It seems to take an entire house for me to write a novel. I have an office where I do most of my work. It's cluttered with three ring binders and notebooks and tattered bits of paper and sticky notes. Stacks of cd cases of inspirational music are near to hand on the floor next to my "throne". Currently Rush is my music of choice. And in a side thought, I realized, why bother playing Rush if you can't crank it up to 11? (I had to turn it down for a brief stint on the phone.)
But back to the topic. I have noticed bits of my work in progress in nearly every room of my house. There's a stack of notes next to my side of the bed. A yellow legal pad, tossed on the dresser, has the opening of chapter 4 penned by hand in fountain pen--blue ink. With a mere glance, I can see sticky notes marking passages in the towering stack of research books on the floor beside the bed. Far too many for the bedside table. That has a limit of five.
We made the formal living room our library, since we needed a place for the books anyway! This houses the majority of my books, including my prized Arthurian collection. I could probably open any one at random and find scrap of paper with a note I'd scribbled with some thought of how to use a passage in the House Pendragon series. My special collector's copies of Firebrand and Recruit are in the barrister case next to my first copy of "Once and Future King"--where it all began. Oddly, my working copy of Firebrand--the one I've marked up--is on top of the record player. (Rush Live in Rio playing.) The book has a large piece of paper sticking out from it with more of my scribbles.
It's a natural segue from there to the formal dining room. I'm writing the rough draft of this in pencil, at my dining room table, whilst a princess watches from on high and beside to a display case filled with Arthurian scenes and characters rendered in pewter--acquired in England. On the table where I'm writing, beside my coupons, is another legal pad--this one lilac--with chapter one lovingly penned in fountain pen. Leaning against the side board is another binder. This one has my outline for book 3. I had been looking for that the other day in the office.
Passing into the kitchen, my e-reader is on the counter re-charging. It has both Firebrand and Recruit uploaded on it and the current incarnation of #3's manuscript. A handy, portable device--no need to lug all the pages or a laptop on short trips. Inside my purse--on the table--is yet another notepad filled with scene and character sketches. Nearly time for a replacement.
From there it's the family room. I keep a note bad and pen on the table next to my chair. The top page has a note I made while watching a show on the history channel the other day. Hmm, need to get that to my desk where it will get lost.
So it takes an entire house for me to write a novel. I can't contain it in a single room. Perhaps if my office were the size of my house and I was better organized?
As always, thanks for reading!
Debra
Debra A. Kemp
The House of Pendragon continues!
http://amberquill.com/Firebrand.html
http://www.myspace.com/debrakemp
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Writing Groups: When it is time to break up with your venue By Gordon Stamper Jr.
Depending on a writing group’s nature, some are quiet, academic, and perfectly happy to meet in a library room or reserve a campus classroom. However, if you want your gathering to be a bit more boisterous and have more potential to draw writers of all genres, it’s probably more conducive to meet in a public commerce place such as a bookstore, coffee house, or restaurant.
But with this comes the reality that some writers and business venues don’t mix, or the nature of their relationships negatively changes with time. Sometimes it’s necessary for your writing group’s survival to part ways. Still, sometimes a little communication or mutual support will salvage your relationship. In the process, a business can reap material benefits, while you’ll help your writer’s group succeed with a steady place to gather and grow.
When It’s Time to Part Ways
No venue is perfect, but usually at least two of these factors should make your writer’s group seriously consider a new home.
--Noise levels reach unacceptable levels and your host makes no accommodations to reduce them. Writing groups themselves should generate some noise with active discussion, but when the barista wants to play Metallica at 11 and the owner isn’t willing to turn off a speaker in your section or lower the volume, it can be impossible to concentrate on your work(s).
--Despite having a long-standing partnership, the needs of others, beyond reasonable business concerns, are considered before your group. You have met every Friday evening for 10 years, but management decides to put you and your fellow scribes in a small, invisible side room every time a special musical guest performs or board games tournament convenes. . .or whenever the mood strikes them.
--Instability in the host’s management results in inconsistent considerations for your gathering. With one assistant manager, your group is treated like royalty with special accommodations. With another, you’re lucky to get any seating and avoid casual comments like “I guess it’s time for the freak show again.”
--Physical remodeling of a business makes it virtually impossible to meet. Highland Writers Group ran into this problem with the original remodeling of the Highland Borders location. It didn’t allow for any community group meeting space that the old layout did, and the cafe area at the time was a cacophonous ringside seat to cappuccino machines.
