Shert Stery

I have a new short story coming out in McSweeney's Quarterly and also on Salon.com right now for free.  Here is the link.  Enjoy!  


http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2010/07/14/patrick_crerand_short_story/index.html

It's been a long time coming....

Hello AWGOWCers...


Sorry for the delays, but I've been busy and--let's face it--the group goes on with or without the blog.  Anyway, we're meeting this Thursday.  The assignment/obstruction is to write a conversation using a code/euphemism/symbol a la Hemingway's story Hills Like White Elephants.   Bon chance, mes amis.


I'll see you there, I promise.

Findings

For next time, write a proem imitating the style of Harper's Magazine's "Findings" section (link below).
http://www.harpers.org/archive/2009/11/0082730

It's a random collection of facts but feel free to make up your own.  See you Thursday at 7.

Bodice the Ripper

For next time, we are writing a proem (no more than a half page) in the style of a bodice ripper/harlequin romance.  It's an exercise in writing badly in the hopes of writing goodly er, uh, better.  Here are a few rules:


one: nothing graphic or rather pornographic, as we are all familiar with anatomy.


two: you must use the following words -- plant, button, trick, fly.


three: you must commit to the basic harlequin conventions, whatever those may be to you, keeping in mind rules one and two.


four: have fun.  


Remember we'll meet the second Thursday of May--that is May 13, not this upcoming week.  See you then at 7.

Glass Slippers

I thought I'd post a link to this article about the 2010 Pulitzer winner, Paul Harding's Tinkers.  It's an inspirational story about sticking to your guns and writing and how every once in a while, the little guy (or gal) wins out.

Take my wife...please.

For Thursday, brush up on your best one-liners and write a one-line story about Andrew Wyeth's famous painting "Christina's World."  Bon chance, mes amis.  See you at 7 on Thursday.

Picture This

For this week, write a short proem in response to the photo from the NPR web site's 3 minute fiction contest.  Happy writing and see you this Thursday at 7.