Next Noble Pen Meeting

Sept 27th, 2018 at 7 pm

Scott’s Family Restaurant

1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

News

Finalists for the Man Booker prize in literature have been announced.  This is an award for works written in English by authors from anywhere in the world and published in the British Isles.  An official said this year “All of our six finalists are miracles of stylistic invention.”  This prize may get more than usual attention because the Nobel Prize in literature is not being awarded this year.

Victories

Randy’s book release got a full page in the Bellevue newspaper with his book cover, his own photo, and the story of the real coffin.

Jesse edited and submitted his story, the first serious writing he has done in a while.

Dylan got a writing weekend and turned out 40K words.

Ciuin wrote on Chessmaster, edited for a Petty Theft revision, and started work on her master’s essay.

Education

A drabble is a story in exactly 100 words.  It is difficult to fit the elements of an interesting story into such a short piece, and is thus a good exercise for a writer to develop clear and concise expression in all their work.  As in any story, it should include elements of setting, character(s), conflict, and resolution.  Other short lengths have also been used, and the general category is called Flash Fiction.

We will be experimenting with 100-word drabbles on Oct 4th.  Here are some comments about writing a drabble,  some examples, and more here.  I particularly like this one.

Upcoming Schedule

Sept 27
Jesse-discussion of pop culture and writing
Aime
Stacie

Oct 4
Nick
Logan
Drabbles from Stacie, Jesse, Aime, and Rebecca

Oct 11
Ciuin
Open slots

Oct 18
Open slots

Oct 25
Open slots

Keep Writing,
Bill

Next Noble Pen Meeting

Sept 20th, 2018 at 7 pm

Scott’s Family Restaurant

1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

News

Even dyslexic people can become successful authors, as this woman found.

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The classic Little Women is at its 150th anniversary.

Victories

Randy got paid for several books sold at the Bellevue store.

Aime finished the first book in her quest to read all Vonnegut works.  She has made progress in the beta read she is doing.

Logan got a rejection for a story, but only after their third reading and the magazine wants him to keep submitting.

Education

Writers can find many sources of information about submitting to agents, magazines, and book publishers.  Some people use the subscription site Duotrope to find places to submit and the submission guidelines.  Randy Ingermanson compares the process for different size publishers.

If you are looking to get into a big publishing house, an editor tells why a writer needs an agent.  You may benefit from Writer’s Digest’s Guide to Literary Agents that comes out each fall (or on Amazon)  They also have guides for magazine writers,  screenwriters, poets, photographers, and other market segments.  AgentQuery offers some resources.

A resource often  mentioned is Query Tracker.  Check it out to see if you could benefit either from registering for its services or just from browsing its forum for information on agents, publishers, writing techniques, success stories, etc.  You could spend days on the site.

Although not quite up to date, this pdf list of 101 web sites with infomation that helps authors may still be relevant.

Upcoming Schedule

Sept 20
Randy-submission plus discussion of planning sheet
Aime-discussion on writing villains.
Jesse

Sept 27
Jesse-discussion of pop culture and writing
Aime
Open slot

Oct 4
Nick
Logan
Drabble writing?
Open slot

Oct 10
Open slots

Oct 17
Open slots

Keep Writing,
Bill

Next Noble Pen Meeting

Sept 13th, 2018 at 7 pm

Scott’s Family Restaurant

1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

News

If you create a good enough character, that persona can live on after you are gone.  Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan is a good example, as other writers have continued the series and written a TV show.

Victories

Dylan got a fan letter (but can’t read much of the writing).

Nick wrote 20 pages.

Randy will have a table at the Iowa Library Association reception.  He has scheduled a party after his Bellevue signing with one of the characters from the book actually there performing music.

Stacy continues doing books on CD.

Education

Should you use adverbs?  Most well-reasoned advice says yes, but in moderation.   Adverbs aren’t only words ending in -ly, but include any modifier of an adjective or verb, including adverbial phrases Here’s a list of 3732 adverbs (just in case you didn’t think they were numerous).  If you aren’t clear, see this  Basic explanation of adjectives and adverbs.

Overuse can be a problem for writers.  They are overdone if they are being used in place of active verbs, strong dialog, and good adjectives.   For the choice  (“Hurry,” he said loudly.),  or (“Hurry,” he yelled.)  the strong verb is better than the adverb. “Very” is an adverb that rarely adds anything to a sentence.

So  use them carefully. There are times when an adverb is the best choice.  “An overly long phone call upset her schedule,” “He entered silently,” and “He ate quickly” make good use of adverbs.

