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Newsletter of the Writers Guild of Texas www.wgtonline.org THE MENTOR NOVEMBER 2018 ISSUE October Meeting, 1 / Upcoming Events, “Why I Joined the WGT Board”, Weiss Cracking 2 / Genres 3 / Scott Bell said, “Fire Up Your Action Scenes” Veteran writer and long-time Writers Guild of Texas member Scott Bell provided our membership with a plethora of suggestions and recommendations to FIRE UP YOUR ACTION SCENES. The night’s presentation started with defining action as anything that is not dialogue or description. Bell focused on four elements: 1) Characters and the need for readers to care about them; 2) Consequences and the importance of bringing suspense, tension, and raising the stakes within your story; 3) Choreography and how to mix it up with short choppy sentences and long breathy sentences; and 4) Conclusion, your scene must end. He also provided us with examples of three common pitfalls to avoid in writing action scenes: 1) Breaking suspension or belief (lightening does not strike on a sunny day); 2) Chekhov’s gun (the concept that if you describe something in your story, you should use it in your story); and 3) Deus ex machina (using a device or machine to resolve your plot issues). Remember the elements and pitfalls as you proof-read your work. A few other recommendations included being believable, being aware of the visual layout of your text including frequent paragraph breaks, one-word paragraphs, multiple one-word paragraphs and a willingness to break grammatical rules. Bell used examples, good and bad, from well-known authors like David Baldacci, Lee Child, Daniel Silva, and Jim Butcher. When it comes to concluding an action scene Scott said, “don’t forget the dialogue and don’t default to magic healing!” Scott’s novels include the mystery/thrillers Yeager's Law, Yeager's Mission, and April's Fool, along with the forthcoming Yeager's Getaway and May Day. He has a Science Fiction novel out called Working Stiffs, and his short stories have appeared in numerous anthologies and online publications. Follow him on BookBub and learn more about his work at https://snapshooter4hire.com/. 2018 WGT EVENTS The November Critique Group session has been CANCELLED due to the Thanksgiving Holiday. Dec. 17 WGT Holiday Party 7-8:30 pm featuring networking activities, prizes, refreshments, and the announcement of the 2018 WGT Flash Fiction contest winners. Members and guests may bring a favorite snack or dessert to share. Jan. 28 Amber Royer will present Seamless Worldbuilding. Creating a convincing world is important no matter what genre you write in. It is easy to give either too little detail, resulting in a world that seems poorly thought out, or too much detail, leaving the reader overwhelmed. She will discuss how the principle of Hemingway's Iceberg, the adage of showing instead of telling, and the philosophy that character is story play together to give you worldbuilding that feels expansive and seamless. A U T H O R S WRITERS INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS The Mentor, November 2018 Page 1 Newsletter of the Writers Guild of Texas www.wgtonline.org THE MENTOR NOVEMBER 2018 ISSUE October Meeting, 1 / Upcoming Events, “Why I Joined the WGT Board”, Weiss Cracking 2 / Genres 3 / Upcoming WGT Events Why I Decided to Join the WGT Holiday Party Writers Guild of Texas Board Monday, December 17, 2018 I joined the board after just a few months of attending the 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM Guild meetings. The board seemed like a great group, and I Richardson Public Library wanted to give back to the club and make an impact. It’s been a fulfilling experience, and I’ve gotten to know other writers Members and Guests, bring your favorite snack or dessert to much better because of it. I find a lot of meaning in helping share, and join us for: Fun, writerly and networking Activities, others achieve their writing goals and Door Prizes, Refreshments, and announcement of the 2018 seeing the growth of our members. With Flash Fiction Contest winners. the help of the other officers, I quickly Seamless Worldbuilding came up to speed on the responsibilities with by Amber Royer and was happy to see how much of a team Monday, January 28, 2019 effort the club really is. I’m excited to see Alex Elfenbein 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM what the next year and a half has in store for the club! Richardson Public Library Alexandria Elfenbein is the Board Vice President of the Building a convincing world is important Writers Guild of Texas and will advance to President in no matter what genre you write in. It is January 2019. She will serve with David Douglas, Barbara easy to give either too little detail, resulting in a world that Mathes and Leah Hinton our new Program Coordinator. seems poorly thought out, or too much detail, leaving the Please consider joining the Writers Guild of Texas Board to reader overwhelmed. The principle of Hemingway's Iceberg support our community of writers. will be discussed. It is the adage of showing instead of telling, and the philosophy that character is story play together to give you worldbuilding that feels expansive and seamless. “Weiss-Cracking” by Jerry Weiss Writers Guild of Texas 2019 Board President Julie Mendel Vice President: Alex Elfenbein Secretary David Douglas Treasurer: Rainer Bantau Membership Chairman: Barbara Mathes Program Coordinator: Leah Hinton Communications Chairman: Gary Bowers Website Chairman: David Douglas Social Media Volunteer: OPEN * Critique Group Coordinator: OPEN* *We encourage you to serve the WGT in one of these positions. Learn more by talking to any one of the Board members. Without a Board, the Writers Guild of Texas cannot exist. “HARRY, YOUR MUSE HAS SUFFERED ENOUGH FOR TONIGHT .” A U T H O R S WRITERS INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS The Mentor, November 2018 Page 2 Newsletter of the Writers Guild of Texas www.wgtonline.org THE MENTOR NOVEMBER 2018 ISSUE October Meeting, 1 / Upcoming Events, “Why I Joined the WGT Board”, Weiss Cracking 2 / Genres 3 / ? Here is a list of genres, although you may know of many • Picture book – picture storybook is a book with very others. Do y0u write in one genre or across one or more little words and a lot of pictures; picture stories are genres? Take a look and see if you find another genre to usually for children tackle or a genre that sparks a new story idea. • Romance – the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally • Biography – a narrative of a person's life; when the satisfying and optimistic ending. subgenres include author is also the main sub, this is an autobiography. fantasy, paranormal and historical romance. • Classic – fiction that has become part of an accepted • Science fiction – typically dealing with imaginative literary canon, widely taught in schools concepts such as advanced science and technology, • Comics/Graphic novel – comic magazine or book spaceflight, time travel, and extraterrestrial life. based on a sequence of pictures (often hand drawn) • Self-help book – information with the intention of and few words. instructing readers on solving personal problems. • Crime/detective – fiction about a crime, how the • Short story – fiction of great brevity, without subplots criminal gets caught, and the repercussions of the • Thriller – characterized by the actions that elicit, crime heightened feelings of suspense, excitement, surprise, • Fable – legendary, supernatural tale demonstrating a anticipation and anxiety. useful truth • Fairy tale – story about fairies or other magical • Western – fiction set in the American Old West and placed in the late 1700 to late 1800’s creatures • Fantasy – fiction with subplot(s), theme(s), major • Young adult (YA) – is a category of fiction published and minor characters, in which the narrative is for readers in their youth. YA books are for readers presented in verse form (usually free verse) from 12 to 18 years of age, although approximately • Folklore – the songs, stories, myths, and proverbs of half of YA readers are adults. a people or "folk" as handed down by word of mouth • Historical fiction – story with fictional characters and events in an historical setting • Horror – fiction in which events evoke a feeling of I still get up every dread and fear in both the characters and the reader morning at 4 A.M. I • Humor – usually a fiction full of fun, fancy, and write seven days a week, excitement, meant to entertain and sometimes cause intended laughter; but can be contained in all genres including Christmas. • Legend – story of a national or folk hero, that has a And I still face a blank basis in fact but also includes imaginative material page every morning, • Memoir – factual story that focuses on a significant and my characters don't relationship between the writer and a person, place, or object; reads like a short novel really care how many • Mystery – fiction dealing with the solution of a crime books I've sold. or the revealing of secrets Dan Brown A U T H O R S WRITERS INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS The Mentor, November 2018 Page 3 .
Recommended publications
  • The Death of Genre: Why the Best YA Fiction Often Defies Classification

