That'll never happen

Last night's meeting was a return to form for WIP. We discussed upcoming events, and did an extended free-write on an interesting prompt.

Events to note:

• This Thursday: RSO Fair for prospies! We'll be tabling from 7:30 to 9:00 in Hutch. Consider volunteering for a shift (even fifteen minutes would be helpful). All you have to do is sit there and talk to excited eighteen-year-olds about creative writing. BEST JOB EVER. Anyway, if you can't do a shift, please do stop by and show your support for WIP.
• Next Thursday: another RSO Fair. Same time and place. Again, please volunteer or stop by if you can.
• Tuesday, May 5: the second annual WIP reading! 7:00 p.m. in Hallowed Grounds, with great food and hip music. This time we're adding Sliced Bread to the list of sponsors, and are opening it up to all kinds of writing. It is tentatively titled "Close/Open," referring to the closing of old worlds and the opening of new ones through epiphany; if your work doesn't fit this mold, though, you are still welcome to read. An official call for submissions is to come, but if you have any work you'd like to share, please contact me. It only needs to be a couple of pages long. And if you're stressed about quality, you can submit it to the workshop for feedback. There's still plenty of time. We will also need volunteers to be present, but details are to come. And if you know of singers or guitarists who'd like to perform, pass on the word, and have them contact me. We have two or three slots for performances.
  

Last night's meeting:

• The prompt was: "Write about an event you are fairly sure you'll never experience. Write it in the first person, and include as much detail as you can. Make it believable. Let your imagination flesh out the scene."
• Over half of us wrote about death. What does this mean?

For next week:

• Continue writing your scene. Those of you who weren't present, respond to the prompt. Polish/rewrite as necessary. Submit two pages to the workshop by Sunday night. We'll discuss them on Tuesday.
  

What we did, and what we'll do

In our last meeting, on April 22, we did a free-writing exercise that consisted of the following:

+ Write the sketch of a character.
+ Write the sketch of a character who is opposite to your first character in at least one significant way. It doesn't have to be obvious.
+ Write a scene in which these two characters interact.

For many of us, this exercise made us think differently about characters we'd already been working with.

And for next week, choose your response to one of the three prompts to read aloud. We'll talk more about character development and realistic scenes at the meeting.

Additionally, please spread the word to your classmates and friends about Nic's Q&A, which will be at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6, in Rosenwald 405. There will be food. In case you're debating whether or not to attend, refer to Sara's account of an after-class talk with Nic, in which he decried UChicago's lack of support for writers who really would like to use their skills practically. A kindred spirit, he.