Well Deb kicked off her stint for the month of November and posted just over 1700 words for Day 1. That's not too shabby, but will she be able to keep up the pace? She plans to journal about the experience here. Below is the link...check it out.
http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/profile/edit
Deb's chosen Novel topic is: 'This Life' and it is a story that will capture the trials, tribulations and joys of a family and their life together. Generations learn from each other by the stories passed down. This is one family's modern day history.
NaNoWrimo encourages their participants to aim for 50,000 words within the month of November. Deb wonders if she can sustain this?
Stay tuned.
So, until next time...happy reading & writing...
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Monday, October 31, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Novel Tea 'n Pages Book & Writers' Club - Writers' Workshop
9:00am - 11:00am
Chandler Qld
Saturday, 12 March, 2011, Novel Tea 'n Pages Book & Writers' Club will host its very first Writers' Workshop. This workshop is open to all Book Club members, however, we are an open club and welcome new members.
Once a month Writers' Workshop will meet every 3rd Saturday of the month, and will complement Book Club, every 1st Wednesday of the month. It is open to anyone who loves to write or is interested in the writing process and would like to develop their skills, share and receive constructive feedback from an objective group of individuals.
New members are most welcome.
This is a great way to meet with other like-minded people, share your passion or writing projects and grow in skill together.
The Process:
Our first meeting will be a time to meet with others to share the objectives we'd like to receive from a workshop each month. This is the time we will share our ideas and indicate the projects we will be working on. Members will participate in a short writing exercise to help improve their skills and encourage spontaneous writing.
Why attend Writers Workshops?
Meeting up with others is a great way to share your craft, ideas and passions, rather than keeping it all to yourself. Writing is meant to be shared. It is a great way to discuss and learn more about the process and gain confidence. It is also an excellent way to mix socially and grow friendships.
If anyone is interested in joining, there are a limited number of places left for the first Writers' session. Please contact Deb Smith via blog (comments), face book (inbox) or email for further details.
So, if this sounds like you, please contact us. We are looking forward to meeting some new writing buddies...
until then...
happy writing...
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Introducing an Exciting New Component to Novel Tea 'n Pages Book Club
History:
Novel Tea 'n Pages Book Club celebrates its 1st birthday in April, just a few short months away. We are a fledgling club, but are finding our way and the ride so far has been a pleasant one.
We've found our numbers fluctuate at times, but this is quite natural and to be expected. People get busy with life and can't always attend, but they still manage to pop along when they can. Some slow down and manage their attendance well. Others decide they'll do their best to be committed and attend every month.
That's the great part about this book club. It is open to receive everyone, whether you've read the book or not or whether you can attend every month or not. Coming along for the social aspect helps develop friendships and sometimes members become inspired from listening to discussions and go home and read the next month's book. Some members who have joined initially didn't consider themselves readers, but have become readers since making an effort.
Whatever anyone's situation is, we embrace them and think they are all very important members. We are a very relaxed club and we welcome both established and new members at all our meetings. At this point I'd like to thank the dedicated members who come along and keep us ticking. I'm really looking forward to what 2011 has in store for us.
New Developments:
From Novel Tea 'n Pages Book Club's inception at the beginning of 2010, I've always had in mind another component that I wanted to implement after the book club became established. I needed a little time to get a better feel for what I was doing. After playing around with some initial ideas, I finally introduced Novel Tea 'n Pages to the world and I hosted its first meeting in April 2010.
However, there is always room for improvement and it is my hope that club members will bring their ideas and suggestions along to the book club so that they can make this club their own. With fresh ideas, the club will not stagnate but grow, develop and change.
A New Concept:
It is with excitement that I introduce a new Writers component to the book club. When I thought up the name Novel Tea 'n Pages there were three components I had in mind; a trinity, so to speak (not of the religious nature, though). The first component was Novel (representing book club). The second component was Tea (representing refreshments and a social aspect) and the third component was Pages (representing a writers springboard).
These components represent three things I am passionate about and wish to share with others as my platform of influence, and they include books, coffee and of course, writing.