--You are basically being shoved out the door. This seems to be common sense, but I was a part of an area writers group that allowed it to happen. Part of a book store’s community event calendar for more than seven years, they were moved from a prime central table with comfortable seating to a significantly less traveled side section, and finally were delegated to crouch in the children’s reading section (stymieing any serious discussion of adult-oriented writing). It was time to leave for about a year.
Ways to Avoid an Unnecessary Breakup
--Communicate your concerns. Don’t wait for both rest rooms and your seating area to become filthy candidates for the next episode of Gordon Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares. Don’t wait for the fifth time the owner moves you for another one of his tone deaf cousin’s impromptu folk singer sessions. Share your complaints and suggestions early so minor issues don’t become angry, insurmountable problems. If your concerns are dismissed or you’re ignored, that venue isn’t the only place in need of loyal customers.
--Actively support the host business. “Talk it up” with family. Promote it via email to friends. Become the business’ “friend” or “follower” on Facebook and Twitter. Recommend your hosts’ services (book sales or great food, for example) or qualities (friendly, great ambiance) so that great meeting spot for your writers’ group remains open and the owner knows you’re an asset for his store.
--When partnering with a retailer, save your purchase receipts. If it’s an issue of a new or veteran manager questioning your time slot due to sales, their concerns can be easily addressed with your group members’ sales receipts, a pile of evidence showing your financial support. But if you’re already disliking your experience for a number of other reasons (such as those listed above) or management starts asking “what’s the use of your writing group anyway,” this could be an excellent time to calmly end your partnership.
--When possible, partner with a local business over a corporate chain. For your writing group, there are two reasons for this, one selfish, one altruistic. The selfish reason—local stores are usually much more consistent in terms of management style. You know who you need to talk to, and usually they are at the counter. Corporate chains have a high turnover of store managers and community relations directors—people are regularly fired, promoted, and transferred. The altruistic motive—helping someone’s small business dream succeed, and the American Dream be something more than a writing topic at your next meeting.
But with this comes the reality that some writers and business venues don’t mix, or the nature of their relationships negatively changes with time. Sometimes it’s necessary for your writing group’s survival to part ways. Still, sometimes a little communication or mutual support will salvage your relationship. In the process, a business can reap material benefits, while you’ll help your writer’s group succeed with a steady place to gather and grow.
When It’s Time to Part Ways
No venue is perfect, but usually at least two of these factors should make your writer’s group seriously consider a new home.
--Noise levels reach unacceptable levels and your host makes no accommodations to reduce them. Writing groups themselves should generate some noise with active discussion, but when the barista wants to play Metallica at 11 and the owner isn’t willing to turn off a speaker in your section or lower the volume, it can be impossible to concentrate on your work(s).
--Despite having a long-standing partnership, the needs of others, beyond reasonable business concerns, are considered before your group. You have met every Friday evening for 10 years, but management decides to put you and your fellow scribes in a small, invisible side room every time a special musical guest performs or board games tournament convenes. . .or whenever the mood strikes them.
--Instability in the host’s management results in inconsistent considerations for your gathering. With one assistant manager, your group is treated like royalty with special accommodations. With another, you’re lucky to get any seating and avoid casual comments like “I guess it’s time for the freak show again.”
--Physical remodeling of a business makes it virtually impossible to meet. Highland Writers Group ran into this problem with the original remodeling of the Highland Borders location. It didn’t allow for any community group meeting space that the old layout did, and the cafe area at the time was a cacophonous ringside seat to cappuccino machines.
--You are basically being shoved out the door. This seems to be common sense, but I was a part of an area writers group that allowed it to happen. Part of a book store’s community event calendar for more than seven years, they were moved from a prime central table with comfortable seating to a significantly less traveled side section, and finally were delegated to crouch in the children’s reading section (stymieing any serious discussion of adult-oriented writing). It was time to leave for about a year.
Ways to Avoid an Unnecessary Breakup
--Communicate your concerns. Don’t wait for both rest rooms and your seating area to become filthy candidates for the next episode of Gordon Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares. Don’t wait for the fifth time the owner moves you for another one of his tone deaf cousin’s impromptu folk singer sessions. Share your complaints and suggestions early so minor issues don’t become angry, insurmountable problems. If your concerns are dismissed or you’re ignored, that venue isn’t the only place in need of loyal customers.
