Have you ever wanted to take a class from a New York Times best-selling author? On April 26, Kathryn Shay will present the basics on how to develop characters for your story, whether it’s a short one or a novel. The basics for doing this don’t change, so she will be sharing her methods with the group.
If not already a member of our group, you are welcome to visit one time free of charge.
The time and location of our meeting are given on the home page of this website.
Useful information from the website SocialMediaToday about how to design ads that convert to more traffic on your own Facebook or Instagram pages.
There is much free information available to any author who hopes to grow their readership. This is just one way to do so.
https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/facebook-instagram-ads-that-convert-infographic/742389/
By Sue Spitulnik
Music. The universal language.
When there’s a beat, toes tap and bodies sway.
It can be fast and exciting, evoke feelings of loneliness,
Or have an air of peace and tranquility.
Animals even surround a singer with a guitar
I’ve watched it happening on a video.
Music. It’s one reason I met my husband
He wanted a dance partner
We could fill an empty floor
Just the two of us doing an old fashioned swing
Usually during the dinner hour
When the DJ played the crooner’s songs
Music. We sing along when alone in the car
And it takes us away from our today
People clean house to it
Surgeons operate to it
Children wiggle their bodies and butts
Grinning while being the center of attention
Music, the universal language
Aging backs took away our dance steps
So we enjoy listening, sitting near the band
In bars like the Spirit Room.
It brought us here, it’s why we come back
Well that and the birthday boy
Music is one of Jake’s things
He has a marvelous set of pipes
Everyone should get to hear at least once
Plus he makes a wickedly good cocktail
That might include an eyeball
And he writes poetry much better than so many others
Music, has brought us many new friends
Those who play it and those who listen
Some we’ve grown very close to and
Others are acquaintances in the crowd
Music, is alive in Rochester. It’s a big deal
And in so many locations
Sometimes we choose by the venue’s menu
Because our favorites are giging the same night
Music brings us together
By genre, talent, acoustically and otherwise
The stories that are sung
Could be yours or mine
Full of protest or gospel understanding
Patriotic even, the result is the same
It’s a way to share the reality of life
Music continues to be
Everywhere, All the time
Happy birthday, Jacob
Our first of three critiques is coming up on Saturday, March 22. This is a great time to get a manuscript of up to 2500 words looked at. If you aren't a member, this is a fantastic opportunity to see what LCRW can do for you (in addition to the six presentations we have each year.)
This is a LCRW function. You may participate one time only if you are a non-member. You must be a member to critique.
ALL manuscripts must be emailed to the moderator, Steve Yates at writingsbysay@yahoo.com by MIDNIGHT on Wednesday, July 12th. (Note, this is ten days before the critique session.) Any submissions received after that will be handled as time permits, at the end of the critique session.
Critiques will be discussed in the order they are received.
You will be receiving a manuscript from each participant and are expected to print it out and have your critique of their work at the meeting, or email the author your notes, and attend the meeting also.
Your manuscript must be formatted using: Times Roman, Courier, Tahoma, or Verdana font at 12 points. Margins should be to one inch. Double space.
Be sure to number your pages (Insert / Page Number). Also, it makes critiquing easier if you insert line numbers (Open the Page Layout ribbon / Click Line Numbers in the Page Setup section / Select your options from the pop-up menu.)
Save your document in: .doc, .docx, or .rtf formant. (All major word processing programs have this capability.) All manuscripts will be converted to .pdf by the facilitator, with line numbers inserted if you have not already done so.
Please limit your submission to about 2500 words. (You may send as many words as you like. The person critiquing may stop at any time after 2500 words.)
Starting time is 9:00 AM Saturday, March 22th. Please be ready to start then.
1605 Buffalo Rd, Rochester, NY 14624 Enter via the Police Annex door at the back of the building. There is plenty of parking. We meet in the first room on the left.
