by Rickie Kay LongfellowAt a recent Kirkersville Writers Club meeting someone asked, “Where do you find names for your characters?” Another writer replied, “Historic lists.” This is a great suggestion and also keeps first names true to the period. Historic tax lists, census records, and marriage lists all provide many names. Your local librarian can assist you. If you research from your computer or another device The US GenWeb Archives provides lists of the above-mentioned from the comfort of your couch with your feet up. Other sources for character naming I have heard over the years in writers’ meetings and writing classes are telephone directories, street names, family names, and more. Today, again thanks to the Internet, we can find any of the above quickly and easily. But before you go to this trouble I have another suggestion - one that I use first. It is my quick, unusual Magical Technique, but I get results and I hope it works for you too. Let’s begin by clearing the mind and relaxing. Find a comfortable position in a quiet place. (Feet up is fine) Review your story and your setting, and pick one of your characters who needs a name. Let’s say your character is a woman.
Be sure to write down her name before you forget it. If she didn’t give you her last name, you may need help in developing it, but her first name should now be apparent. Sometimes your characters will give you their last name also, but be sure to investigate the full name to prove it didn’t come from your subconscious or the movie you watched last night. When I need last names, I like to use surnames or various combinations of surnames from my family history research. But often when I research the area where my story takes place, I will use a name or create a combination of names of people, places, and events for my characters’ surnames. I would love to hear if my Magical Technique worked for you, but also, please share any special techniques you use to name your characters. Happy writing!
by Doris Cáceres-SchumickBecause I don't want to monopolize these blogs, I am reminding all KWC writers AND opening the opportunity to all previous blog readers who have commented on our previous blog posts, the chance to become published on this Blog. Writing submissions will be on a first come, first serve basis. Interested? If so, below are the submission guidelines. Your submission must include the following:
Have questions beforehand. Email me at [email protected]. Writing submissions are due by 11:59pm, Friday, August 26th, 2022, to [email protected]. Type BLOG POST SUBMISSION in the subject line of your email. Not exactly sure what a blog is? Then, click on "Read More" (below) to learn what a blog is. You can also click on any of this site's Archive's months to the right of this column to see the previous ones. You'll need to scroll up. by Doris Cáceres-SchumickTake five to ten minutes of your day to savor the present moment. Slow down and become more mindful of your food. Enjoy your favorite treat but eat it very slowly. Focus on its smell, texture, sight, sound, and taste. Can you guess my favorite summer fruit to savor in my poem below? Bright reddish yellow Irresistible tantalizing fragrance Soft fuzzy Velvety texture Ripe juicy fruit Ready to be enjoyed What’s your favorite treat? Using the five senses, how would you describe it? Jot down your thoughts, write a poem about it, or just think about it in your mind. If you’re compelled, feel free to share below.
by Kathy WolfeJune dates have always been reserved for graduates, fathers and brides. Now it can be reserved for writers if you will Save The Date for Tuesday June 14th, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. to visit the Kirkersville Writer’s Club (KWC) in Kirkersville, Ohio. I have been a member of the KWC since June of 2016. I appeared with limited writing skills but persisted in returning each month to gain improvement through the guidance of more experienced writers in a completely unassuming environment. Now, after years and years of practice and many, many writing club meetings I am proud to say that I am a published author along with several others from our group. My writings appear in The Starving Writers of KWC: Anthology. I hope this Save The Date notice will persuade you to attend our upcoming KWC meeting Tuesday June 14th, 2022, at 6:00 p.m. Please don’t forget to bring along those literary ideas left sitting idle on your computer!
by Ken DrentenA struggle. It had taken all the effort it could muster to push upward from its singularity, and it still was not enough. Strife! “Patience must be learned,” it had heard whispered from somewhere. Still, with each new sense of moisture nearby, and with each feeling of warmth from above, the urgency to strive upward returned. Rest was out of the question. Onward without ceasing. Finally, a breakthrough, and light! Light so bright it hurt, and actual heat. It was amazing. Now more water flowed. Strength flowed from the water, from the light, from the very air itself. Pressing forward became easier. It became a way of life. Looking down, it was all green. Shoots of green from the rocky, stubbly earth, and greener all around. Further away was a riot of colors – red, yellow, purple, and more, while overhead was a blanket of azure. Blue-sky days turned to angry storms and winds that tore at the tender green even as it grew always taller and stronger. At night, rest came along with the pale companionship of the moon and stars. Patience was remembered, but life was strong and good. Weeks, then months, then entire seasons passed. Green turned stout and brown, with more growth branching out from all over. Now others like itself could be clearly seen rising victoriously from the earth below...