--Actively support the host business. “Talk it up” with family. Promote it via email to friends. Become the business’ “friend” or “follower” on Facebook and Twitter. Recommend your hosts’ services (book sales or great food, for example) or qualities (friendly, great ambiance) so that great meeting spot for your writers’ group remains open and the owner knows you’re an asset for his store.
--When partnering with a retailer, save your purchase receipts. If it’s an issue of a new or veteran manager questioning your time slot due to sales, their concerns can be easily addressed with your group members’ sales receipts, a pile of evidence showing your financial support. But if you’re already disliking your experience for a number of other reasons (such as those listed above) or management starts asking “what’s the use of your writing group anyway,” this could be an excellent time to calmly end your partnership.
--When possible, partner with a local business over a corporate chain. For your writing group, there are two reasons for this, one selfish, one altruistic. The selfish reason—local stores are usually much more consistent in terms of management style. You know who you need to talk to, and usually they are at the counter. Corporate chains have a high turnover of store managers and community relations directors—people are regularly fired, promoted, and transferred. The altruistic motive—helping someone’s small business dream succeed, and the American Dream be something more than a writing topic at your next meeting.
Friday, March 5, 2010
An invitation to the literary community of Northwest Indiana
On Friday May 15, 2010 Evening From 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. the Northwest Indiana Poetry Society will host an open microphone round robin at the New Comfort Inn at I-65 and Rt. 2, (The northwest corner a little East and slightly north of the interchange.) All poets and the public are invited to this event to welcome the Indiana federation of Poetry Clubs to our part of the State.
Indiana Federation of Poetry Clubs
The Indiana Federation of Poetry Clubs, will hold its Spring Meeting in Lowell, Indiana at the Lowell Public Library on Saturday May 16, 2010
Program:
9:00 a.m. Business meeting
Keynote Speaker to follow: Tony
Sexton, President of the Kentucky State Poetry Society, the Keynote speaker will be follow by the Indiana federation of Poetry Club’s Premier Poet, Peggy Martin.
An open microphone to follow with Lunch at Twelve, a $10.00 charge for lunch reservations must be made ahead of the event.
Paddy Lynn, will present herself as Emily Dickenson at 1:00 p.m. She gives a wonderful show and has Q & A for the last fifteen minutes of her ninety minute show. Public invited.
Program:
9:00 a.m. Business meeting
Keynote Speaker to follow: Tony
Sexton, President of the Kentucky State Poetry Society, the Keynote speaker will be follow by the Indiana federation of Poetry Club’s Premier Poet, Peggy Martin.
An open microphone to follow with Lunch at Twelve, a $10.00 charge for lunch reservations must be made ahead of the event.
Paddy Lynn, will present herself as Emily Dickenson at 1:00 p.m. She gives a wonderful show and has Q & A for the last fifteen minutes of her ninety minute show. Public invited.
About Poetry
In today’s literary world there are many collections of words that are called poetry. What is your definition of poetry?
Po-it-tree or, as we know the word poetry. I like to think of a poem as a tree that has roots in the mind of the poet, a living tree of thoughts that grow.
Trees can be found in their natural state, growing, pollinating, propagating, doing what they are meant to do, create oxygen for the world to use. A forest of trees makes the individual tree very hard to appreciate, however, if you take an individual tree from the forest and plant it in an open space, its beauty can be appreciated, its limbs that have fought for space in the forest and reached for the light above will spread, the roots will expand and it will produce a greater amount of oxygen than it was capable of confined in the forest of trees.
A poem is a literary tree, a thought planted in the mind of the poet that has roots. To communicate with the world and be of any value those roots must reach out of their confinement into the world as words, those words form the trunk of the tree, the arrangement of those words form the shape of the poem the balance of the branches will either make the poem memorable or let it be just another poem like any other poem. A good poem is memorable for the thought that it conveys and for the rhythms of its words.
Here is a poem that changed poetry and brought it into the modern world as an art form of the masses.
AS I ponder’d in silence,
Returning upon my poems, considering, lingering long,
A Phantom arose before me, with distrustful aspect,
Terrible in beauty, age, and power,
The genius of poets of old lands, 5
As to me directing like flame its eyes,
With finger pointing to many immortal songs,
And menacing voice, What singest thou? it said;
Know’st thou not, there is but one theme for ever-enduring bards?
And that is the theme of War, the fortune of battles, 10
The making of perfect soldiers?
