Copy

Claiming the Land  Dec 6                                                
Claiming the Land
December 6 ~~ Pat Carr
 
Your favorite places
Sensory details done right
Utilizing symbols
Owning the past

More than a place. For a diamond or a story, it's all in the setting.
Learn to create settings that make your story shine. 

Register Here
Need an Editor?
Whether you need to find your arc, find your groove, or unstick your plot, Kenzie can help. She can do a conceptual edit to look at the structure, momentum, and characterizations of your story, or she can do a line edit to make sure your commas are ready to face a publisher.

She was a reader for a publisher, so she knows what they're looking for. See her bio here. Email her for a quote.

The Trolley Line Bookshop, located in historical downtown Rogers at 110 W. Walnut,  cordially  invites you to a book signing of Song of the Eagle by Mimi Martin on Saturday, December 13, 2014 from 1pm to 3pm. A portion of the sales will be donated to the Village Writing School associate program in Rogers. 

 
See Mimi's funny story below, which she asked us to publish to express her feelings about her writing journey. Thanks Mimi for your great support!
A Holiday Fairy Tale
 by Mimi Martin  
 
Once upon a time, there was a friendly, kind, gray-headed grandmother named Mimi. She lived in a little red-brick house and was quite happy and content but for one thing — Mimi had long wished to become a published writer for middle school and young adult readers. Every day she’d sit at an old wooden desk, day after day, and write fiction.  
  
One cold, blustery evening, after a long grueling day of writing non-stop, Mimi sat in her rocking chair in front of the fireplace. The faint smell of wood smoke permeated the air. There was silence, but for the crackle of the fire. Yellow, orange, and red flames flickered and danced, leaping gracefully into the air, emitting a light that mesmerized and sparked a desire within her to become a better writer.
             
Gradually, the fire dwindled down to a lone flame, shriveling into a glowing ember until all she saw were tiny sparks in dark ashes. Then the faint flickering light and her new-found hope to become a better writer quickly faded.
  
Mimi sighed deeply, and said, “My chances of becoming a published writer are about the same as my seeing Santa Claus come down this chimney, or meeting my Fairy Godmother.” She cradled her head in her hands, until at last she began to weep.   
           
Suddenly, a peaceful quiet spread through the little house. Mimi wiped her tears, looked up, and to her astonishment, a petite, pretty woman stood in the living room. The woman’s eyes were sparkly brown and beautiful. She had a short pixie hair cut, and held a long, red-feathered quill pen in her right hand.  "My dear…why are you crying so?"
           
“Because…I want to be a better writer.”   
           
“Well my dear…we must do something about that.” The woman’s words radiated kindness.
           
“Are you my Fairy Godmother?” Mimi asked.    
           
“No, I’m a writer and a teacher.  My name is Pat Carr. ”
           
“Pat Carr! Your fame is spread far across the land. I’ve heard you are a master of words, have written sixteen books, and earned many prestigious awards.” Mimi smiled and placed her right hand on her heart. “Oh Pat…I want to become a published author, but…but, I can’t ─”  
             
“Dear Mimi…you have desire, don’t you?”
           
“Yes.”
             
Pat lifted her long, red-feathery pen and softly tapped Mimi’s hand three times with a ceremonial touch. Then she centered the quill between their hearts and brushed the air as she spoke. “Desire is an important part of every writer’s journey. Your desire can push you beyond your fears and limitations toward your destiny.”
           
Mimi gasped and found her voice. “I can’t believe this…I feel like I’m floating…like I’m in someone else’s head.”  
           
The kindly teacher’s eyes stayed fixed on the fledgling writer. “Well, my dear…that’s your point of view.” She smiled. “I must go now. But if you are to succeed, you must have hope, you need to practice, be patient, and persevere. And read, read, read. There are many talented authors who live in the Ozark Mountains.”
           
Then as suddenly as she appeared, Pat Carr vanished, leaving sparkly fairy dust swirling and twirling on the hardwood floor.     To Mimi’s utter amazement, she found a shiny, gray, paperback book on the floor where Pat had stood.  It was titled, “Writing Fiction with Pat Carr.” On the bottom of the front cover was a picture of a small, beautiful, butterfly with outstretched wings.    
           
Mimi picked up the book, sat down, and as if she was on an exciting adventure, she read the book from the front to back. On the inside of the back cover, she found a personal message from Pat.    
        
I think you would enjoy the Village Writing Schools in Eureka Springs and Rogers. You can meet other writers and attend great workshops that can help you to improve your craft.    
           
