There is a Published Writer in our Midst!

Everyone, please join me in congratulating our very own Steph Fink! Her diligence, hard work, and determination have paid off. This November, you can find her article "More Examined in the Waiting Room" in the P31 Magazine.

Steph submitted this article several times to Scribe's Alley. She worked tirelessly on writing and rewriting. She took a chance by submitting her article and now she is a published writer!

Thank you for being such an inspiration Steph! Way to go!

Remove your Setting from the Background

Ronie Kendig recommends that your setting should be more than where your characters interact, but instead should have a psychological impact on them (whether good or bad):

Setting should be as much alive as your character. Don’t let it grow stale or cliché. Does your character have a flat-screen TV? Why? Is it your heroine who uses the massive, ceiling-to-floor screen to study the surveillance footage of a crime scene? Or is your hero an America’s Army game junkie who’s hooked it up for life-sized gaming? Does the floor-model TV remind your hero of long nights spent watching Mr. Ed with his grandfather? What about the curio cabinet full of snow globes? Why are they there?

Where are your characters placed? What is around them? How does all of this affect how they feel, what memories are evoked, and what actions they take? I now understand that in the bizarre reality I'm creating in my novel, I need my characters to be thrown off, on guard, or simply curious more often than I do. What about you? How could your characters interact with your setting? How can a richer setting compel your characters and plot more effectively?

Let your I.E. DIE

Is murder okay if you're just killing that voice in your head? Kathleen Y'Barbo, an author of more than 3o published works, thinks so.

Inside each writer, just to the left of the creativity spot and wedged tight against the spot where logic meets magic, is another sort of editor. This editor is mean, nasty, critical, opinionated, and the worst enemy your manuscript ever had. Okay, some of you may have met a few human ones who display these characteristics as well. I assure you, however, there is not a single editor alive – or no longer with us – who can do more harm to your writing than I. E., aka. your Internal Editor.

She goes on to describe the I.E. and some of its more diabolical friends: the Research Junkie, the Perfectionist, and the Squiggly Red Line.

So, who is your writing nemesis? Mine is the Snoozing Lullaby, the one who says I can sleep in for just a few minutes more, and all I'd be losing is my time to write. He's been winning the battle this past week, but I'm in the mood to spill some blood, at least of the imaginary kind.

Hemingway on Writer's Block

Check out this idea from Ernest Hemingway on combating writer's block:

The best way is always to stop when you are going good and when you know what will happen next. If you do that every day … you will never be stuck. Always stop while you are going good and don’t think about it or worry about it until you start to write the next day. That way your subconscious will work on it all the time. But if you think about it consciously or worry about it you will kill it and your brain will be tired before you start.

(quote from Ernest Hemingway on Writing, courtesy of WriteToDone and Lifehacker)

I've tried that a few times, stopping mid-sentence a few times. The only problem I've seen with it is I forget how I wanted to continue the sentence. I'm debating about even making some notes to myself on where I'm headed.

What do you do to keep the words flowing?

Street Theater

If you get a chance to get into the city for one of these shows, I promise, you won't be disappointed! These teens write and star in the story of their lives. It is a remarkable experience.

City at Peace takes it to the streets of DC!

This week, City at Peace DC is debuting our first ever free street theatre with scenes from our show LIVING [in theory]. Thanks to our collaborative partners, DC Department of Parks and Recreation and Duke Ellington School of the Arts, we will run four shows, one in each quadrant of DC.
We wanted to make sure you have the latest details on street theatre:
Rain or shine, the first street theatre performance will now be Thursday, May 28th at Fort Davis (1400 41st Street SE, corner of 41st and Alabama)Our upcoming show at Randall (820 South Capitol St, SW near Nationals Stadium) will be rescheduled date TBD
We have two more shows next week: Tuesday, June 2nd at Stead at 1625 P St, NW (Dupont Circle)Thursday, June 4th at Turkey Thicket at 1100 Michigan Ave, NE (near Brookland/Catholic University)
All shows begin at 6pm. Bring your friends and family (suitable for audiences 13 years and older), folding chair or cushion and pick your seat to watch our street theatre starring 13-19 year olds from DC, MD and VA.
The show will address a diverse set of challenging issues such as racism, independence, fitting in, self abuse and hetero-sexism. The show is an engaging tool for initiating dialogue and finding ways to make change within your community.
For questions, please contact me, Tom Prewitt, Managing Director at 202-319-2200 or wtprewitt@cityatpeacedc.org. Thank you to our gracious partners:

We hope to see you there!
Tom

P.S. If you can't make it to the show, you can make a gift to support our work!
City at Peace DC is a non-profit organization that uses the performing arts to promote non-violent conflict resolution and cross-cultural understanding. Each year, City at Peace DC provides a year-long intensive program for teens to share their personal stories and explore the challenges that confront young people from racism and peer pressure to sexism and power. Through the process, they learn life-changing communication skills, embrace diversity and understanding, and become empowered to foster change in their communities.

2009 Schedule

Here is the group schedule as it stands now. I will update this post as changes are made.

June
4- Group 7:30 - 9:30
11 - Jen out of town, leader Mike Gross
18 - Jen out of town, leader Mike Gross
25 - Group 7:30 - 9:30

July
2 - Group 7:30 - 9:30 (anyone going out of town for the 4th?)
9 - Group 7:30 - 9:30
16 - Group 7:30 - 9:30
23 - Group 7:30 - 9:30
30 - Group 7:30 - 9:30

August
Jen on maternity leave - Leader TBD

Sept
Jen on maternity leave - Leader TBD

Oct
Jen on maternity leave - Leader TBD

Nov
Jen on maternity leave - Leader TBD

Dec
Jen on maternity leave - Leader TBD

Jan
7 - Jen Return from maternity leave

A Writer's Prayer

May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you. May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion. May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings. May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests.
Psalm 20:1-5 (NIV)


May the Lord give you those missing words when you are searching for just the right sentence. May he send you help and support from those who are on the road with you, reminding you that you are not alone. May he remember all those late nights/early mornings spent seeking him, while you furiously scribble/type to get that idea down before it escapes. May he accept your rough draft and give you wisdom about how to make changes. May he give you the desire to be published, change a life, change your mind, or just complete your project, and make those plans succeed. Scribe's Alley will shout for joy when you are victorious in completing a project, submitting something, getting something published, or accomplishing your goals. We will lift up our banners of praise in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests as you walk boldly before the throne of God thanks to the blood of Jesus Christ.