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    ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Creative Writing Workshops - by Marjorie H Morgan! to be used alongside the podcast MT Productions 1 of 28 Marjorie H Morgan Sessions Week 1 Introduction to Creative Writing, Writer’s Toolbox and character development Week 2 Flash Fiction and short stories Week 3 Poetry - written and performance Week 4 Blogs and journaling ! ! MT Productions 2 of 28 Marjorie H Morgan Week 1 ! ! Introduction to Creative Writing, Writer’s Toolbox and character development ! ! 10 Rules of Writing 1) Read. Read. Read. 2) Write. ! Write what you know - your POV! Write interests what intrigues you! Write what you don’t know! Write - don’t be perfect, just write (the way you write) 3) Listen.! Listen to your writing! Listen to other people talking! Listen to dialogue 4) Have a story.! Protaganist! Antagonist! Build drama - suspense! Show, don’t tell 5) Edit.! Read you draft ALOUD! Do not be afraid to change what you have written 6) Share.! Constructive criticism 7) Practice.! Take/make time to write! Make it a regular habit 8) Go for a walk.! Inspiration - narrative triggers! Keep human - see people, go places! Make notes - writer’s notebook 9) Finish what you are writing. 10) Be honest. Tell the Truth.! ! MT Productions 3 of 28 Marjorie H Morgan What’s in the Writer’s Toolbox? Toolbox! Vocabulary Grammar (dialogue)! Words / sentences / paragraphs Experience Observation Plots Settings Characterisation - internal/external worlds Style ! ! MT Productions 4 of 28 Marjorie H Morgan In these pandemic times, and beyond, it’s useful to remember
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  • ELEMENTS of FICTION – NARRATOR / NARRATIVE VOICE Fundamental Literary Terms That Indentify Components of Narratives “Fiction

