Volume 1 Issue 1
January 2016
CRAFTY READERS AND WRITERS GROUP
Issue Topics
• Our New Newsletter
page 1
• Creating the Supernatural
World
page2
• Using Adverbs
page3
• Resources
page 4
• A Writers Prompt Contest
page 4
Our New Newsletter
Everyone
is
extremely excited
to be reading the
first issue of our
new newsletter, The
Crafty Quill! On
behalf the editor I
would like to thank
all of the people
who donated stories
and ideas. THANK
YOU!!
Your inspiring writings, poems and instructional pieces can go here as well as your tips and
articles on how you work your writing process.
Snow Hits Milwaukie Hard
The Crafty Quill
The Ledding Library was
closed Sunday, January 3rd,
2016 due to the snowy
conditions. We had about an
inch of snow that hit
Milwaukie the earlier hours
of
Sunday
morning.
Churches and the local
Library was closed and light
rail and buses were delayed
due to weather and traffic
backups. Check weather
conditions on Monday. Hopefully the snow will melt enough so our
group can meet.
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Volume 1 Issue 1
January 2016
Creating the Supernatural World
by Tina Buss Weaver
There are some basics that need
to be stated. Most readers of the
Supernatural have some preknowledge of this world. They
have read the classics and are
now devouring the flash fiction
that is being published. What I've
noticed about the stories I've read
on WDC and a few that are published, is a lack of the basics.
The first thing about supernatural
writing is the WORLD. Every
story must have the perimeters set
up for the reader to follow. What
are the super natural's limitations
and what are their powers or
gifts? You can’t have a vampire
running out in the sun if you
haven’t established that they have
some kind of defense against the
sun's rays. Everyone knows and
expects a vampire to burn in the
sun. If your character has abilities
that are not what the reader is
expecting, you must define that
up front. There are supernaturals
that have many combinations of
abilities. While it may be fun to
mix breeds, the new writer must
be careful that it is done within
the confines of the world you
have created. Too many conflicting actions confuse the reader.
One time a werewolf can control
his changes and the next can-not.
Keep your world as simple as
possible for the reader to follow.
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Combining breeds leads to redefining the combined perimeters
that limit or expand that
character’s abilities. If you
choose to create a vampire that
can change into a wolf or a werewolf that suddenly sucks blood,
chances are you had better have
a great story because you might
lose your reader.
If a human started drinking
blood and growing fangs, sleeping during the day, we would
assume they had been bitten, but
if the writer didn’t say so, we
would be confused as to why this
was happening. To do something
because it is different or cool
may be your story, but chances
are it won’t be published and
won’t get a good re-view.
What many readers like are
books such as the Twilight
series, Charlene Harris’ series
and all of Christine Feehan’s
series. Each author has set the
world for their supernaturals. In
each subsequent book, the characters act within the confines of
that world. You, as the reader,
are drawn into it and know what
the characters can and cannot do.
You are comfortable knowing
what to expect from the characters.
Characters need a weakness or
we, as readers, cannot sympathize
with them. That weakness may
only be a sympathy for a weaker
animal or a desire to see justice,
but it is what the villain of your
story plays on.
Keep a journal about your world.
Who lives in it, what the characters can and cannot do. Make sure
if they can fly you explain how
and why they can defy gravity. If
they can transport, are they the
only ones that can do it? Why is
that? Jo Rowling kept extensive
journals about her world. Always
look at what has made others
successful.
Writing about supernaturals is fun
because there are no limits to
what you can dream up. Remember everyone lives somewhere and that world has perimeters. You just get to be the one to
set them.
Tina is working several novels and
short stories as she continues her
work as a published author.
Everyone has a weakness or
flaw. Superman had Kryptonite.
Page 2
Volume 1 Issue 1
January 2016
When to Use an Adverb
by Lynn LaClef
When to Use an Adverb?
Never! (Or almost never.)
Adverbs are used to enhance
other words. This sounds like a
good thing, but I disagree. I
have found my writing to be
stronger without their use.