Currently, Novel Tea 'n Pages offers two of the three components. Now, I am happy to announce that beginning Saturday 19 February, Novel Tea 'n Pages will host its first Writers component in the form of an initial meeting with interested parties to develop an overview of future Writers' meetings.
The Shape of the Writing Component:
Novel Tea 'n Pages will offer a Writers Club for anyone interested in beginning or developing their personal writing projects. Writers will meet once a month and have the opportunity to engage with other people interested in writing and sharing their projects, sharing feedback and participating in short writing exercises. Both experienced and inexperienced writers are welcome to join. You do not need to be a book club member to join the Writers Club.
From now on the club shall be referred to as Novel Tea 'n Pages Book & Writers Club.
If anyone knows of someone who might be interested in participating in our Writers Club, please send this information to them. I invite all interested parties to contact me via Facebook or email to find out more details. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
So, until next time...
Happy reading & writing everyone...
Novel Tea 'n Pages Book Club celebrates its 1st birthday in April, just a few short months away. We are a fledgling club, but are finding our way and the ride so far has been a pleasant one.
We've found our numbers fluctuate at times, but this is quite natural and to be expected. People get busy with life and can't always attend, but they still manage to pop along when they can. Some slow down and manage their attendance well. Others decide they'll do their best to be committed and attend every month.
That's the great part about this book club. It is open to receive everyone, whether you've read the book or not or whether you can attend every month or not. Coming along for the social aspect helps develop friendships and sometimes members become inspired from listening to discussions and go home and read the next month's book. Some members who have joined initially didn't consider themselves readers, but have become readers since making an effort.
Whatever anyone's situation is, we embrace them and think they are all very important members. We are a very relaxed club and we welcome both established and new members at all our meetings. At this point I'd like to thank the dedicated members who come along and keep us ticking. I'm really looking forward to what 2011 has in store for us.
New Developments:
From Novel Tea 'n Pages Book Club's inception at the beginning of 2010, I've always had in mind another component that I wanted to implement after the book club became established. I needed a little time to get a better feel for what I was doing. After playing around with some initial ideas, I finally introduced Novel Tea 'n Pages to the world and I hosted its first meeting in April 2010.
However, there is always room for improvement and it is my hope that club members will bring their ideas and suggestions along to the book club so that they can make this club their own. With fresh ideas, the club will not stagnate but grow, develop and change.
A New Concept:
It is with excitement that I introduce a new Writers component to the book club. When I thought up the name Novel Tea 'n Pages there were three components I had in mind; a trinity, so to speak (not of the religious nature, though). The first component was Novel (representing book club). The second component was Tea (representing refreshments and a social aspect) and the third component was Pages (representing a writers springboard).
These components represent three things I am passionate about and wish to share with others as my platform of influence, and they include books, coffee and of course, writing.
Currently, Novel Tea 'n Pages offers two of the three components. Now, I am happy to announce that beginning Saturday 19 February, Novel Tea 'n Pages will host its first Writers component in the form of an initial meeting with interested parties to develop an overview of future Writers' meetings.
The Shape of the Writing Component:
Novel Tea 'n Pages will offer a Writers Club for anyone interested in beginning or developing their personal writing projects. Writers will meet once a month and have the opportunity to engage with other people interested in writing and sharing their projects, sharing feedback and participating in short writing exercises. Both experienced and inexperienced writers are welcome to join. You do not need to be a book club member to join the Writers Club.
From now on the club shall be referred to as Novel Tea 'n Pages Book & Writers Club.
If anyone knows of someone who might be interested in participating in our Writers Club, please send this information to them. I invite all interested parties to contact me via Facebook or email to find out more details. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
So, until next time...
Happy reading & writing everyone...
Thursday, December 9, 2010
'Life of Pi' by Yann Martel - Discussion thread.
The Author's Note & Chapter One:
Yann Martel begins his story of Pi with an author's note and from the beginning, sets up intrigue and interest. I wonder if this note is part of the fiction, or is this the way he wants to draw us fictitiously into the story? At any rate, it helps to set the scene in order to introduce the main protagonist in the first chapter.
His opening sentence begins: 'My suffering left me sad and gloomy.' From that first moment I want to find out what and why.
