The Pyrenees---Southern France

The Pyrenees---Southern France

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Another Evening with the WWWPs

       Yes, tonight was our writing critique night. Another snortingly good time was had by all.

        Since I know everyone is frothing at the mouth for details, here are the highlights:

  • One of our members (I won't name names, lucky for you, Tammy) did an encore of "I-don't-think-I-really-have-anything-here-but-it-had-been-sitting-around-for-a-while-and-I-just-dug-it-up." (She's done this for the past three meetings. It's getting old. Real old.) The rest of us figured we were going to have to roll our eyes, because we knew we were going to be blown away. We did and we were.
Lesson:  Periodically go through your old writing. You never know how you can recycle it, and you also never know what some fresh eyes will see in it.
  • Beth came armed with pizza (from Twigs--is that spelled correctly) and was bundled up with a scarf around her neck. She said she was "chilly" all day.
Lesson:  Get some lard on your body, Beth. If you had a fat content more than negative three gazillion and seventeen, you'd have some insulating capabilities. I don't carry around these rolls of cellulite for their looks, ya know...
  • Linda,  one of the founding members of the WWWPs, is extraordinarily generous with her gifts. Tonight she pounced on one of the stories that was shared, and said, "You really have got something here. Expand it, and Chicken Soup will jump on it." She then gave some suggestions on how to embellish the tale.
Lesson:  We're a community of writers. We can flounder alone or flourish together. Share the wealth.

  • Getting into a character's head, with all of the crazy tangents that bounce around in our brain, takes talent. Our thinking is hardly ever linear. Making a stream of consciousness believable as well as interesting, is tough to do, but Lynn can do it with one hand and a couple of extra fingers (from the other hand) tied behind her back. 
Lesson: Stay true to the character you create. Channel the rhythm of their speech, capture their idiosyncrasies, and make us care about them.

  • One of the WWWP's loved ones recently traveled south. To Brazil, I believe. Many trips to new places are fun. This one was terrifying, from all accounts. However, even though it involved some novel experiences that were hair-raising, it was tranformative. 
Lesson: Embrace the new. Finish what you start. And don't be afraid to go where no man has gone before. 

12 comments:

  1. I heard the landing strip was new and improved, so I'm hoping she had a smooth landing.

    We should be a sit com. We could write a sit com. Maybe we are.

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    1. The Brazilians are known for their landing strips, I've heard. However, I wouldn't know. I've never traveled further south than Florida.

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  2. I vote for you two to start a sitcom. :-) That made me smile.

    A writing group is worth its weight in gold. I've yet to find one I have found value in, which makes me sad...

    Pearl

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    1. Pearl--There HAS to be writers that you would mesh with in the frozen tundra of a world you call home. I wonder about even an online one, as I'm sure there are some bloggers you enjoy--if you got a group of them together and set up some guidelines, it might work. (Although I admit doing it in person is a lot more fun.)

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  3. Some really good advice here, Sioux. You have a very interesting writing group.

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    1. Janet--It IS an interesting, a fun and a talented group of writers.

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  4. You crack me up as always. Thanks for your kind and funny words. You're such a supportive, encouraging writer-- and talented too!

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    1. Lynn--We're both talented. In fact, we're more talented than Tammy because what she identifies as poop, we recognize it as high quality stuff.

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  5. I'm with Linda AND Lynn--you're all talented, and maybe we should write a sit com or a book. Even if my chapters are poo, I'll have some great illustrations!

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  6. Sioux, Even for a teacher this is a long intense list of Lessons. But they are worthy and I strive to learn. Is my cowboy more a Gary Cooper, John Wayne or Gabby Hayes? I'm thinking more Roy Rogers.

    And Pearl, do seek until you find. It took me a few moves through a few states to find my group. It is a process. The online group has the advantage of not spending the first half of meeting time conversing on the innocent remark of "Oh, those are cute shoes." Not that discussing shoes is a waste of time, you understand. But unless you Skype and scan to each other's feet, this will not be a problem. And if you don't scan the body you don't have to put on shoes at all. Or a bra. The wretched things.

    Now that I think about it, I may throw over my in-person pals for some on the cloud...

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  7. Oops. Just gave away my age. I should have said Emilio Estaves or Sam Elliot, or even my favorite Clint Eastwood. Aren't there any new, young cowboys? Hmm. Now I'm fixating on Clint ... Hmm. Gotta go.

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  8. Tammy--Your stuff is NEVER poo! Didn't you read this post? ;)

    Marcia--How about Viggo Mortensen who, in "Hidalgo," plays a cowboy?
    Yum.

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