Hi! :-)
A couple of really cool updates:
First, we finally got to hear the baby's heartbeat. Nice and strong, easy for the nurse to find. :-) It was so awesome! And cute! And I still can't believe there's a little person growing inside me. :-)
Second, August Fortress, the third book in my Kilenya Series, comes out as an eBook next week (and print in a month or two). I'm so very excited! Yay for more stuff to read, and yay for me being able to move on to the next project!
Speaking of moving on, let's talk about today's prompt. :-)
We're focusing on specific fiction genres each week. We've covered:
If you want to write something in one of the above genres, click on it, read the prompt, write your post, and link to it in a comment on today's prompt. (I won't find it otherwise, even if you tag it correctly, since I don't monitor the tags after their due date.)
The order in which these genres will be covered:
- Contemporary (today)
- Children's Fiction (Young Adult and Middle Grade - any sub genre) (June 15)
- Mystery (June 22)
- Horror (June 29)
- Science Fiction and Fantasy (July 6)
- Thrillers/Crime/Detective, etc. (July 13)
If I've missed a genre, see my previous post here regarding how to submit ideas for more genres. Leave a comment on this prompt, letting me know that you've submitted an idea.
Today's Prompt:
We're focusing on the contemporary genre, including any and all of it's subgenres. I have to admit, I'm really not very familiar contemporary. As such, I'm excited to see what you all come up with. :-)
Ways in which you may respond to this prompt:
- Post something contemporary you've written
- It can be any section of your work, and that section doesn't necessarily have to be an "example" of the contemporary genre, so long as the work in its entirety is considered to be that genre.
- It can be something you're working on and for which you're needing feedback. (Specify if you want critiques. I recommend the first few paragraphs of your book - those are the ones that usually need the most strengthening.)
- It can be something you've already finished/published/don't want to work on more.
- Don't make it too long (if posts are too long, people are discouraged from reading them and lose interest).
- It can be any section of your work, and that section doesn't necessarily have to be an "example" of the contemporary genre, so long as the work in its entirety is considered to be that genre.
More ways to respond:
- Respond to all (or some) of the questions below, giving short answers
- Respond to one of the questions below, giving a long answer
Questions you could answer as a possible prompt response:
- When did you first learn about the contemporary genre?
- What are the main characteristics of contemporary?
- What is your favorite book from this genre?
- Have you read any good contemporaries lately? (And tell us what they are.)
- Who is your favorite author in this genre?
- When did you decide to write contemporary?
- What was the first contemporary you remember reading?
- What is the most difficult part of writing contemporary for you?
What other questions do you want answered or do you think I should ask? Put them in the comments below!
Remember:
You have until Thursday, June 14, 2012 at midnight to write and post, and it can be in any format.
I will read, comment on, and feature your responses a week from today.
* Have your title say FWE or Friday Writing Essential, and have the initials "LFOC" (Let's Focus on Contemporary) in it.
* Make sure to post to the Writing Essential Group.
* Put FWE or Friday Writing Essentials and the initials "LFOC" in your tags. (I won't find your post without these tags.)
Have a good week! And yay for new books coming out! :-)
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Comments: 36
***
So, this is my assignment? This hunka hunka male? Not some old man? Get a grip, girl. This is your work. Your job.
Carrie turned to look at the man sitting at the bar two stools down from her.
Ahem. The good-looking bearded man at the bar cleared his throat. "Can I get you a drink? You look like you could use something to, um, unwind your nerves.'' He twice rapped the cigarette pack on the table that he'd been fingering, then blew out a breath.
''What're you drinking? I'm buying," he snorted. He twirled his mustache and looked at Carrie.
God. My stomach just went south. I was expecting some old man. An older man. Not a workout king in the prime of his life. How in hell am I supposed to turn him in?
Carrie watched as he unwrapped the cellophane from the cigarette pack, matching the movement of his eyes, glance for glance.
"Well? What'll it be, Miss? If you wait any longer, you'll be wound up so tight, you'll start bouncing off the ceiling. You look like a wine lover to me." He cleared his throat, his eyes twinkling.
"Um. No. Actually, I like Irish. Double. Straight up," she whispered. Get a grip. You're supposed to be the one in control. "Yep. Bushmills straight up. A double." She brushed a lock of her straight, black hair out of her eyes.
"Blues." He smiled. "Love them blue eyes." He turned to the bartender. "Hey, Mac," he called out, his voice booming. "Get out your best stuff for my friend, here. She drinks Bushmills." He took a drag off his cigarette, then turned toward Carrie, his blue eyes riveted on her.
Carrie pushed the glasses farther up on her nose and swallowed hard.
"Pull up a chair, honey, and get close. Gonna be a long night." He got up and moved one bar stool over, to sit on the bar stool next to her.
"Yessirree," he hissed. "Gonna be a long night. One I wouldn't miss for anything.
BTW, I really like the messenger and would never shoot you. I do want to read your response to this prompt. I'll at least learn something.
Awesome - can't wait!
I'll have to study it in a little while
Right now I have no time to study
Hanging out with a long time buddy.
Maybe tomorow, or next week
Maybe I'll find an old story to tweak.
Hmm, nope, that ain't gonna work. I'll think of something.
Andrea, interesting prompt - Perhaps a new learning experience to read the posts on contemporary.
M. Bradley McCauley Jun 9, 2012, 9:57am EDT
Started this a bit ago--not sure where it is going. I think it might be contemporary.
I’ve never liked crying in front of anyone. I like to think of myself as stoic. Some call me cold. They can call me whatever they want. I remain staunch in my ability to hold onto my emotions. At least I always have, until now.
I didn’t cry at my parent’s funeral. People said I was cold and heartless. They never knew the pain I was feeling. It wasn’t because they were gone. No, the pain was in knowing they never loved me and lived to berate, ridicule, and sometimes physically abuse me. My father’s drunken rage is what killed them both in a car accident. I was 14. I had learned long before that not to give into pain. I knew seeing me flinch and cry brought them pleasure. I hated them too much to give in to emotions in front of them. I hated them even more for never loving me and dying without ever loving me.
No, I learned never to cry in public and I haven't, until now.
My favorite historical fiction novel is Tolstoy's War & Peace. Critics have described it as almost encyclopedic because it shows so much of life on the written page. So brilliant is the book, I have never dared to even dream of writing an historical fiction, which uses real historical events and the people in them mixed with the author's point of view and the author's own characters. Tolstoy's depiction of Natasha, an invented character, is astonishing well done. In cinema, an example of historical fiction is to be found in Oliver Stone's "JFK," which critics assailed for falsifying history. Then there's Mel Gibson who directed "The Passion of the Christ", which essentially a bio-pic without too many extraneous non-historical figures represented. There's a blur of a gray area between two genres--historical fiction and biography. One of my favorite films is the Richard Eyre-directed "Iris," about the English novelist Iris Murdoch, played by Kate Winslet (as the younger Iris and by Judy Dench as the older Iris), based on the book by Iris' husband John Bayley, played in the film by Hugh Bonneville as the younger and by Jim Broadbent as the older John Bayley. My point is that even a definitive biography gets tweaked by film scriptwriters, so there's no clear line of demarcation between biography and historical fiction sometimes. Same goes for memoir which deals with memory mixed with imagination. After all life isn't just about facts. It's about our spirit. For example, it's the spirit in which you direct your writing group with such personal grace and professional inspiration of purpose. Best wishes to you and family happiness.