Mimi followed Pat’s advice, and she became a published author.  Her work of fiction for middle school and young adult readers now lives happily ever after in her story, “Song of the Eagle.”   
WRITERS' NIGHT OUT
 

Whatever kind of turkey you have, have a great day!

Writers' Night out will not meet this week, but will resume on December 4.

 
This past Writers' Night Out included a guest speaker, two birthdays, and a Thanksgiving dinner that required a lot of pans.
    
We are thankful for you, our writers, instructors, friends, and supporters!
Several of us have asked that Alison print the thoughts she brought from the Hemingway Retreat and that were discussed at Writers' Night Out. Here they are:

His favorite theme—we are all alone.

A writer has to know truly what he feels rather than what he is supposed to feel.
If you can't tell the whole story, don't write it.
If you can't tell the truth, don't tell the story.
 
For the writer:
Rid yourself of anger, envy, hatred, fear.
Denial of most underlying feelings comes out as anger.
 
For the character:
Kindness needs no justification. Evil needs a motive.
 
He wrote that he wanted to write a hidden tragedy, a tragic story without violence and without depicting the tragedy.
 
But what is a tragedy? It must be anticipated, understood, and almost predestined, for it comes from a fatal flaw. If a drunk driver kills an innocent person, it is a "tragic" accident for the innocent person and his family, but for the alcoholic, it is a true tragedy, for his fatal flaw almost predestined him for something like this.
 
In a short story, the character moves from innocence to experience. There is a movement toward awareness. 
But in the bigger canvas of a novel, there is time for movement from innocence to experience to higher innocence (wisdom, understanding, enlightenment, awareness).
What Happened to the Culvert? 

Don't despair! The culvert is on its way. It just took a while to catch up to the city authorities to get regulations and then to get bids, etc. But it will happen! Thanks again to EVERYONE who donated and to our matching donor who got the ball rolling.
Facebook
Facebook
Twitter
Twitter
Website
Website
Email
Email
2 0 1 4   C A L E N D A R 
THIS CALENDAR IS UPDATED WEEKLY.

Nov 27 - HAPPY THANKSGIVING! 

Dec 7  - Fayetteville Writer's Circle  1 pm - 3 pm

Dec 14 - Poetry Roundelay  2 pm - 4 pm

Dec 21 - Fayetteville Writer's Circle  1 pm - 3 pm 

Dec 28 - Poetry Roundelay  2 pm - 4 pm 

Dec 6 - Pat Carr Workshop - Claiming the Land   1 pm - 4 pm
More Info and Registration for Any Workshop HERE.
R O G E R S     C A L E N D A R 

Nov 15 - First Thoughts/Character
Jan 17 - Dialogue and Setting
Feb 7 - The Word and the Sentence
March 7 - Subtext, High Events, Closings
April 4 - Self-Editing

All Workshops will be from 9-4 with an hour for lunch. The fee for each is $45. More Info and Registration for Any Workshop HERE.
MEMOIR
CIRCLE
2nd Thursdays 
3 - 5 p.m.  
Village Writing School
 
POETRY ROUNDELAY
2nd & 4th Sunday
2 pm - 4 pm
Village Writing School
WRITERS' NIGHT OUT
Thursday Evenings 
5 - 7 p.m.  
Village Writing School
FAYETTEVILLE WRITING CIRCLE
1st & 3rd Sunday
1 pm - 3 pm
Fayetteville Library
OUR MISSION

The mission of the Village Writing School is to foster a vibrant literary community in Northwest Arkansas and to provide resources for ALL writers who seek to improve their craft.ty in Northwest Arkansas and to provide resources for ALL writers who seek to improve their craft.
SUPPORT OUR MISSION

Become a Friend of the

Village Writing School.

Donate as little as $10

per month.

Become a Friend
Thank You
FRIENDS OF THE VILLAGE
We Grow Through Your Support
Kim Clark, Tandy Belt, Jean Elderwind, Valerie Fondetti, Alice French, Nancy Grosella, Linda Hebert, Nancy Harris, Ann Hopkins, Shirley Lambertson, Mimi Mathis, Richard Schoe, Betty Schoeninger, Cris Senseman, Shiva Shanti, Darlene Simmons, Judith Ulch, Brent Wendling, Marcia Yearsley

You are receiving this email because you asked to be kept informed about writing workshops and coming events.
     

Copyright © 2014 Village Writing School. All rights reserved.

VillageWritingSchool.com
alisontaylorbrown@me.com
479-292-3665
177 Huntsville Road
Eureka Springs, AR 72632

Publisher: Alison Taylor-Brown
     Editor: Alice French

unsubscribe from this list   
update subscription preferences