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  • English 200, Microfiction: an Introduction to the Very Short Story

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  • Sustainable Development As Deus Ex Machina

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  • Alternate History

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    Alternate History "What if?" What if Germany and Japan had won World War II instead of the Allied Forces? What if the South had won the Civil War, instead of the North? What would history have been like and, perhaps more importantly, what would our world be like today? These are the kinds of questions that works of Alternate History address and that have intrigued such masters of speculative fiction as Isaac Asimov, Ben Bova, Philip K. Dick, Harry Turtledove, and a host of others. Sometimes complex but always imagination teasing, the titles in this category have intrinsic appeal not only to science fiction readers but also to fans of fantasy and historical fiction. -- Michael Cart, Contributing Editor, Young Adult Fiction. Alternate history would change our world but what if alternate worlds already exist on some dimension parallel to our own? This is another theme similar to alternate history which uses an explainable, non-magical means of moving from one world to another. Worlds that may have been similar to ours in their distant history are included. Some tales are set so far in the future that the setting is more like alternate worlds than the worlds in hard science fiction. Exploring “what if” can lead you to almost anywhere or any time! John Birmingham. Weapons of Choice. 2004. In this American debut of an Australian non-fiction author, a combination of time travel, alternate history and military science fiction focus on the year 2021 with a United nations military force gathered in the Pacific to end ethnic cleansing by an Islamic fundamentalist regime in Indonesia.
  • Efficacy of Genres in Training Videos for Emergency First Responders

    Efficacy of Genres in Training Videos for Emergency First Responders

    Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Master's Theses Graduate School 2011 Efficacy of genres in training videos for emergency first responders Kerry Jenkins Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses Part of the Communication Commons Recommended Citation Jenkins, Kerry, "Efficacy of genres in training videos for emergency first responders" (2011). LSU Master's Theses. 2624. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/2624 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Master's Theses by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. EFFICACY OF GENRES IN TRAINING VIDEOS FOR EMERGENCY FIRST RESPONDERS A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in The Department of Communication Studies by Kerry Jenkins B.S., Louisiana State University, 2004 May 2011 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES……………………………………………………………………………….iii LIST OF FIGURES……………………………………………………………………………...iv ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………………………v CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………...1 1.1 Why Study the Efficacy of Training Videos for First Responders?......................................1 1.2 Organization of Thesis……………………………………………………………………...5 CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW……………………………………………………….…7 2.1 Pedagogy and Adult Education………………………………………………………….…..7 2.2 Documentary Film and the Use of Narrative Elements……………………………………..8 CHAPTER 3. METHODS……………………………………………………………………….14 3.1 Population………………………………………………………………………………….14 3.2 Pilot Study………………………………………………………………………………….16 3.3 Current Study………………………………………………………………………………25 3.3.1 Videos………………………………………………………………………………….25 3.3.2 Procedure………………………………………………………………………………33 CHAPTER 4.
  • Sudden Flash Youth : 65 Short-Short Stories / Edited by Christine Perkins- Hazuka, Tom Hazuka, and Mark Budman

    Sudden Flash Youth : 65 Short-Short Stories / Edited by Christine Perkins- Hazuka, Tom Hazuka, and Mark Budman