Upcoming Schedule

Sept 13
Amie
Nick
Stacie

Sept 20
Laura
Aime-discussion on writing villains.
Open slot

Sept 27
Open slots

Oct 4
Nick
Open slots

Oct 10
Open slots

Keep Writing,
Bill

Next Noble Pen Meeting

Sept 6th, 2018 at 7 pm

Scott’s Family Restaurant

1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

News

Age doesn’t have to limit a writer, here’s a guy over 100 who just wrote a novel.

—//–

Neil Simon, one of our most famous playwrights, died recently at age 91.  This article notes that he had to adapt as our culture changed, a lesson for all writers.

Victories

Randy has the proof copy of his book.  He is scheduled for Sept 22 pre-release signing in Bellevue.

Aime has started on a mission to read all of Vonnegut’s books.

Education

Here are several authors giving advice on writing.  And another list of lessons learned by 27 authors.

Upcoming Schedule

Sept 6
Nick
Stacie
Amie-discussion of writer’s block

Sept 13
Amie
Open slots

Sept 20
Laura
Open slots

Sept 27
Open slots

Oct 4
Open slots

Keep Writing,
Bill

Next Noble Pen Meeting

August 30th, 2018 at 7 pm

Scott’s Family Restaurant

1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

News

Here’s a discussion of  word origins, from Africa into English.

–//–

An author shows that a lot of the history you learned isn’t very objective and has affected a lot of people, again demonstrating that writing has great power.

Victories

Aime submitted to a call for stories.

Randy ordered the proof copy of Sins of Omission.

Education

You may at some time get the opportunity to pitch your work in person to an agent or someone else who can help your chances of getting published.  Here are some questions you might not have thought to prepare answers for.

What questions should you research before meeting an agent, and ask them if necessary?  Here’s a large collection of links for dealing with agents.

Upcoming Schedule

Aug 30
Aime
Stacie
Randy (short)

Sept 6
Nick
Open slots

Sept 13
Open slots

Sept 20
Open slots

Sept 27
Open slots

Keep Writing,
Bill

Next Noble Pen Meeting

August 23rd, 2018 at 7 pm

Scott’s Family Restaurant

1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

News

Ciuin is organizing a group table to sell books on Sept 15 at an event in Tipton.  There may be a small entry fee to split.  Contact her if you are interested in helping, or in sending books.

–//–

They say that a variety of experience helps make a writer, but this is carrying things too far.  It might be better to research bank robberies on line.

Victories

Stacie is at 60k words on her novel, which started out as a short story and just grew.

Aime is doing a beta read for someone.

Randy’s book is back from both editors.  He beta read Dylan’s Flight.

Dylan has Flight only a couple steps from publication.  He is a featured writer on the Ello social network.

Education

It seems like most of us have difficulty finding time to write.  This article suggests that you make the best use of scattered moments through out the day to make notes of ideas for plot, character, and scenes.  Here’s a list of possible times to think about your story. Use your phone or other gadgets to capture those notes while driving.  Or as one member does, think through your plots while exercising.

When you do sit down to write, you may find it best to just capture the ideas and not worry about cleaning it up.  Keep editing as a separate (but necessary) task so you don’t slow down the creative process.

Do whatever it takes to make sure that when you sit down to write, you don’t get distracted.  Some people keep an old computer, off net, just for writing so they aren’t distracted by email and F*ceb**k.   If you’re going to want a cup of tea, make it before sitting down so you don’t interrupt yourself to get it.

Here are 10 tips on productivity and another series of tips by a prolific writer.

Upcoming Schedule

Aug 23
Logan
Ciuin
Stacie

Aug 30
Aime
Stacie (would cede)
Open slot

Sept 6
Nick
Open slots

Sept 13
Open slots

Sept 20
Open slots

Keep Writing,
Bill

Next Noble Pen Meeting

August 16th, 2018 at 7 pm

Scott’s Family Restaurant

1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

News

An essay says that reading horror fiction prepares us to deal with the terrible things that happen in the real world.

–//–

Jean-Luc Picard fans will be glad to know Patrick Stewart is coming back in the role in a new Star Trek series.

Victories

Eric has his book in print.

Uriah has outlined the plot for the rest of his novel.

Logan got a personal and detailed rejection from a magazine.

Education

Giving effective critiques is an art in itself, and is fraught with interpersonal complexities.  Melissa Donovan offers some advice on giving effective but diplomatic critiques.   Another article emphasizes giving usefull critique.

Sometimes it is hard to accept critiques after you worked so hard on a piece.   Pia Padukone tells about how hard it was for her to accept criticism, and how she got over it.  Here are Melissa Donovan’s thoughts.  Another group has guidelines not so different from our own Member Guide. Nathan Bransford has advice on receiving critique and editorial changes.

You need to consider that there are many opinions out there, and you are trying to write something that will hold the interest of as many readers as possible.  There is a rule of thumb that if one person says something, it’s just their opinion.  If two say it, you should expect that others may think the same thing.  If many people say it, you have to concede that they have a point.