Please do not submit first drafts. Spend some time editing before you send it out. Also, it is requested you don’t send a modified copy of your manuscript after the original has been dispersed. (When Steve receives a manuscript, he will send it out to those who have already submitted. He will send all the manuscripts at the deadline.
Everyone who submits a manuscript will be expected to critique all other entries and ensure they receive a copy of your comments. (You are not required to send your critique to the recipient before the critique, but it is useful.) In addition, we always have people who wish to share their knowledge of writing, yet not submit.
NEW: It was decided at the last critique that, no matter how many entries and volunteers we have, we will all be at one table. That may force us to extremely limit your time to present your critique. Therefore, you must be sure to have everything you wish to say on the paper copy to return to the author.
The following information should be on the first page, before your story begins. (You may wish to copy/past this to your manuscript and answer them.)
· Please include your name and email address at the top of the page.
· Genre: (Fantasy, Romance, etc.)
· Demographic (target audience):
· How long is the final piece (short story, novel):
· Is there back story we need to know to understand what is going on:
· Where does this fit in your manuscript (i.e.: two-thirds of the way through):
· What questions do you want answered:
When critiquing, consider:
· Are the characters developed. (You may not get to this in a limited piece)
· Is there a strong sense of the setting/time.
· Is it original (Not a requirement. Some of the best stories are a retelling.)
At last Saturday's meeting we were watching a video presentation entitle "show - don't tell." After a few minutes, fussy technology reigned and I couldn't get the video restarted. Member, Kim Gore jumped up from her seat and professionally saved the day. After a bit more instruction, she gave us the following prompt that tells about something happening and asked us to write the same scene showing it to our fellow readers.
Prompt: He was so angry that he threw the shovel across the driveway and screamed. His wife came out of the house and gave him a cup of cocoa.
****
My descriptive version: by Paul Irvine
He stared hard at the shovel, half full of snow, the ice sticking to it adding ten pounds. His frozen toes now forgotten, he kicked it, shattering the ice and his big toe, and sending him flying down the driveway on his back. The resulting scream echoed down the street, like a blast from a shotgun. His wife, already half way out the door, rushed to him, slipped and spilled the hot cocoa down his open jacket. As she hit the ground, their duo screams set off their car alarms, adding to the winter cacophony filling their neighborhood!
****
Effort to show not tell - Kathleen Plum:
It was a bitter cold wintery morning and the three feet of snow and ice on Jack’s driveway begged to be left alone. He was still steaming from the argument with his wife over their taxes; he was happy to feel the icy breeze brush his nose and cheeks as he stepped out of the house with the snow shovel. A thin, fluffy coating of snow had disguised the thick, hard layer of ice beneath it. In pure frustration, Jack threw his shovel across the driveway and screamed. But then he saw the outline of a bloody human hand, with only 3 fingers, encrusted in the ice below. Now the wind- or maybe it was the hand in the ice- took his breath away entirely. Jack was still speechless as his wife came out of the house bearing a cup a cocoa in repentance for her part in the dust-up that morning, oblivious to the macabre scene that awaited her.
****
Immediate response to telling prompt - by Sue Spitulnik
"This damn snow. I want to move south."
"You've said that for years and I agree, then you say you won't leave the kids."
"That's your line."
"Okay. It's your mother you won't leave. Go shovel before she gets here."
He put on three shirts, his insulated pants, a heavy coat and gloves. I added his knit cap and opened the door for him. Next thing I heard was a scream and a thump. I ran to the window. The shovel was five feet into the yard and he was sitting on his ass, fuming, but seemed okay. I watched. He slowly turned to get on all fours and gingerly got up. I went to the kitchen to make him a cup of hot cocoa and put a shot of whiskey in it thinking whatever works. I took it out to him. He would be nicer when his mother arrived.
****
As you can see, Paul and Kathleen followed the prompt. Sue rearranged the timeline in her writing showing that everyone wrote what came to mind with different character personalities, and different settings. This is because every author draws on their own personal experiences when writing, and no two people think alike. It was a good presentation for everyone present. Fun side note: more than one person included an argument about doing their taxes.