    F l a S h S u d d e n Y o u t h 65 Short-Short Stories e d i t e d b Y Christine Perkins-hazuka, tom hazuka, and Mark budman a Karen and Michael braziller book P e r S e a b o o ks / n e w Y o r K Compilation copyright © 2011 by Christine Perkins-hazuka, tom hazuka, and Mark budman For copyright information for individual stories, please see acknowledgments on pages 207–211. all rights reserved. no part of this publication may be reproduced or trans- mitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, digital, electronic, or any information storage and retrieval system without prior permission in writing from the publisher. requests for permission to reprint or to make copies, and for any other infor- mation should be addressed to the publisher: Persea books, inc. 277 broadway new York, new York 10007 library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data Sudden flash youth : 65 short-short stories / edited by Christine Perkins- hazuka, tom hazuka, and Mark budman. -- 1st ed. p. cm. iSbn 978-0-89255-371-6 (alk. paper) 1. Short stories, american. i. Perkins-hazuka, Christine. ii. hazuka, tom. iii. budman, Mark. PS648.S5S84 2011 813.008’035235—dc23 011021284 designed by rita lascaro Manufactured in the united States of america First edition Contents editors’ note __ ix Tamazunchale robert ShaPard__ 3 Chalk Meg KearneY__ 6 Twins PaMela Painter__ 9 First Virtual Kathleen o’donnell__ 10 Heartland daPhne beal__ 14 Confession Stuart DybeK__ 18 Sleeping Katharine weber__ 19 1951 riChard bausch__ 21 Little BrothertM bruCe holland rogerS__ 24 Currents hannah bottomy Voskuil__ 28 After bill KonigSberg__ 30 Accident daVe eggerS__ 33 Homeschool Insider: The Fighting Pterodactyls ron CarlSon__ 35 Forgotten anne Mazer__ 38 After He Left Matt hlinaK__ 42 The Flowers aliCe walKer__ 43 Homeward Bound toM hazuKa__ 45 A Car Pia z.
  • SYLLABUS HUMS 619-01: August 6-10 Flash Fiction/Prose Poetry: An

    SYLLABUS HUMS 619-01: August 6-10 Flash Fiction/Prose Poetry: An

    SYLLABUS HUMS 619-01: August 6-10 Flash Fiction/Prose Poetry: An Immersive Reading and Writing Workshop Instructor: Martine Bellen Email: [email protected] Room: Downey Hall 100 Though flash fiction (short short stories) and prose poetry have been known to rub elbows from time to time, readers of flash fiction will tend to discuss texts in terms of character, plot, conflict, while readers of prose poetry will deliberate about sound devices, figurative language, and rhythm. In this workshop, close readings of these two genres will be conducted, investigating, side by side, how they work as a means to explore fresh avenues of entry into fiction and poetry, using the other as a springboard to more deeply navigate each genre. In the reading component of the workshop, we will learn how ordinary prose can be heightened to create extraordinary word environments for both fiction and poetry and in the creative writing component, we will apply to our writing the techniques identified in discussions about texts. All participants will be expected to write both flash fiction and prose poetry and to workshop both genres. Texts (can be found at bookstore or ordered online): 1. David Lehman (editor), GREAT AMERICAN PROSE POEMS (Scribner) 2. James Thomas, Denise Thomas & Tom Hazuka (editors), FLASH FICTION: 72 VERY SHORT STORIES (W.W. Norton & Company) 3. THE COLLECTED WRITINGS OF JOE BRAINARD (The Library of America) 4. Harryette Mullen, SLEEPING WITH THE DICTIONARY (University of California Press) 5. Barbara Henning, LOOKING UP HARRYETTE MULLEN: INTERVIEWS ON SLEEPING WITH THE DICTIONARY AND OTHER WORKS (Belladonna) Oral presentations: prepare a 15-minute oral presentation on the author (and his or her book/prose) that you’re assigned.
  • The Angel of Ferrara

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    The Angel of Ferrara Benjamin Woolley Goldsmith’s College, University of London Submitted for the degree of PhD I declare that the work presented in this thesis is my own Benjamin Woolley Date: 1st October, 2014 Abstract This thesis comprises two parts: an extract of The Angel of Ferrara, a historical novel, and a critical component entitled What is history doing in Fiction? The novel is set in Ferrara in February, 1579, an Italian city at the height of its powers but deep in debt. Amid the aristocratic pomp and popular festivities surrounding the duke’s wedding to his third wife, the secret child of the city’s most celebrated singer goes missing. A street-smart debt collector and lovelorn bureaucrat are drawn into her increasingly desperate attempts to find her son, their efforts uncovering the brutal instruments of ostentation and domination that gave rise to what we now know as the Renaissance. In the critical component, I draw on the experience of writing The Angel of Ferrara and nonfiction works to explore the relationship between history and fiction. Beginning with a survey of the development of historical fiction since the inception of the genre’s modern form with the Walter Scott’s Waverley, I analyse the various paratextual interventions—prefaces, authors’ notes, acknowledgements—authors have used to explore and explain the use of factual research in their works. I draw on this to reflect in more detail at how research shaped the writing of the Angel of Ferrara and other recent historical novels, in particular Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall.
  • Young Adult Historical Fiction Book List

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