Can You Write Your Memoir in Six Words?

BEANERY ONLINE LITERARY MAGAZINE

CAN YOU WRITE YOUR MEMOIR IN SIX WORDS?

Beanery Writers Group Members

Compiled by Carolyn C. Holland, group facilitator

 

     The Beanery Writers Group voted to have a “casual meeting” on April 17 (2009). The vote had been not to meet the week before, our regular meeting date, April 10, since it was Good Friday. Still, we had five members attend, and we met in the main room of the Coffee Bean Café in Latrobe, since there was a group of people in the back room and we didn’t want to kick them out (the Café had neglected to post our rescheduled meeting time, and we told the waitress we were OK, not to remove the other group). Aside from some background noise, all went well. It was nice to meet where there were windows.

     As facilitator, the only preparation I made was to pull a pile of “stuff” from my file cabinet, briefly scan it, and stuff it into my laptop bag. A few of these items created short discussions, including

Dr. Uwe Stender Presentation on Literary Agents

BEANERY ONLINE LITERARY MAGAZINE

DR. UWE STENDER PRESENTATION ON LITERARY AGENTS

On February 12, 2009, literary agent Dr. Uwe Stender spoke at a one-day workshop sponsored by the PennWriters: Pittsburgh East Writers. Dr. Uwe Stender is a Full Member of the AAR (Association of Authors’ Representatives) and founder of the TriadaUS Literary Agency, Inc., in Pittsburgh, PA. To read a review of his presentation, click on Review of Literary Agent Dr. Uwe Stender’s Workshop. Below is a report on his presentation.

(To view photo of Beanery Writers Group members Sal and Chuck, discussing their work with Dr. Stender, click: http://www.flickr.com/photos/beaneryonlineliterarymagazine/3298270971/ )

     Between November and February, Dr. Stender sold two books—an accomplishment that isn’t good “but not terrible,” he said. “A sale a month is good,” he noted, adding that there were about twenty other deals he could have made two years ago. However, the market is changing.
     “These were about twenty nonfiction works with strong platforms, by multiple published authors. Publishers won’t buy them because

Review of Literary Agent Dr. Uwe Stender’s Workshop

BEANERY ONLINE LITERARY MAGAZINE

REVIEW OF LITERARY AGENT DR. UWE STENDER’S WORKSHOP

    The following review of a PennWriters workshop was written by Annette Dashofy, I’m a yoga teacher who writes, striving to become a writer who teaches yoga. She lives in Burgettstown, PA. Four members of the Beanery Writers Group attended the meeting (view photo of Sal and Chuck sharing their work with Dr. Stender: http://www.flickr.com/photos/beaneryonlineliterarymagazine/3298270971/ ) held at the Monroeville Library on February 14, 2009. Presenter for the day was Dr. Uwe Stender, a Full Member of the AAR (Association of Authors’ Representatives) founded TriadaUS Literary Agency, Inc., which was incorporated in April 2004.

     I spent this morning (and part of the early afternoon) at a Pennwriters Pittsburgh East Writers meeting where agent Uwe Stender gave a wonderful talk followed by an extensive Q & A. I can’t say that

WORDS OF THE YEAR 2008 Part II: VOCABULARY DEFINITIONS

BEANERY ONLINE LITERARY MAGAZINE

WORDS OF THE YEAR 2008 Part II: VOCABULARY DEFINITIONS

      The “word of the year” is determined by any of various assessments which determine the most important word in the public sphere in the past year. Before continuing reading this post, click on WORDS OF THE YEAR 2008 Part I: VOCABULARY TEST (or check the WRITING ARTICLES folder at www.beanerywriters.wordpress.com and scroll down to the post WORDS OF THE YEAR 2008 Part I: VOCABULARY TEST) and take the vocabulary test.
     Answers to the test that the Beanery Writers Group concocted are listed there. Below are the ACTUAL definitions of the words on the test. No peeking until you take the test.

     carborexic: A person who is

WORDS OF THE YEAR 2008 Part I: VOCABULARY TEST

BEANERY ONLINE LITERARY MAGAZINE

WORDS OF THE YEAR 2008 Part I: VOCABULARY TEST

     The “word of the year” is determined by any of various assessments which determine the most important word in the public sphere in the previous year. Since 1991, the American Dialect Society has designated one or more words or terms to receive the coveted title of “Word of the Year” in the United States. The society also selected the “Word of the 1990s,” web, and the “Word of the 20th Century,” jazz, and the “Word of the Past Millennium,” she. Annual categories for the word of the year include the most original, the most unnecessary, the most outrageous, and the most likely to succeed.
     As facilitator for the Beanery Writers Group in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, I opted to present the members with a vocabulary test of the 2008 words of the year, some of which were nominated, and at least one an actual Word of the Year. But first, I asked them if they could define a German Word of the Year, bildschirmbraune

