Works in Progress Update--Sandy Buxton

As a way to document some of the efforts of the Glens Falls Writers Group, Kay asked me to talk about my current works in progress. Traditionally, I have written small memoir pieces with a little fiction thrown in. But all have been relatively short and in need of more development (both character and story).

My current projects are ambitious by my standards.

First, the group is currently critiquing my Beginner’s Guide to Orchids. As a relatively new grower, I know it is presumptuous but I have also been the newsletter editor for our local orchid society for 5.5 years. That position has given me tremendous opportunities to interview and glean nuggets from experts from all over, both U.S. and abroad.

I hope to be able to shed some light on the mysteries of orchid growing and encourage people to successfully enjoy these wonderous plants.

The flow is one of the tough parts of this project. Everything is so intertwined – light, water, fertilizer, humidity and pests – I feel like I am repeating myself all the time. But some of that is necessary. We will see how it goes and what the group thinks.

My second project is a fiction piece – science fiction I guess. An adventure series showing some cool things about science in agriculture. Hopefully, it will be ready to review when the orchid book is complete.

She's Back...

Hi all! It's me, Kay Hafner, aka Fearless Leader, back from extended hiatus (master's degree and other distractions!) to take the reins again as moderator/cheerleader. Thanks to Zack for keeping things going in my absence.

I'm looking forward to getting back into things andseeing what goals and challenges we can set, for the members as well as the group. Let me know what you'd like to see from the group in the future!

Also, if you haven't already Liked us on Facebook, we can be found under Glens Falls Writers Group there. (http://www.facebook.com/gfwriters)

May 1 -- Glens Falls Writer's Group

Hey Glens Falls Writers Group peoples!

       Well, this Thursday May 1st, which means there's another meeting, 7:00 at the Crandall library. Be there.

       Annnnnd, although I won't be there, nobody volunteered to take over the prompts email. So, I'll do it this week, and also remind you: put it on the dang meeting agenda to get someone to volunteer (or decide you don't need it) for next time. Whoever is doing it, contact me and/or Kay for any help you need.

      Anyhow. Here ya go with some prompts. Enjoy!

      cheers,

-Christopher

1. A crew of air ship pirates must escape Her Magesty's Flying Navy, through deceit.

2. a parasite overtakes a new host, but instead of a full takeover however, tries to negotiate a deal for co-habitation...

3. Six people are left onboard but there's only one more parachute.

4. You walk into your house and it’s completely different–furniture, decor, all changed. And nobody’s home.

5. Describe the room you are in right now in detail. As well as visual, think of things like smells, temperature, sounds, touch, memories, etc.

6. While swimming, your protagonist goes underwater only to emerge in a completely different place from where they started

7. A man's relationship with a spirit who is in love with him. He only talks to her through a medium who is his girlfriend.

April 17 -- Glens Falls Writer's Group

Do you ever feel like life is just a cycle, a twisting void of thought and inspiration, with writing meetings stuck in it intermittently like the arrow pin cushioned Saint Sebastian?

No? Good. Neither do I.

So, we have a meeting this week. Be there or.... well, or be somewhere else, I guess. 

   As usual:   Thursday, April 17, 7:00pm, Holden Room (the big room we usually meet in)

     

      Annnnnd, some prompts....

1. While on vacation, a person comes face to face with the person who kidnapped their child ten years earlier.

2. At the age of 42, a doctor cures a patient with the disease that took their twin back in childhood.

3. A ten-year-old comes home from school and heads out to the backyard to play with their beloved dog. They finds the dog sitting on a branch, twenty feet up, in a big, shady tree.

4. You wake up one morning, and you're (literally) an animal. 

5. Imagine it's 100 years in the future. Write a letter to your local state representative describing what things you would like to see improved in that society.

BONUS POETRY PROMPT!

6. Write an ode to a common household appliance.

April 3 -- Glens Falls Writer's Group

Hello yon Glens Fallzian Writers of Group,
      Meeting isith this week, scoundrels!
     Thursday, 7:00, Holden Room (the big room we usually meet in)
      And despite it me being ME who is sending out the meeting newsletter, I actually HAVE prompts this week (you can bring a prompt to simply read at the beginning of the meeting for general commentary, or print it out as your full submission)

1. Find a picture and write down the words that you see, hear, smell, touch and taste from it.

2. Describe an object in your life that serves no purpose but which you can't bring yourself to part with. Tell us why it's so important to you.

3. Describe one of the ways you played when you were a child. What did you play with? Were you alone or with a friend? Where did you play?

4. Write to the prompt, "Not far down the road, there is a..."

GFWG Newsletter February 20th

Hey All! Writer's Group is this week!

      

Thursday, Feb 20th, at 7:00 in the Holden Room at the Crandall Library.

      Wait? Writer's group is In two days! Thursday!

      Golly, that's soon. How about some prompts like this:

1. An author is not given instructions on a manuscript until it is too late for them to do a good job by the deadline, and so instead the author writes a story about how they will murder their editor.

2. Some lazy bum has only one job: to send out an email. They don't. Write why. And what you'd like/plan to do to them.

3. Poetry Prompt: Write an ode to a leader/boss/parent which sounds lofty but is really just cutting them down to size and listing all their horrible attributes.

Inspiring Quote: “I never put off till tomorrow what I can possibly do the day after.” -Oscar Wilde

    See you Thursday!

   cheers, -Christopher

GFWG Newsletter February 6th

Once again, I'm down to the wire. For those of you who work well under a deadline, this is the impetus. For those of you who panic yourselves into writer's block, don't worry, we won't flog you for having nothing written (were that the case, I'd have to give myself a few lashes..) So....love is in the air...maybe we can beat the winter doldrums with a little creativity....(thanks to Chris for getting my butt in gear)

QUOTABLES Words to shift your mind into overdrive...

“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” 
― William Shakespeare, All's Well That Ends Well

“Once I pulled a job, I was so stupid. I picked a guy's pocket on an airplane and made a run for it.” 
― Rodney Dangerfield

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” 
― Winston Churchill

“The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.” 
― Gloria Steinem

CONTESTS AND OTHER SUNDRY ITEMS

Freelance writing website

http://www.freelancewriting.com/freelance-writing-jobs.php
Why not parlay your talent into a career? Worth a look...

Mobius Poetry Magazine
http://www.mobiuspoetry.com/

Reader's Digest 100-word True Story contest

http://www.rd.com/sweepstakes-prizes/your-life-contest/
 Entries must be received by March 14th. 5k grand prize and publishing in Reader's Digest magazine.

PROMPTS

An open gate. Does it represent an opportunity? Coming home? A long forgotten memory or a favorite place or time?  How does this picture make you feel? Sad? Happy? Does it make you long for summer? See if you can't draw out a few words for this lovely Vermont vista.

Written Prompts

Imagine you know you will be canonized as a saint after your death. It's already written in the stars, you've had a window to the future. What would you have done to deserve sainthood? Saved a life? Discovered a cure for cancer? Are there events in your life, things you've seen that would push you to nominate someone for sainthood? All religion aside, what does it take to elevate someone above others?

Describe baking a birthday cake. The sounds of the spoon against the bowl. The smell of the vanilla extract, the radio playing in the background, the hiss of the sugar as it pours out of the cup measure. Use all your senses.

Until February 6th....

Remember a writer writes, always.


Think Spring...

Debbie