August: Dystopias

Dystopias! Who doesn't love a good screwed up society with a failed gov't system!

The word brings to mind some pretty great dystopian literature, Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm; Gillman-Perkin's, Herland;  Lowry's The Giver,  but how does the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins compare?


Discussion Questions: 

(1) Does The Hunger Games series live up to what you'd expect a dystopian to do?

(2) Do you feel it adds something new to the genre?

(3) Does it fade in comparison to the classical dystpoian novels written by other writers?

(4) Have you, or would you write a dystopian novel and what would social issue would you focus on exploiting?

My Answers:

(1-3) I think Hunger Games does live up to other dystopian novels mailing because it adds something new to the genre. It does what's been done differently.

I feels it's focus on gov't control, social issues, conformity and the fight against it, and needing someone to believe in to enforce change, speak to universal issues that always serve in dystopian novels to show the cracks in our ideas of what an 'ideal world' would be.

There really is not such thing, and dystopian literature shows us that but also shows us that in order to live in a world worth living in things need to constantly evolve to suite the needs current of the people. The Hunger Games is diff. from more dystopian novel because it shows the society and how the gov't keeps it from crumbling. There's an awareness that change is hard to stop, but choking the hope out of a society does a good job in halting it's progress.

(4) I have written a couple short story that was meant to be the start of something bigger and dystopian. But, now I'm not sure how to make it different, and do something new to the genre. Guess that ideas goes back in my mind's creative-crock pot for now!

It's you're turn to talk!

POST WHAT YOU THINK!

Pick-A-Book Winner & Four Month Outline

The verdict is in. For the experimental reading portion of the writing club we decided to go with to very different novels. The first up, will be H.G. Well's, War of the Worlds, which you can click (thanks Christina!) for a free online copy. The second book will be Joan River's, Murder at the Academy Awards, a comedy-detective tale.

Here's our schedule for the book reviews.

July: Wild Card (submit any Prompt or any piece you'd like advice on the Sunday prior to the meeting)
August: Summer Cookout at Trish's, Book Review of H.G. Well's, War of the Worlds (details to come)
September: TBA
October: Book Review of Joan River's, Murder at the Academy Awards

As we go a long I'll fill in the blanks, but for now this is just a rough draft of the rest of the summer to beginning of autumn.

Optional Writing Prompt: Mad Libs Round Robin

Doug's game suggestion was a major success. We had seven catergories which were filled with qualifying words. The end result was a splendid cross genre mashup of robot zombie unicorns, love-triangles, handle-less sporks and of course adventure. But, the journey didn't end with the meeting.

You mission now writers, if you choose to accpet it, is to combine the 7 pieces of paper into a story, poem, or other writing piece of your own design.

Good Luck.God Speed.

June Meeting: Mad-Lib Round Robin Extravaganza

WARNING CLIFF HANGER AHEAD:

This month instead of doing a genre workshop, we're going to play a game! (Everyone must thank Doug at our next meeting, I would have made us mandanely do the same'o same'o every month :)
Below are different categories. You're job is to name different things that correspond with each one. Write them on separate pieces of paper so they can be ripped up and put into different buckets. That's all the info you get! Come to the meeting this Friday at 7pm (Schuler's Book and Cafe on Alpine) to find out more...

1. character name

2. character type (EX: tall, mean stinky ogre; witch; anal-retentive accountant; farmwife; pirate; bumbling lawyer)

3. a specific place (EX: Chicago; intersection of Division and Fulton; Traitor's Gate at the Tower of London; Golden Gate Park),

4. general locale (EX: cave, basement, cruiseship, UFO, park, desert),

5. creature (EX: animal or sub-humanoid--real, from author's imagination or mythological/fantasy/sci fi-based)

6. object (a prop for the character to interact with)

7. goal/motivation for the character.

Good Luck!

Pick-A-Book

A few brave souls suggested a slight change of course by including the occasional book discussion. Of course this would mean we'd need longer than a month, so it was proclaimed that we would take two months to read and pick a book at random by member suggestions. This should be good.

Here's the plan. You (even if you can, never have, or won't be attending any meetings) leave a comment with a suggested read. There are no genre, author, or period limitations. If it's a good book than we're interested in reading in. Post the title and author of your book either here or on the FaceBook group page (or both, it doesn't matter we'll find your book suggestions!) and at the next meeting the group members will deliberate and choose a book before our meeting is adjourned. Then the count down to read begins. Two months. Go!

Picture Prompt

During our April meeting we discussed our prompt for next month. Courtesy of Patricia, an envelope of pictures were provided, passed around, and at random drawn from. Our goal for the May meeting is to use the pictures drawn from the envelope of wonderment (provided by Patricia) to use in our last genre workshop of the season: Flash Fiction.

Now, if you by chance couldn't make it to the monthly meeting at Schuler's there's no need to worry. There's a solution, (brilliantly thought up by Patricia) go to Pinterest.com and you will be provide with a random pictures. Pick a couple, and VIOLA! The prompt you missed has been electronically simulated for you via the interwebs.