THE LIGONIER 250TH ANNIVERSARY BOOKLET

BEANERY ONLINE LITERARY MAGAZINE

THE LIGONIER 250^TH ANNIVERSARY BOOKLET

One of the Beanery Writers Group accomplishments this year was the production of a booklet, A Commemoration of Ligonier’s 250th Anniversary (http://flickr.com/photos/beaneryonlineliterarymagazine/3162152154/ ). The ten diverse stories, illustrated by many photographs, are:

Destination Ligonier by Sally Shirey
Idlewild Memories by Patricia Orendorff Smith
At Fort Ligonier by Sally Martin
An Old Stranger in the Valley by Beth Ann Fiedler
Country Cold: One Room Living by Kathleen Clark
Scottish Games by Joseph F. Stierheim
Ghost on Laurel Mountain by Diana R. Hunt
History Reridden by Ron Shafer;\
Arthur St. Clair by guest writer Shirley Iscrupe
Laurel Mountain Borough Secedes from Ligonier Township by Carolyn C. Holland

     
     The booklet is a great gift, especially for persons with a history in the Ligonier Valley, or as a gift for a birthday, get well, or other occasion. It’s cost $3.75 (plus shipping and handling add $1.25) is the price of a card, but the booklet is far more meaningful.
     It is available through Beanery Writers Group members or at the Second Chapter Bookstore on East Main Street in Ligonier, by e-mailing beaneryblog at yahoo.com, or calling Carolyn C. Holland at 724/238-3493.
     The Beanery Writers Group meets the second and fourth Fridays, from 1:00-3:00 at the Coffee Bean Café on Rt. 30 in Latrobe. New members and visitors are welcome to attend, and we have long-distance members who contribute regularly to the Beanery Online Literary Magazine. E-mail beaneryblog at yahoo.com, or call Carolyn C. Holland at 724 238 3493, for further information on attending the meetings, or submitting articles. Please type “Information” or “Submission” in the subject line.
    
ADDITIONAL READING:

THE WRITING LIFE: There’s a World Out There?

THE WRITING LIFE CONTINUES

REFLECTING ON MY WRITING LIFE IN 2008

ALL SUMMER IN A DAY: The Use of Descriptive Language

SHORT TRIP FROM SEATTLE, WASHINGTON To Ligonier, PA

I BELIEVE GOD INVENTED DANCING

SNOW GLOBE

WHAT ARE THOSE NUMBERS IN MY CAMERA VIEWFINDER?

WHAT DO YOU SEE THROUGH YOUR CAMERA LENS?

USING A NEW CAMERA WHILE TRAVELING

SHOULD THIS HOUSE HAVE SOLD AT A TAX SALE?

IN WINTERSCAPE…COMES THE SONG

SADIE

ALL SUMMER IN A DAY: The Use of Descriptive Language

BEANERY ONLINE LITERARY MAGAZINE

ALL SUMMER IN A DAY

The Use of Descriptive Language

KAITLYN

 

     What do you think of when I say sun? I think of day, warmth, large, and bright yellow. Those things are taken for granted here on earth, so if you went to Venus, you wouldn’t know what to do.  In this heart-warming story, All Summer in a Day, the author Ray Bradbury used descriptive language to explain how the sun exposed everything to the warmth for the first time in seven years. Ray Bradbury includes the use of figures of speech, images, and specific language. By using these key points, he painted a vivid picture of how the children experienced the sun for the first time.
     First of all, the author uses figures of speech to create a scene that we could connect to. We have all been caught in the sunlight at one time, soaking it all in. As we jump for joy

ELATION, DESPAIR AND A SUGAR RUSH

BEANERY ONLINE LITERARY MAGAZINE
ELATION, DESPAIR AND A SUGAR RUSH
CAROLYN

Since this is a WRITING site, I hope that Beanery Members and visitors will join me in submitting comments on writing. We welcome posts on interesting facets of all genres of writing. Email submissions to beaneryblog@yahoo.com with the word “SUBMISSIONS” in the subject line.

A newspaper article on an author last-named Buckley, first name in lost part of the article, writes of novel authorship: …in a novel, you get to

SHOULD INFORMATION ON AN ALLEGED CHILD ABUSER BE PUBLICIZED?

BEANERY ONLINE LITERARY MAGAZINE

SHOULD INFORMATION ON AN ALLEGED CHILD ABUSER BE PUBLICIZED?

While writing for newspapers in various communities I developed a relationship of trust with a key local officials, including law enforcement officers, emergency medical professionals and Army National Guard leaders. As a result, they often confided information to me, “off the record.”

In one case I heard about a serious threat made by a young man, who stated that he intended to visit the local diner and commit suicide, taking five others with him. Because it was told to me in confidence, I had no choice

A PROFILE OF BEST SELLING AUTHORS

At one of the Beanery Writers Group meetings the discussion centered on what characteristics best selling authors had in common. The source of the material is listed at the bottom of this post.

Dee Power authored the “Nine Characteristics That May Surprise You” after interviewing 24 of today’s most popular authors, who, as a group, have sold more than half a billion books. The surprise? WRITING TALENT isn’t the only separating factor, and, in fact, may not be