Writing
Welcome To The Writing Of The Real
Speculative Literature As Craft, As Profession, As LIfestyle
Members of R-Spec include award-winning novelists and poets, teachers of writing, authors who have been published in academic journals, foreign and domestic literary publications, popular magazines, and online. It also includes aspiring writers and students of writing.
Our writing section aims to provide articles and advice on the craft of writing from these and other seasoned members and instructors; to point visitors to ways and avenues of publication; and to offer helpful information concerning personal and economic aspects of the writing life.
Love it or hate it, creating believable, interesting dialogue is one of the most important skills to learn as a writer —and it can be one of the most challenging. Meredith Carroll and Ted Wenskus will lead a lively presentation focused on helping writers give voice to their characters and hone their dialogue-writing skills whether for fiction, plays, or audio dramas. We’ll share important tips on the uses of dialogue, examine its construction, and touch on some of the unique challenges that face writers of speculative fiction. We’ll also share examples of good and bad dialogue (feel free to bring your own examples, too) and run a brief workshop to see these tips in action.
Moderator: Ted Wenskus + Meredith Carroll
Location: Barnes & Noble, Pittsford
Meeting Time: October 7, 2014 from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
What is flash fiction and microfiction? How do I start? What about character and plot development? What do I leave in? And what must I leave out? This is a fun opportunity to write a really short story from scratch using speculative fiction prompts we will provide. Then, if you desire, you'll read your flash story aloud to receive feedback. Bring your favorite (but quiet) writing system – quill & ink, pen & paper or electronic tablet. (Please, no typewriters.) After describing the exercise process and selecting prompts, the Writing Phase begins.
Moderator: Alan Vincent Michaels
Location: Barnes & Noble, Pittsford
Meeting Time: September 2, 2014 from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Electronic publishing editor Natisha LaPierre will discuss epublishing including receiving and reviewing manuscripts virtually, differences in the submission process between epublishers and traditional houses, what to look for in an epublisher, the pros and cons of epublishing, royalties for authors and editors, what these markets look like (what’s selling and what’s not), book signings, e-promotion, how the internet has helped authors reach out to readers across the world, and projections by professionals in traditional trade houses and author organizations regarding the future of epublishing.
The topic of the meeting was writer's block. Janice Carello led a discussion of the problems, their causes, and some solutions, including some ideas about processes to reach solutions.
Infodumps plague writers and readers. Click the title to commiserate.
Member and Award Winning Author Nancy Kress has another story on EscapePod. Her short story, The Kindness of Strangers, is featured in 217th episode from September. Click the title for the link.
Our next meeting is 7 July 2009 at the usual place, the Pittsford Barnes & Noble Community Room, and we'll be doing our own Hugo vote. Thanks to esteemed VP Craig DeLancey for posting the following to the listserv:
The next meeting of R-Spec will be our annual discussion of Hugo
nominated short stories.
What? Homework!
No, I tell ye. Here are ALL the Hugo nominated short stories, with
links to podcasts of them being read. You can listen to them while
ironing or driving or laying on your back being fed grapes by your
slavebots. Painless!
For all of the links Craig posted, as well as links related to ALL of the nominated works, click the title.
Member and Award Winning Author Nancy Kress has a story on EscapePod this month. Her short story, Patent Infringement, is featured in the first release of the month as a Flash - a short short. Click the title for the link.