2
Be it so, then I answer’d,
I too, haughty Shade, also sing war—and a longer and greater one than any,
Waged in my book with varying fortune—with flight, advance, and retreat—Victory defer’d and wavering,
(Yet, methinks, certain, or as good as certain, at the last,)—The field the world; 15
For life and death—for the Body, and for the eternal Soul,
Lo! too am come, chanting the chant of battles,
I, above all, promote brave soldiers.
You no doubt have all read this poem in your college literature course. Here is another poem by the same poet.
O CAPTAIN! my Captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:
But O heart! heart! heart! 5
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.
2
O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills; 10
For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding;
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Here Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head;
It is some dream that on the deck, 15
You’ve fallen cold and dead.
3
Walt Whitman, wrote both these poems, The first from his Leaves of Grass Collection, the second his eulogy to Lincoln. Whitman, brought poetry to a level that the general masses could understand and mimic its construction. He introduced free verse with rhythm. Everyone in the literary world became poets. I don’t argue with that assumption. It is good to read the thoughts of our fellow citizens of the world. It is good that they are writing and sharing their thoughts. Unfortunately this proliferation of free verse with irregular meter and rhythms is not memorable as more than the transitory thought projected with questionable rhythm. Whereas a poem like Lincoln’s eulogy O! Captain My Captain, is long remembered and often repeated in context
I leave you with this questions: If a poem is “so deep” it cannot be understood or remembered, what good is it?
by Tom Spencer March 9, 2010
Po-it-tree or, as we know the word poetry. I like to think of a poem as a tree that has roots in the mind of the poet, a living tree of thoughts that grow.
Trees can be found in their natural state, growing, pollinating, propagating, doing what they are meant to do, create oxygen for the world to use. A forest of trees makes the individual tree very hard to appreciate, however, if you take an individual tree from the forest and plant it in an open space, its beauty can be appreciated, its limbs that have fought for space in the forest and reached for the light above will spread, the roots will expand and it will produce a greater amount of oxygen than it was capable of confined in the forest of trees.
A poem is a literary tree, a thought planted in the mind of the poet that has roots. To communicate with the world and be of any value those roots must reach out of their confinement into the world as words, those words form the trunk of the tree, the arrangement of those words form the shape of the poem the balance of the branches will either make the poem memorable or let it be just another poem like any other poem. A good poem is memorable for the thought that it conveys and for the rhythms of its words.
Here is a poem that changed poetry and brought it into the modern world as an art form of the masses.
AS I ponder’d in silence,
Returning upon my poems, considering, lingering long,
A Phantom arose before me, with distrustful aspect,
Terrible in beauty, age, and power,
The genius of poets of old lands, 5
As to me directing like flame its eyes,
With finger pointing to many immortal songs,
And menacing voice, What singest thou? it said;
Know’st thou not, there is but one theme for ever-enduring bards?
And that is the theme of War, the fortune of battles, 10
The making of perfect soldiers?
2
Be it so, then I answer’d,
I too, haughty Shade, also sing war—and a longer and greater one than any,
Waged in my book with varying fortune—with flight, advance, and retreat—Victory defer’d and wavering,
(Yet, methinks, certain, or as good as certain, at the last,)—The field the world; 15
For life and death—for the Body, and for the eternal Soul,
Lo! too am come, chanting the chant of battles,
I, above all, promote brave soldiers.
You no doubt have all read this poem in your college literature course. Here is another poem by the same poet.
O CAPTAIN! my Captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:
But O heart! heart! heart! 5
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.
2
O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills; 10
For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding;
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Here Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head;
It is some dream that on the deck, 15
You’ve fallen cold and dead.
3
Walt Whitman, wrote both these poems, The first from his Leaves of Grass Collection, the second his eulogy to Lincoln. Whitman, brought poetry to a level that the general masses could understand and mimic its construction. He introduced free verse with rhythm. Everyone in the literary world became poets. I don’t argue with that assumption. It is good to read the thoughts of our fellow citizens of the world. It is good that they are writing and sharing their thoughts. Unfortunately this proliferation of free verse with irregular meter and rhythms is not memorable as more than the transitory thought projected with questionable rhythm. Whereas a poem like Lincoln’s eulogy O! Captain My Captain, is long remembered and often repeated in context
I leave you with this questions: If a poem is “so deep” it cannot be understood or remembered, what good is it?
by Tom Spencer March 9, 2010
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