel, which is part of an anthology; is officially a Harvard alumni after completing a three-week course on leadership; and did some writing this week.
2. Shannon rewrote four chapters and revised his outline for the fourth time.
3. Ciuin deleted many old writing files in order to clean up her hard drive.

Reading Victories

1. Xander is reading “Storyworthy: Engage, Teach, Persuade, and Change Your Life through the Power of Storytelling”
by Matthew Dicks and Dan Kennedy.

Personal Victories

Literary News

Schedule

July 9
Jeff
Xander
Dylan

July 16
Ben Linn
Aime
Robyn

July 23
Shannon
open slots

Keep Writing!
Robyn

We will meet at someone’s home at 7 pm, and the address will be in the distribution email. Use the contact form if you need me to add you to the distribution.

Discord and Meetups for Noble Pen

The Discord app provides another way for us to discuss. If you want to check it out, ask for an invitation link that will let you join. Also look for Creative Writing on Meetups.com for Cedar Rapids and make us look active there.

Writing Victories

1. Shannon had an anti-victory. The anthology he submitted two pieces to will not be going to publication as they didn’t have enough material. The magazine has traditionally be associated with the local ICON sci-fi convention which has an aging demographic and less interest in recent years..

Reading Victories

Personal Victories

Literary News

1. Jane Yolen, author of 450 books, died on Thursday, June 11. She began her career in 1963 with “Pirates in Petticoats” and was best known for her award-winning Holocaust novella “The Devil’s Arithmetic.” Her final, 450th book, “Terror Birds,” will be released posthumously on July 14.
2. Marjane Satrapi, a French-Iranian author, illustrator, director and activist has died aged 56. She was best known for her graphic novel series and film “Persepolis.”

Schedule

July 2
Jered
David
Robyn

July 9
Jeff
Xander
Dylan

July 9
Ben Linn
open slots

Keep Writing!
Robyn

We will meet at someone’s home at 7 pm, and the address will be in the distribution email. Use the contact form if you need me to add you to the distribution.

Discord and Meetups for Noble Pen

The Discord app provides another way for us to discuss. If you want to check it out, ask for an invitation link that will let you join. Also look for Creative Writing on Meetups.com for Cedar Rapids and make us look active there.

Writing Victories

1. Ciuin gave her middle school English teacher, Mr. Fogle, “Chessmaster’s Pawn” and the first 60 pages of “Bishop’s Decoy” for him to critique. He said he is both invested in the characters as people (which doesn’t happed to him often), and that he is fascinated by her creativity. Ciuin was surprised and pleased with his comments as he was a strict teacher and not easily impressed.
2. Jered has purchased his ticket to Brandon Sanderson’s Dragonsteel Nexus 2026 convention in Utah, this December. He has booked his flight, as well as reservations at an Airbnb. He also hopes to be selected to be on the set up crew for the event, allowing him to do more networking.

Reading Victories

1. Jeff is about a third of the way through “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte, and enjoying it better than “Wuthering Heights,” written by Charlotte’s sister Emily. He had some reservations as WH was only okay.
2. Xander, who doesn’t read much fiction, finished “Slaughterhouse Five” by Kurt Vonnegut and, to his surprise, enjoyed it. He plans to read another novel this summer, but isn’t sure which one.

Personal Victories

Literary News

Schedule

June 25
Robyn
Ciuin
Ben S.

July 2
Jered
David
Robyn

July 9
Jeff
Xander
Dylan

Keep Writing!
Robyn

We will meet at someone’s home at 7 pm, and the address will be in the distribution email. Use the contact form if you need me to add you to the distribution.

Discord and Meetups for Noble Pen

The Discord app provides another way for us to discuss. If you want to check it out, ask for an invitation link that will let you join. Also look for Creative Writing on Meetups.com for Cedar Rapids and make us look active there.

Writing Victories

1. Ciuin quickly revised a piece to submit to fill in.
2. Jered was pleased with the results he saw from a four day writing conference he attended in Minneapolis a couple of weekends ago. He had some great conversations that generated ideas for blog posts and more writing. He presented the first two chapters of “The Bubblegum People” to one group and received not only encouragement for his novel, but also some good comments. He came up with an elevator pitch for the same piece. Way to go, Jered!
3. Robyn is finally able to do these weekly postings without opening Bill’s instructions. She’s rather proud of herself.

Reading Victories

Personal Victories

Literary News

Schedule

June 18
Jeff
Ciuin
Dylan

June 25
Robyn
Ciuin
Ben S.

July 2
Jered
open slots

Keep Writing!
Robyn