Every author has to learn to write prose that lets readers experience the story by using their five senses. It’s not as easy as it sounds because telling what is happening in a scene is how we generally write, but it leaves the reader feeling uninvolved. In some circumstances, showing is more challenging than in others. The meeting presentation on Saturday, February 22, will be Leslie J. Hall explaining how to show instead of tell by sharing great examples.
If you have heard this topic discussed before, I still encourage you to join us. There may be some tidbit of information spoken in a different manner that will help you incorporate showing into your writing more naturally.
The time and location of our meeting are given on the home page.
As the president of Lilac City Rochester Writers, I have heard more than one member say they only write short stories. That’s fine. Do what works for you!
A short story still needs a cast of characters, a beginning, middle, and end, and someone with a problem to solve. Short stories are a great way to try different plotting methods (learn these in our June presentation,) different genres, and different points of view.
Short stories are saleable individually, or put them together in your own collection. The good news today is the how-to of selling a short story is in this link. Click on the photo to be taken to an excellent article about selling your “baby.”
NASA researchers found that nighttime lights in the US shine twenty to fifty percent brighter in December due to holiday light displays and other activities. (Ron Charles, The Washington Post citing The Earth at Night, NASA-2020)
I find that bit of information interesting. A few years ago, while visiting the Grand Canyon, I experienced the opposite. At the hotel and cabin complex near the south rim, most all outside lights were off at night in the name of preventing “light pollution.” Small “night lights” were the only illumination on sidewalks. It was dangerous as I couldn’t see well enough to discern the numbers on the cabins to make sure I entered the correct doorway. I had to use the flashlight on my phone.
Last weekend I had the opportunity to enjoy a two-and-a-half-hour nighttime parade on the city streets of New Orleans. The lighted floats and costumes were delightful. The police presence for security was impressive. Did I feel unsafe? Not at all, but for all the work put into the costumes, I think I would have enjoyed being able to see them better. There were three young people’s bands with lots of drums. I wish I could have given their adult instructors a sign that I respected the time they were donating, but they couldn’t see me well enough so I could get their attention. It was only 50 degrees. I was glad to have on my warm coat that I wear all winter in rural New York State.
On a clear moonlit night at home, I stare out my bedroom window, admiring the shadows of tree limbs on the snow or ground. There are many sharp turns and pathways that remind me of my life. It has not all been easy. Some of the turns I have created myself, and others have happened because I did not take action or because someone else did something I had no control over. Looking at the shadows and remembering experiences gives me a sense of belonging and peace.
I’ve come a long way. My travels have been many, and there are more paths to explore. Some will be hidden in shadow and some will be so bright I may need sunglasses.
One can replicate the light that illuminates our paths by the light we leave in our wake. Just for a fun writing experience, please share your thoughts in the comment section about the types of light that you notice.
Our January 25th meeting will find us planning for 2025. As President, still, I will be asking what you hope to gain by being a member of the group, What areas of the writer’s world you would like explained in presentations, and who do you know who can share their expertise.
We will discuss some ideas about what more the members could be doing for each other as fellow writers. Plus, there should be time for a fun writing exercise just to get the creative thoughts working and some words written.
I wish each of you, members and non-members, who follow our website and give life to the group a happy, healthy 2025.
Sue Spitulnik
President Sue Spitulnik will be sharing her favorite conference takeaways from the year. One has to do with how to sell more books when you, as the author, are the guest speaker. Another concerns using that stored notebook you have waiting for a special occasion. (Bring it with you, please.) We will also discuss the importance of utilizing on-line conferences and why to go to live ones. One more item will be how to use the group to advertise your new books and/or anthologies before they are published and once they are.
Visitors are always welcome at Lilac City Rochester Writers. We hope you’ll come check us out. Our meeting location and meeting time are listed on the first page of this site.
Lilac City Rochester Writers 