What is an Adverb?
An adverb modifies a verb,
adjective or a phrase.
answers questions such
‘how’, ‘when’, ‘where’,
‘how much’.
an
It
as
or
Information Versus Pace
I once read that you are allowed
two adverbs per book. I know
this not always possible. However, the use of unnecessary
words tends to slow down the
pace of a story and weaken sentence structure.
Example:
The boy quickly ran to the
store. The boy ran to the store
Which sentence conveys the
meaning?
Both,
adding
“quickly” didn’t enhance the
understanding. The fact the boy
“ran” makes us understand how
fast he was going. If the meaning stays the same without the
adverb, then you’re faced with
The Crafty Quill
redundancy. Quickly and ran
imply the same thing. The
second sentence is stronger and
has more impact.
Pace is Better than Pretty
Many writers try to improve
their writing by adding adjective and adverbs to make it
‘pretty’. Strong lean sentences
are better and faster to read.
They will drive your read
forward and keep pages turning.
Long sentences and detailed
descriptions don’t always
improve your story. They make
it more difficult to keep a
reader engaged. Lean sentences
and short paragraphs speeds up
the pace, keeping the reader
interested.
The more detailed information
you give, the slower the pace. If
you use words that are redundant, the reader will start to
skip over sentences. They
become lost, lose interest and
stop reading.
Is it Ever Okay to Use an
Adverb?
According to Master Editor Sol
Stein in his book “Stein on
Writing” there are two rules for
using an adverb:
1. Keep an adverb that supplies
necessary information
Example: He tried running
faster and fell. If he’s already
running, you must keep
‘faster’. If you remove the
adverb the sentence means that
he fell as soon as he started running.
2. Keep and adverb that helps
the reader visualize the precise
image you want to project.
Example: She drove crazily,
frightening the oncoming traffic.
Improve Your Writing Now
A simple way to improve your
writing is to take a piece you’ve
written and highlight all
adverbs. You can also do a
word search by using the
“FIND” command in Word.
Search for words ending in
“ly”. Then try to rewrite your
sentences. Try to delete as
many as possible. Try to make
your sentences more efficient
and stronger. Don’t rely on an
adverb to convey meaning.
Lynn is author of a series of
fantasy novels.
Page 3
Volume 1 Issue 1
Resources
Our Online uploaded stories by members you can Critique
I have submitted the full draft for Trolley Cavern so people can see the
complete story arc. Critiques of the chapters can follow later. Gene
Fabryka
On-line Writers
By Melinda Conway
Six Unrealistic Tropes and How to Avoid Them
http://mythcreants.com/blog/six-unrealistic-tropes-and-how-to-avoid-them/
How Pixar Changed all the Rules to Make the “The Good
Dinosaur” a Stunning Masterpiece
http://io9.gizmodo.com/how-pixar-changed-the-rules-to-makethe-good-dinosa-1735364564/
January 2016
Join Us
Join the Crafty Writers and
Readers Group to discuss Epilogue: “Looking Back on the
Journey”, in our study book
“The Writers Journey”, 3rd
Edition, by Christopher Vogler.
Assuming the weather allows,
watch the weather alerts and
call the library to see if it is
open Monday. Hope to see you
there!
7 Tips on Emotional Storytelling, Pixar-Style, From the Writer of “Inside
Out” and “The Good Dinosaur”
The Crafty Quill
Page 4
Volume 1 Issue 1
January 2016
CRAFTY READERS AND WRITERS GROUP
Group Host: Melinda Conway
Email: [email protected]
Website Administrator: Lynn LaClef
Website: http://craftywriters.club/
Newsletter Editor: John Weemhoff
Email: [email protected]
[email protected]
The Crafty Readers and Writers Group meets every Monday at 7:00pm - 8:30pm
(unless otherwise noted on our Facebook Event page) in the Fiction room Mystery section of
Milwaukie Ledding Library, 10660 SE 21st Ave., Milwaukie, OR 97222
The Crafty Quill
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