Well, while stumbling through the basement file cabinets, in pursuit of a candied yam … my notes from a course once taught stared out at me. It was at Germanna Community College and the course syllabus called it … “The American Experience in Vietnam.” I was looking for course materials to donate to a Military Museum. I found reams of material, even notes on special guests that came as guest speakers. One was the last Vietnamese Chief of Naval Operations. He was not the best speaker, as his worldview was very old school and paternalistic … I talk, you listen. Well, others were far more interesting. The course did not have that much of interest to the young student body and eventually failed to get enough sign ups to restart the next semester … a real shame.
The notes were next to another bit of memorabilia, notes from a Creative Writing course taken years ago, even before Alex arrived. Jane Derringer taught the course at Rappahannock Community College in Tappahannock, VA. This pursuit involved a 75 mile drive each way to take the course. Her handouts, and class notes may add to the creative process. They are included below. The lesson to be learned, jot down your thoughts, persevere in your desire to write.
Memories from the creative Writing course at RCC. I found a story of a visit to the Doctors; office, something worth sharing. Maybe Offspring will read it … wouldn’t that be a surprise for him! Jane Derringer taught the class. Classmates in Creative Writing class – Gail, Gordon, Mack, Jackie, Alda (lived in Hong Kong, Bangkok), Sheri (Navy brat), Hazel (Secretary to Saudi Ambassador), Katherine, Joan(won prize in Chesapeake Writers Conference), Mary (Postmistress), Margery, Danielle, Mary name-name (itsa Southern thang), Edwina Louise, Debbie, Phyllis, Pat, Ruby Lee, Louis, Dottie …
Louise, Joan, and others … read their poems, short stories … Phyllis – Problem; chronology; crisis; conclusion
Debbie – spoke, “On loving a memory”… Ruby Lee, also – “On geese announcing
Spring”
Mary … Her Daddy, is always there … “prowling the building “ “I can’t play piano,
can’t write, but I can spell… That’s my ace in the hole”
One answered a question by another classmate … the classmate the editor of a rural
paper. “Why do you work for a paper if you don’t like to write … I like to
organize it … publication, getting story getting it ready to print” …
Another student (Elsa) provided her address … Editor of Matthews-Gloucester Gazette
Journal
Use specific verbs to capture actions …
Avoid passive tense, i.e. have been, was hit…
“Clash is a necessary ingredient of the dramatic scene” - from Jane Derringer’s class
handout on “The Complete Scene.”
Avoid stowaway words … these are superfluous, extraneous words …
Try to use three complete scenes per chapter … seem to be best in narratives scenes
encapsulate meetings, conversations, purpose of character in scenes, conclusive
act(s) within scene, plot steps – summing up the scene, or acting as a lead-in to
the next scene (paragraph, or chapter)
One “ can use bad grammar, colloquialisms, improper language in (Character) dialogue.”
Hints are termed “plants”
Coupled images – Easter … bunnies, turkey, dressing, real cranberry sauce, ham, flowers,
daffodils, family feast I forgot to do and turn my Easter assignment…
Hurricane - rain, winds, blowing objects, leaves falling …darkening skies, people bent
over in the wind … darkening skies then a calm…
Bare dialog … bare words alone, no He said, She said …
Full dialog … spoken, words, gestures, bits of business, characters internal dialog
(thoughts, concerns, memories) …how words were spoken… The clock struck
three ... He glanced to his watch, his thoughts raced … Oh my Gawd, I’m going
to be late … again!” Do I really want to meet him?”
Good dialog … characterizes speakers … make each character one the reader can
associate with, want to be
Shows emotions of characters … spooky dialog, spooky characters … give backgrounds
in an interesting manner, raining … must sound natural, but not be the way people
talk …
To advance the plot, don’t let characters ramble
Add local color by the way a person speaks, Dr. George Richey … Your body language
… folded arms show you’re closed, not open or concerned with the speaker …
Good ideas for aspiring authors
Join the Virginia Writers Club …
Buy “Writers Market”, a writer’s source of publisher information…
5 to 6 lines of dialog is max a reader can keep up with and yet differentiate the speakers
… use a concomitant gesture …
Do Not include sighs, grunts in dialog.
If using a dash between use double dashes ( - - ). One dash means hyphenation.
When sending books to Publishers, send along desired TITLE, with nine other
“acceptable” titles… Also, spell out all numbers below twenty.
Simon and Schuster require agents …
Write to editors (journals or papers), or publishers for … tip sheets are guidelines as to
number of words, length, number of pages …
If their reply says “won’t accept unsolicited” inputs, it means you need an agent…
Never accept no … try another publisher …
If want to retain personal control of an article, specify “self syndicating” or mention local markets …
Annual Writers Conference at Christopher Newport College, reviews, agents, reception,
short stories – less than 3000 words; poems less than 300 words….
If “selling an article” … you need to discuss, agree on … first serial, second serial …
non-competing markets for reprint rights …
When sending a “query” letter to editor, start with grabber sentence … synopsis of what
you’re going to write about, AND why you should write it. Use editors personal
name, provide SASE, wait three weeks before resubmitting to another
editor/publisher
Poems published in an anthology will not count as published works… Anthologies charge to include your poems…
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