In the end, after you consider all the opinions, you still can think about selected reviewers, “You’re not my target audience.”

Upcoming Schedule

Aug 16
Ciuin
Laura
Uriah

Aug 23
Logan
Ciuin
Open slot

Aug 30
Aime
Open slots

Sept 6
Nick
Open slots

Sept 13
Open slots

Keep Writing,
Bill

Next Noble Pen Meeting

August 9th, 2018 at 7 pm

Scott’s Family Restaurant

1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

News

We’ve heard it before – many reviews are paid-for fakes.  Here’s a story about a product and a guy who does paid reviews.  Amazon claims only 1% of reviews are faked, but others wonder. The caution also applies to books.  An article discusses how to spot fakes.

Victories

Randy is beta reading Flight for Dylan.

Education

Authors are sometimes advised to “write what you know.” A long list of authors gave their advice about this.

Certainly personal knowledge makes it easier to set up and describe scenes, people, and places.  But research can fill in what you don’t know about real places and history, and imagination can add a lot, especially for futuristic settings.

If you write about real places, do research to get the geography right. (Dan Brown, I’m looking at you.)  If your character has a profession, research enough to know what they would spend their day doing.  Don’t give historical characters actions they would have been unlikely to do.  But there is still a lot of room to make stuff up.

If you write fantasy, vampires, or space opera don’t let yourself be limited by what others have done.  Make new rules for vampires.  Invent a new way to travel space.  Write a fantasy that is not in a medieval setting.

Upcoming Schedule

Aug 9
Logan
Uriah
Aime

Aug 16
Ciuin
Laura
Uriah

Aug 23
Logan
Ciuin
Open slot

Aug 30
Open slots

Sept  6
Nick
Open slots

Keep Writing,
Bill

Next Noble Pen Meeting

August 2nd, 2018 at 7 pm

Scott’s Family Restaurant

1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

News

You might like a discussion by several writers of thrillers.

–//–

M and M Books near Johnson and Edgewood has a good display of local authors’ books.

–//–

Donald Kaul, insightful and witty columnist for the Cedar Rapids Gazette and Des Moines Register, Pulitzer winner, and co-founder of RAGBRAI, died recently at age 83.

Victories

Randy participated at I.O.W.A and sold books.  He met someone there who was on the jury for the case that inspired Sins of Intent.  Sins of Omission is back from the first editor and is expected in a couple weeks from the second editor.

Education

An article lists seven essential elements of a good novel.  First among those is readability, which starts with clear expression and finds ways to hold interest.  Another article starts with plot and character development.  This blog lists sixteen elements, and clarity is first.

Upcoming Schedule

Aug 2
Nick
Nathan
Stacie

Aug 9
Logan
Uriah
Aime

Aug 16
Ciuin
Open slots

Aug 23
Open slots

Aug 30
Open slots

Keep Writing,
Bill

Next Noble Pen Meeting

July 26th, 2018 at 7 pm

Scott’s Family Restaurant

1906 Blairs Ferry Rd NE, Cedar Rapids

News

What story scared you the most? Several authors answer.

–//–

The bake shop will sell your book.  Ask Ciuin for details.

Victories

Ciuin wrote more on CM.

Education

Many words and phrases linger in English but have become idiom because their original meaning is obsolete. Everybody knows the phrase “carbon copy,” but how many have actually used carbon paper to make a copy? For a writer, it’s a tradeoff between using phrases that carry a sense of the past versus losing readers who don’t have that history.

Someone may say they were “hung out to dry” if left alone to face a problem, but how many have hung out clothes to dry on a clothesline? Who has actually heard a “broken record” on the phonograph?Have  you bought anything that was “a dime a dozen” recently? “Don’t touch that dial,” but do you have a radio or TV upon which you can actually turn a dial? Is it bigger than a bread box?

Many other phrases never had a literal interpretation, but convey a sense of the past to those old enough to remember their use. Life used to be “swell”, but when’s the last time anything was swell, cool, far out, or neato? Gee whillikers!  Can you dig it?

There are more of these old expressions “than Carter had liver pills”. “Kilroy was here”, but he isn’t anymore. This is a fine kettle of fish! Do you look “like the wreck of the Hesperus” when you get up? Heavens to Betsy! I’ll be a monkey’s uncle! Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat! Holy moley!

You can’t bring those days back, not for all the tea in China, but you can remind people of them by using them when writing a story set in the past.  Just be careful not to lose the younger readers who aren’t familiar with them.  See ‘ya later, alligator!  Catch ya’ on the flip side.

Upcoming Schedule

Jul 26
Uriah
Aime
Ciuin

Aug 2
Nick
Open slots

Aug 9
Open slots

Aug 16
Open slots

Aug 23
Open slots

Keep Writing,
Bill