Weekly Round Up of Writers Rendezvous

Week 6 Blog Post

Quick Minutes
Peta has compiled a list of “important” dates.  It appears that June/July for Queensland is quite reasonable for the Writers Convention in Dayboro.  There are many events across Australia during this period and a couple in Queensland, so I will continue to look at this.

Vicki has sent through the Queensland Writers Centre quarterly newsletter via email so please check your email.

Don’t forget to sign up for early bird rates for Genre Con!

Member News
Peta has started the first week of her Graduate Certificate and has come to the realisation of how little she actually knows.  She will pass interesting information onto the group.

James has started the James Patterson Master Class and wish him all the best with that.

Carleton, James and Peta (as far as I am aware) have signed up for the free 48 hour Sci Fi Flash Fiction 2017 challenge.  We wish them all the very best although the blog writer is totally biased and is determined to beat them both at their Flash Fiction Game.

Vicki is officially on the editing pathway for her novel.  We wish her all the best in this endeavour.

Reminders
Our homework task is now under the “Current Task” on our website.  Please email Vicki with your contributions.  Constructive criticism is welcome regarding the homework task or if you wish for someone to read their homework out at our next meeting, please make a comment.  Comments can be created by clicking on the brown “Comments” url at the top of the blog.  I can’t wait to read your homework.  Please leave feedback in the comments section on the work.

A Week in Review (from Facebook)

Carleton posted up a Flash Fiction competition.  “The best short story entered in the 48-hour Flash Fiction Challenge will be published on our website and you’ll win £500 and a VIP pass to Sci-Fi-London”.  You can locate the link here:
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2122087-winning-words-write-us-a-sci-fi-masterpiece-in-48-hours/?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_source=Facebook&utm_term=Autofeed&cmpid=SOC|NSNS|2017-Echobox#link_time=1488193497
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5 Comma rules you can sometimes break. The link is located here:
http://liminalpages.com/5-comma-rules-you-can-sometimes-break/
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Moreton Bay Regional Council Writers Updates.  The link can be located here:
https://www.moretonbay.qld.gov.au/general.aspx?id=160341
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Vicki posted up an excellent Facebook page entitle “The Indie & Selfie Hub”.  I suggest you check the page out and like it.  You can find the link here:
https://www.facebook.com/The-Indie-Selfie-Hub-1723785931267695/
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Jane posted up some very sage advice from Ernest Hemingway.  You can see the link here:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152746463315195&set=a.10152746450510195.1073741829.516700194&type=3&theater
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Peta posted up an article from the Guardian regarding Mem Fox’s detention in the US.  You can find the link here:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/feb/28/in-that-moment-i-loathed-america-i-loathed-the-entire-country?CMP=share_btn_fb
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Happy World Book Day!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10155035246429948&set=a.10151902181699948.1073741825.717909947&type=3&theater

Margaret Atwood on “The Publishing Pie: An Author’s View”.  A definite must watch!  You can locate the link here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6iMBf6Ddjk&feature=youtu.be

A brilliant book take on the Oscars Blunder that happened this week.  You can locate the link here:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10212496734121175&set=a.3390359165565.2166729.1467200774&type=3&theater

What Writer’s in Residence are at Brisbane Libraries this week:  You can locate the link here:
https://www.facebook.com/BrisbaneLibraries/photos/a.399838060080049.94841.347628685300987/1344889622241550/?type=3&theater

Missed last week’s Queenslanders in Conversation Panel.  Here is the webcast for those of you interested:
http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/audio-video/webcasts

The Bruce Dawe Poetry Prize is now open.  You can locate the link here:
https://www.usq.edu.au/bruce-dawe-prize?utm_campaign=bd17edm&utm_medium=social&utm_source=website

Tina submitted an interesting competition called Grieve.  You can find the link here:
http://www.hunterwriterscentre.org/grieve-project.html
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That is the round of Rendezvous News for this week.  If you have any news, articles or interesting books you are reading please let me know at [email protected] or on our Facebook page.

Signing off

Peta Culverhouse

Constructive feedback from homework:

Feedback Etiquette: (taken from Writing Fiction Course Future Learn, 2016)

Giving Feedback

Here are some feedback guidelines:
• You are asked to focus on the writing for the homework piece. Feedback for other tasks should be given to the author personally.
• If you think an aspect of the writing works well, try to analyse why, but also look for its faults. Usually there will be some.
• If you think an aspect of the writing doesn’t work, again, analyse why. Make sure you look for the parts that might be working better in the piece. Almost always there will be positive things to focus on as well.
• Try to go beyond ‘Oh, I liked that, but I didn’t like that.’
• Always comment on the idea and its implementation, not on the surmised personality of the writer.
• Bear in mind that, often, you will be passing comment on a ‘work-in-progress’, a piece of writing that is not finished. Try to assess where it might go and what tactics might be used in its development.
• Always try to show evidence for whatever claims you make. Evidence, in this instance, is the part of the writing you are talking about. Point out the use of language you are focused on so that the writer knows which part you mean.
• Rather than being imperious in your comments, explain what you mean, point out the evidence – but also freely suggest there may be other opinions. This can be done with little nudging queries: ‘I wonder if anyone else thinks this?’
• Think about how well the writing is geared to its intended readership.
 
Receiving feedback
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Here are some guidelines:
• When assessing comments you may wish to rewrite the idea completely. Don’t rush into this.
• You may wish to tweak your story a little, rewrite completely or just leave it as it is. Any of these options is possible. There is no correct way of responding to critical comments. You may choose to accept some comments and reject others. Remember: you are the final arbiter; you are the writer.
• If you are lucky and receive more than one lot of feedback, pay special attention to areas where there seems to be a consensus, even though it might be an opinion with which you strongly disagree. Ask yourself: ‘Have I ever had doubts about this before I got these comments?’ Be honest with yourself. If the answer is ‘Yes’, then the area almost certainly needs attention – even if it happens to be your favourite section.
• Ask yourself whether the piece under discussion is going to be developed any further. If so, how?
• If it isn’t going to be developed, what can be salvaged from it? You might wish to use a character, a metaphor, a line of dialogue. It’s important to realise that even if you eventually abandon an idea, there may be some small part of that idea – sometimes just an image, a line or even a phrase– that you can use later, in another piece.
• Remember: your fellow writers are commenting on a piece of work at a particular stage in its development, not on a finished article, and they are certainly not commenting on you personally.
 
Feedback: (please mention stories name and contributor).