Happy Writing!

**If you would like to have this piece or any of the older prompts workshoped at the next meeting please send them to penswithoutink@gmail.com by SUNDAY, MAY 22, 2011.

Genre Series: Script Writing

For April are main writing prompts will be focused on script writing.

Our goal  this month was to begin a script with a maximum lenght of 10 pages (assuming each page takes one minute to read).

Doug L., pointed out at our last monthly meeting that every bit of fiction has an element of mystery. With that in mind Pens Without Ink thought it would be fun to expand our challenge from simply writing a script to writing a script that has an element of mystery.

This piece you're creating could take on the form of a classic Murder She Wrote or have an ironic Scooby Doo quality.

If you don't feel comfortable with the idea of a myster you could always do something more unconventional that challenges the idea of what a myster play would be like.

Just remember to have fun because if you're not having fun you're doing it wrong. :)

Genre Series: Poetry Prompt

Instructions for the March Meeting Poetry Workshop
Next month's meeting will be our first serious of genre workshops. First up is Poetry.
You can pick any form your want or no form at all. Just try to write and try not to limit yourself. Have fun.
For this workshop everyone will send out their piece of poetry (no matter how large or small) the Tuesday before the friday meeting. E-mail me your piece to averyn@mail.gvsu.edu and I will send all the pieces back out. If you don't send me a piece, I won't have your email and therefore can't send it back out to everyone else. ;
Below are a few links that I think are helpful. Yes; one is a wikihow but you know what sometimes cliche gets the job done! I hope everyone is as excited about this prompt as I am and if you want to bounce any ideas off me please don't hesitate to send me a message on FB or text me! IF you know me, then you know I love to talk! So please call me if you need any help and I'll do my best to assist you.

How to Write a Poem

Poetry Glossary Poems

Story Dice Prompt

Story/Picture Dice:

Fish
Magnifying Glass
Walking Cane
Planet
Horseshoe Magnet
Book
Question Mark
I.D. Card

**These were the pictures rolled at the end of last meeting. The writing prompt challenges you to use at least one of these images in any type of writing. There is no limit to how many you use and no rules as to how you use them.

Writing Prompt: Bumblebee Conflict Challenge

A few members and I thought it would be fun to have an optional prompt that writers could work on during the time leading up to the monthly meeting. This prompt is meant to be a fun way to get the creative juices flowing and is not limited to the instructions below. If you want to do a spin off of from the prompt, or even create your own. FEEL FREE! This is meant to be fun not a chore!

Also: Anyone who isn't going to be able to attend the meetings but would like to participate in the prompt and share it feel free to post a comment to this link!

Happy writing!!
**************
Bumblebee Conflict Challenge:

Write a short piece; poem; drama; or non-fiction piece that contains conflict with Bumblebees. This could be anything; a war between hives; a political dispute with the Queen Bee; or anything you can come up with. Maybe their are bumble bee riders that are waging garden territory wars. Just write without editing and see where you pen takes you.

Genre Instructions:

Poetry: try doing this prompt as if you were writing a children's book with Rhyming dr. sues like lines. Or come up with your own line/rhyme scheme.

Fiction: Google the inner workings of a Beehive or Bee's themselves and use these details in your piece.

Non-Fiction: Ever got stung? Re-write that memory with an elaborate fantasy section where the narrator completely over reacts or has some wild version of what really happened.

Drama: Create a short play where the actors are Bee's. Include, an elaborate plot, devious villains, and of course heart-wrenching romance.


Note: When you're working on this month's writing prompt remember that you can use the web as a tool. Google things, look at pictures, look at different writing formats and styles. The biggest mistake a writer makes is that they feel all the writing has to come from their own brain. The idea is original but don't limit the piece or yourselves.

Group Meeting: http://www.facebook.com/?tid=439672543588&sk=messages#!/event.php?eid=133886269995519

Link to FB Discussion Board:http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=337243015769&v=app_2373072738&ref=ts#!/topic.php?uid=337243015769&topic=35390

Writing Prompt: Poetry Exercise

I liked this prompt instantly and thought I would give it a try and share what I came up with. I did both the poetry version and the prose variation with ten lines each.

Poetry Prompt - Write a poem that starts with a one word title, two words in the first line, three in the next, and continues by adding one word per line. (Variation: use as a prose exercise.)

Awful.
That's it.
Just completely awful.
It all felt wasted.
Why had I even bothered?
Spent all that time and energy.
I wanted think there was a purpose.
Even I knew that would be a lie.
My script was loads better than okay or good.
I'd put my mind into it, but it doesn't matter.

Prose Version:

Crinkled. Empty basket. Piled very high. None made it in. Nothing I thought up shined. Every idea seemed so unbearably flat. Some of the pages were even blank. Other sheets had a feeble line or two. Maybe what they say about me is exactly right. Even so, I thought, I still had to try.