Milwaukee Writers Workshop

At 6:30 Monday, September 28th at the Wuawatosa Library we will have an open session for the Milwaukee Writers Workshop Novel Group. Novel group members were asked to do some research on any topic related to writing that they found relevant (plot, characters, pacing, genre, whatever) and write a short summary. In this session we'll spend a few minutes on each topic discussing them in typical round table format.

If you have written a novel, are planning to write one or are curious as to what this group is about, I highly recommend stopping by on the 28th. Not only will you get some quick-hitting knowledge about the craft of writing, but you can get a sense of how the group functions. Plus, following this session we'll be starting the review a new novel, the perfect time to join us. So come on down and see what the Novel Group is all about.

Tonight we reviewed the first ten chapters of Ziggurat by Erik Thelen. He was exceedingly appreciative of the group's efforts and felt the comments were very helpful. Some of the things the group stated as the novel's strengths were its tight plot and its quick, steady pace, the ease with which the narrator explained some dense subject matter, and the overall intrigue and mysticism. Some of the elements that needed work were the dialog, important information buried in long paragraphs and the need for some exposition regarding a six-year gap in the story.

On Monday, September 14th at 6:30 at the Tosa Library we'll be finishing up with Erik's novel. We'd love to see you there. If you're interested in reading Ziggurat, go to http://www.milwaukeewritersworkshop.com/story/ziggurat and download Parts 3 and 4.

And now for something completely different...I was told by a new member of the group that he thought the Novel Group was a closed sub-section of the MWW. I'd like to state emphatically, that is not so. We're open to anyone and are actively looking for novelists, readers and/or writers of any genre to fill out our somewhat eclectic group. The group is designed to work in much the same way as the short story group (read and critique for the good and the bad) but specifically for longer pieces. Our only rule is that you read and review two novels before the group will read and review yours.

We'd love to have you stop by on the 14th or the 28th to meet some eager, passionate, as-yet-unpublished writers, see the dynamics of the review session and maybe learn a thing or two about your own writing by reviewing someone else's work.

On Monday the 24th, Boone offered up some general information about the work a writer needs to do once his or her novel is ready for submission: creating a platform, finding appropriate agents, writing queries and synopses, etc. He also went into a history of the publishing industry and where it is today, including P.O.D. and e-Books. At the very least, I think everyone who attended found it informative and beneficial.

As for what’s up next, with Labor Day looming, we’ll be meeting 6:30 this Monday, Aug. 31st at the Wauwatosa Library at which time we’ll review the first 72 pages of Ziggarut, a 50K word novel from Eric Thelen. For anyone interested in reviewing the novel, please contact Eric directly via email: erikthelen@gmail.com.

Also, while I think reviewing novels in three segments makes a ton of sense, with about 20K words down and 30K words remaining, it seems silly to break this novel up into two 15K-word pieces for review. So, if Ami can be ready to post her first 50K words by September 14th, I think it would make more sense to finish up Eric’s novel in two sessions and move straight into Ami’s. We’ll discuss this further at the next meeting.

Hope to see you there.

(Rev. 8/26) http://blog.nathanbransford.com/ had two great posts back-to-back on Monday August 24th and Tuesday August 25th...extremely pertinent to Boone's discussion. A good read for all MWW members.

Just wanted to send out one more reminder about this week'd Novel Group meeting. Boone will be presenting an overview of the publishing process this Monday at the Wauwatosa Library Conference Room #5 starting around 6:30. For more information about that, click
http://www.milwaukeewritersworkshop.com/content/marketing-presentation.

The next session after this (TBD), the group will be reviewing its third novel. So, if you've been thinking about joining the Novel Group of the MWW, now would be the ideal time as we'll be starting on the critique of Ziggarat. In the words of the author: "On the eve of the American invasion of Iraq, an accident at an archaeological site takes the life of one teenager and compels another to pursue a mystery as old as written language. Something potent touched the earliest inhabitants of the site, and it is still there, waiting. Ziggurat is an engaging account of a determined girl's search for answers in the ruins of Babylon."

We'll be cutting the novel into thirds and reviewing the first section to see if the story and/or writing grabs our attention.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions (plafferty@wi.rr.com).

Thanks and I hope to see you on Monday.

Hey Everyone,

I just wanted to put in a plug for Boone's Marketing Presentation at 6:30 on Monday, August 24th at the Wauwatosa Library Conference Room #5.

Boone is going to be providing an overview of the writing process (from the initial idea to how to spend the money you'll get from optioning the film rights) with an emphasis of what to do with your story once it's been critiqued by the people at the MWW and edited for the final time. Since it is being given at the novels group session, he'll be talking about agents and query letters and publishers. However, since the process is essentially the same for all forms of writing (with slight variations), the session should be applicable to most members and should offer some insight as to how you can move your writing from a great story to a great PUBLISHED story.

Hope to see you there...with one caveat. There's only enough space in the room for 10 to 12 people, so I'd like to request that those who take up those 10 to 12 spaces are seriously considering joining the novels group moving forward.

Thanks

Pat Lafferty