By Darlene SchultzIt’s no joke that April would be a great month to take the drive to Kirkersville, Ohio, to visit the Kirkersville Writer’s Club (KWC). If you’re looking for encouragement and support to take the next step in your writing, this could be just the place to begin. I personally had struggled for years to complete my first novel. I’m pleased to report that I published it on Amazon.com, titled For the Love of Emmaline: An Inspirational Amish Love Story (Part 1), followed by a second one, For the Love of Emmaline: The Resolution (Part 2). Without the Kirkersville Writer’s Club, these would still be sitting idle on my computer. Our group can boast of other authors who have taken the plunge, as well to self-publishing on Amazon. Doris Cáceres-Schumick can also be found on Amazon for her book Why I Left Public School Teaching. Doris has also published a group book for us (KWC writers) of short stories that we each submitted. It too can be found on Amazon under the title The Starving Writers of KWC: Anthology. Mary Hickey and Joel Linnabary also have several published works on Amazon that you might want to check out too. The completely transparent, accepting environment has been a huge motivation for me and could be for any new aspiring writer. You would be a “fool” to not make the trip to join us this April or at least join us online via Zoom if that works best for you. Your name could be added to this list of “published authors” if that’s your goal, or you could attend and just make new friends. Hope to see you soon!
by Joel LinnabaryEveryone has said at different times, "I should write a book about this". It may be family stories, weird job activities, or advice to pass on to others through experiences. What keeps most of us from writing down these possible literary masterpieces? We sometimes do not know how to begin, or we are not comfortable in how others may receive our writings. So how do we overcome our shyness or insecurities and what should a novice writer concentrate on writing? First thing is to select an audience that will be very open to your ideas. No one is more willing to read your works than family. The second item is to find a subject that these folks will be able to relate to no matter of any differences. Select something that you know a great deal about such as homes you have lived in or jobs you have had. This will allow you to organize your thoughts in a concise manner. You can list your homes or jobs in order and will be able to form a time frame for each of these. You will have a way to organize your thoughts and then simply fill in the blanks. I did this with my mother. We listed each house she ever lived in. She then described each one to me. We discussed and she came up with different stories or memories of her time at each place. That year my mother gave each of her family members a story of her life as seen from the different places she lived. All of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren were gifted with memories of a lady they loved and helped them to better understand her. My mother passed away a few months ago, but she will forever live in her family through many memories, including the one where she shared her homes. Don't be afraid to use your memories and your experiences to foster your growth in writing.
by Doris Caceres-SchumickReminiscent of the many times in the month of February I’d receive or give out Mad Libs Valentine’s Day cards, poems, or letters for fun or as a grammar lesson, I thought it was worth writing about in this month’s post. Just in case you have forgotten what Mad Libs is, I will refresh your memory. Mad Libs are fun, fill-in-the blank stories for kids and grownups of all ages. There are stories for every season and holiday of the year. These stories incorporate the usage of grammar, more specifically, parts of speech, including nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, conjunctions, etc. You can compose these stories as silly and hilarious as your imagination leads you, then share them with your loved ones, such as a spouse, child, friend, or any other person! For your amusement, I've provided two Mad Libs story for you to download. Just click on the one(s) you'd like to complete. If you’re bold enough to share your Mad Libs story that's perfect for anyone, we'd love to hear it at our February Zoom writer’s meeting (very fitting, as we’ll also participate in a group grammar quiz). And better yet, if you have time to create YOUR own Mad Libs story or any other Valentine piece, please share it below or email it to me by clicking here. I hope to hear from you soon!
by Doris Caceres-SchumickThe recent COVID-19 stats above show that this pandemic continue to be our worst nightmare! Therefore, for this 2022 year, I will pray nightly for the miraculous healing and end to this COVID-19 pandemic. Here are some other prayers of hope: Keep praying, but be thankful that God's answers are wiser than your prayers! -William Culbertson -Where there is no hope there can be no endeavor. -Samuel Johnson Loving and kind God As I face any crisis, give me strength, insight, wisdom, patience, faith, trust, and hope. -Victor Parachin What will you pray? Write your own prayer. Want to share it or another prayer written by someone? If so, please do so in the comments section below. We could all use more prayers! I'm praying that you have a happy and safe new year.
by Sandy FerrellHave you ever written something and wanted to get some feedback? Maybe you want to make sure your writing flows, or maybe have someone check your grammar? We have started a Critique Group where volunteer KWC reviewers provide you with this type of feedback. All critiques are anonymous. The writing is sent to reviewers and all comments are sent back to the author with no names attached. Hopefully this will allow the writer to receive unbiased responses which help improve the writing.
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