I personally feel that without the author's note, I'd be lost as to who the main protagonist is in the first chapter. We learn about his 'interesting' studies of three-toed sloths and we also find out that religion plays a strong part in the life of this particular character. Without the author's note, it would be hard to determine how old the character is, and whether they are male or female.
Three-toed sloths (specifically), in my opinion, are interesting in themselves as comparisons to God. What did others think?
The first chapter is full of reflective and philosophical thoughts about life and I get a real sense of someone with a heavy heart with phrases such as: 'Death is in love with life - a jealous possessive love that grabs what it can.' and 'Gloom - passing shadow of a cloud.' These statements build a profile of someone who has gone through hell, perhaps.
'Richard Parker has stayed with me. I've never forgotten him. Dare I say I miss him? I do. I miss him. I still see him in my dreams. They are nightmares mostly, but nightmares tinged with love. Such is the strangeness of the human heart. I still cannot understand how he could abandon me so unceremoniously, without any sort of goodbye, without looking back even once. That pain is like an axe that chops at my heart.' This paragraph is very powerful and I yearn to know who Richard Parker is? Why did he just leave and not look back and why is he so important to the main protagonist, who we still haven't learnt their name yet, only through the author's note.
And the last points I wonder about in this first chapter are his time in the Mexican hospital and, after his recovery, his bad experience in the Indian restaurant. He seems rather traumatised and this builds nicely for the reader and drives the story along.
What are your ideas?
Happy reading...
Friday, February 12, 2010
New Beginnings
Choosing a new novel is an intimate decision. Something about the cover, the title, the look and feel of the book helps us to make our final decision of whether to read it or not. Maybe the way a book smells or the way it feels in our hand draws us into its unique journey or makes us replace it back on the shelf. The opening lines and first couple of paragraphs may be the lure to hook and reel us in...but once the decision is made to begin, a journey is set in motion, enveloping us in excitement and intrigue.
Another exciting time is when a decision is made to commit some time to a new project...and, for me, today is one such time.
This year is already shaping up to be a big year on a personal level, with an engagement party looming, and sprinkled throughout the remaining year, a twenty-first, a wedding, and another birthday of significance. For me the commencement of a new part-time job in the role as a Primary Learning Extension teacher at a large independent Christian school teaching Creative Writing to switched-on kids is a step back into a smidgeon of routine, which I haven't really had since completing my uni course. I think having a job helps me to keep to some sort of routine, so I don't fritter my life away.
I know this year is going to be busy and yet, I still believe I need to set aside some committed time to feed my own creative juices.
I meet regularly with three gorgeous friends who are interested in similar things to me. They all enjoy writing. We met at university whilst we were participating in a creative writing course. My course was a full-time post-graduate diploma in Creative Writing which I thoroughly loved. Upon graduating and finishing uni, my friends and I decided to make a pact to continue to meet up on a social basis with the option of sharing our work and interests. So far, we have managed to meet up regularly, but slowly the sharing of our writing has fallen by the wayside and been replaced totally by social interaction and business updates.
Two of my friends are now fully immersed in their small businesses, whilst my other friend has surrendered herself to the challenging and wonderful world of motherhood...all very important adventures. As I mentioned previously, I have returned to part-time teaching at my old school, but this time, I am teaching what I am passionate about...writing and books. This is a very exciting time for all of my friends, including me, but for different reasons.
After meeting with them recently, and hearing all their updates I felt satisfied on a social level. One of my friends who is busy growing her strategic based business 'Teak Yew' recently launched her Business Book Club and it was after listening to her speak of its success, I became very excited for her, but it made me miss one of the reasons we had decided to continue to meet up...and that was to share our thoughts about the books we were reading and our work we were currently writing.
So, with this in mind, Novel Tea 'n Pages has been born...beginning with a blog in order to jot down the process of setting up a Book & Writers' Club where people can meet up with others to discuss and share their favourite books and writing samples that they are currently working on.
This blog will serve multiple purposes. Space will be dedicated to books, writing, the club news and odds and ends. So, welcome...if you've happened to have stumbled upon this page...I hope you find something of interest. Obviously it is early days and today is just the start, but as time goes on, I hope to be able to build upon this foundation...
So, till next time...happy reading and writing.
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