Month: April 2017

April Guild Meets in 2017

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By Linda Donaldson

Spring has arrived in full bloom at Green Hills Farm. A host of daffodils lining the driveway greets visitors. Amidst this splendor, our Writing Center was hosting two groups, so the Guild met downstairs this Sunday in the lounge, where all attendees could sit in comfortable high-backed swivel chairs.

Reminder to all that the PSB Literary Journal’s Spring 2017 issue’s deadline has been extended to May 15. A link to the Submission Guidelines can be found here. The theme of this issue is Renewal or Re-birth. Continue reading “April Guild Meets in 2017” →

Coincidence in Romance and Mystery

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By Anne K. Kaler

Anne Kaler Head ShotRomances deal with character development while mysteries depend on plot development. The hybrid of the two genres is called romantic suspense which often depends on coincidence to make a satisfying read. However, something vital gets lost when coincidence strays into the realm of the unbelievable ending.

Ann Hood’s recent novel The Book That Matters Most is such a hybrid because it involves so much unlikely coincidence of events. In fact, the book itself combines many tempting devices on its journey to a happy ending. Remember that the romance genre usually ends with the restoration of order to a disordered society and the promise of continued order through a marriage and the possibility of new life. On the other hand, the mystery genre ends with the satisfaction of justice being done to restore order. Mystery often has an innocent pair of young lovers to carry out its eventual hope for order in society.

So where does coincidence come into play? Continue reading “Coincidence in Romance and Mystery” →

Important Guild News

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First, please note the April Writers Guild meeting will take place at 1:30pm on Sunday, April 23rd downstairs in the Cultural Center (Red Barn building), Green Hills Farm, 520 Dublin Road, Perkasie, PA.

Departing from our usual third Sunday meeting date, to avoid the Easter holiday, has necessitated a location change, due to an earlier event booking upstairs at the barn. Please enter the building from the lower level off the walkway on the side of the barn facing the house.

Next, we remind all authors of the deadline of April 15th for our Pearl S. Buck Short Story contest. Here is a link to the details of the contest.

Finally, don’t forget to send in submissions to our Literary Journal – Issue 3, Spring 2017. You’ll find a link to the Submission Guidelines here. The deadline has been extended to May 15th. Any questions, please contact Cindy Louden, clouden@pearlsbuck.org.

Looking forward to seeing you at the April meeting, and remember to bring at least 10 copies of any writing selection – of up to 3 or 4 pages – that you would like to share.

Puzzles and Writing and the Human Mind

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By Anne K. Kaler

Puzzle DoneIt is finished. The puzzle, that is. The writing is never finished.

The writing is truly never finished, never polished enough, never edited sufficiently because the story never fully ends in my mind. The characters and events continue to exist in my internal universe. I am never satisfied because I feel as if I have abandoned my created children on an alien planet without a working spaceship.

That’s why I do puzzles when I write. I need the constant encouragement that there is an end in sight — that there actually is a last puzzle piece to plunk into place, the only place in the material universe that it will fit.

So why do I persist in both endeavors? Continue reading “Puzzles and Writing and the Human Mind” →