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.

Some recommendations

In our meeting today I mentioned a couple of books. I just wanted to get the names and authors out there in case anyone was interested in actually looking them up or looking for them. With bullet points and Amazon links for convenience!

The Name of the Wind, Patrick Rothfuss.

• An author dealing with the fact that most epic fantasy is recycled tropes.
  
• It's a self-conscious novel, sometimes to the point of irritatingly so, but it's interesting to see Rothfuss blend "fairy tale comfort food" with more main-stream character treatment.
  
• There are some neat plot ideas and spins on the genre (did I mention the vegetarian dragon addicted to narcotics?) and the logic of the magic is really solid.
• In all honesty, Terry Pratchett and even Peter David do this better, but Rothfuss is more epic than Pratchett and less bleak than David. And sort of fun on his own terms.
  

Odd Man Out, Sarah Ellis

• Raia's Nathan made me think of this one.
  
• Kip gets stuck staying with his cousins while his mother and new stepfather are on their honeymoon. When he finds his father's old journals in the attic, Kip gradually begins to uncover the disturbing truth about the father he has never known.
• It's technically a kids' book, but fun to read anyway. The writing is a good reminder on ways to tell a story plainly and how to integrate humor into a more serious "grown-up" issue.

Notes from Week 1 Meeting

Here's another minutes post, because you all love them so much.

+ meetings every week!
+ two or three submissions per meeting
+ Nic's talk, tentatively sched. for 4/22/08 at normal meeting time and place
+ we need publicity for this event! and funding!
+ we need someone to talk to ENGL and CRWR departments/committees to ask for funding and build networking, as well as sending out an e-mail to the listhosts ([ugrad-english] and whatever the CRWR one is, sent out by Julia Klein)
+ let's get started on the online magazine: if anyone has ideas for the website or the magazine itself, or about lj-style cuts to excerpt works on this blog, let me know
+ weekly writer's journal: blog about the problems and successes of everyday writing (this will rotate)... who's first?

And the prompt: write a piece that could only take place in a particular season. Explore the effects of setting on your action and characters.
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Notes from Week 9 Meeting

Last meeting of the quarter!

We discussed the stories by Sara and Matt. For Sara we suggested a number of ways in which the story could develop; for Matt we offered ideas on how to populate an unfamiliar world with fully human, fully realized characters.

We also talked about ways the group could grow, and plans for next quarter. We'd like to bring in a speaker, and go to various festivals in the spring. If you have any ideas, please post them! It would also be good to do something with FOTA, even in a tiny capacity. We should get involved with the English Department and Committee on Creative Writing, too. Would anybody like to be the liaison between us and those departments?

There was no prompt assigned, but I'll get one up as soon as I can. If anybody has ideas on a good technique to practice, let me know. Catalina suggested writing something from the point of view of a character with some kind of mental limitation, like being high or feverish. This could become a stream-of-consciousness narrative. If this appeals to you, go ahead and rock it!

Best of luck with finals, and have a great break.

Submission Opportunity

I know that most of us are oriented around the short story/novel, but if you're at all interested in theatre (or film, performance art, whathaveyou) and want to be involved in this, there's still time to submit something for UT's New Work Week. Basically, UT devotes a weekend of performances to staged readings of student written or devised work. Note the exciting bit about half way down - what you submit doesn't have to be finished. This tends to be a pretty neat experience, so if you've ever dreamed of seeing your writing staged, or have a play or screenplay stashed under your bed, this is a great chance to dust it off.

The deadline is close, but I literally just remembered this yesterday. E-mail me if you want the submission form.
Cheers
Lisbeth
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Spring Quarter 2008

New Work Week
4th Week

University Theater is seeking submissions of new work including:

Stage Plays
Screen Plays
Situational Comedy
Poetry
Fiction
Musical Compositions
Dance
Performance Art

Work does not have to be in finished state for submission, and
portions of work can be staged.

We are interested in showcasing and developing the immense
range of creative talent at the University with small time
commitment.  Writers/Performers would work collaboratively
with matched directors, with brief initial meetings beginning
at the end of this quarter.  Rehearsals would range from 1-3
meetings over the first 3 weeks of Spring Quarter.

New Work Submissions:
Submission Requirements: 2 copies of work, contact
information, and what stage you are in the process (# of
drafts, prior readings, stagings or concerts)

Directors:
Those interested in working with writers/performers, please
submit a short paragraph detailing current interest and/or
prior experience as well as current contact information.
Directors are matched with playwrights and all will be
notified at the same time.  New Work Week will audition with
all UT shows during first week of Spring Quarter.

Deadline Friday, Feb 22 by 5pm
Reynolds Club #301

Notification of selection: March 7th
For more information, please contact Heidi Coleman
(coleman@uchicago.edu).
Heidi Coleman
Director, University Theater
Director of Undergraduate Studies, Theater and Performance Studies

new prompt

The prompt for our next meeting:

Write a scene whose forward movement is propelled by a character’s belief in something: a tale such as the one in Alice Hoffman’s White Horses, a religion, astrology, the I Ching, winning the lottery, etc.

FYI

(Am I allowed to post to this thing? Well, here goes. I guess if I'm not, Raisa will block me or something.)

I'm not sure I'm going to be able to make it to this week's meeting, and my response to the prompt has wandered off somewhere else anyway and I don't have quite the time to get it back on track. But I have realized that my google mail account gets me registered here, so I'm taking advantage of that and starting a personal blog where I'll be dumping all the writing that, for whatever reason, doesn't get workshopped.

In other words, things will be available on my other account and if you're
a) bored
b) a glutton for punishment
c) a compulsive editor
d) a blog addict
e) all of the above
you should feel free to wander over and read whatever I've got up there (and if you're c, leave a comment, s'il vous plait).

OK. Over and out.