Karen’s Conundrum – It’s ALL about …

KarenConSMAre you all ready for an altogether new edition of Karen’s Conundrum? It’s probably already apparent where I’m going to be taking this, but allow me to put it all together in this post that all told will hopefully cure my all-consuming obsession with a few commonly misused words, one of which has proven to be an all-round troublemaker.

So, are you all in? All right then, let’s get this party started with an all-time favorite …

All together versus altogether

The two-word phrase “all together” simply means collectively.

We can drown out the voices in our heads if we shout all together.

“Altogether” is an adverb meaning entirely, completely, all told.

Seeking psychiatric help for the voices in our heads is a different thing altogether. Continue reading “Karen’s Conundrum – It’s ALL about …” →

Writing Prompt: 3

ready set writeNever forget to have fun with your writing. Every week we’ll post a prompt for you to use in any way you’d like. Be it a short story, flash fiction, something to start off an idea for a novel, or a poem; write what makes you happy. If you’d like to share your work, create a post to your website or blog and leave us a comment with the URL. Or, you’re welcome to keep it to yourself if you’d prefer.

This week’s prompt:

There’s a chair in the middle of the room. There’s considerable wear on everything but one arm. Show us who once owned it.

On Writing Groups

A Writing Group PhotoBe it for a need to socialize, for networking, or simply to recharge the creative batteries, writers often turn to organizations like writing groups or clubs, critique groups, associations, and societies. I can tell you from personal experience that when you find the right writing group for you that you’ll learn more by being in the presence of other writers than from a library full of books about writing. Almost by osmosis. Because, although the act of writing itself is a very solitary thing to do, writers are social creatures. Story tellers. It’s far more fun to spin a good yarn with an audience than without it. And critical feedback by colleagues is invaluable. Continue reading “On Writing Groups” →

Karen’s Conundrum – The Illusively Elusive Ellipsis

“One fine winter’s day when Piglet was brushing away the snow in front of his house, he happened to look up, and there was Winnie-the-Pooh. Pooh was walking round and round in a circle, thinking of something else, and when Piglet called to him, he just went on walking.

‘Hallo!’ said Piglet, ‘what are you doing?’

‘Hunting,’ said Pooh.

‘Hunting what?’

‘Tracking something,’ said Winnie-the-Pooh very mysteriously.

‘Tracking what?’ said Piglet, coming closer.

‘That’s just what I ask myself. I ask myself, What?’        

‘What do you think you’ll answer?’

‘I shall have to wait until I catch up with it,’ said Winnie-the-Pooh.”

~A.A. Milne – Winnie-the-Pooh

As I was walking round and round in a circle in my office, thinking about which of the many conundrums that fill my head I was going to share with you in this post, it struck me that there was no time like the present to address the proper usage and appearance of the almighty ellipsis. Continue reading “Karen’s Conundrum – The Illusively Elusive Ellipsis” →

Writing Prompt: Week 2

ready set writeNever forget to have fun with your writing. Every week we’ll post a prompt for you to use in any way you’d like. Be it a short story, flash fiction, something to start off an idea for a novel, or a poem; write what makes you happy. If you’d like to share your work, create a post to your website or blog and leave us a comment with the URL. Or, you’re welcome to keep it to yourself if you’d prefer.

This week’s prompt:

An artist discovers that her special set of pencils is missing. What happened?

Karen’s Conundrum – OK or okay

“Curiouser and curiouser!” ~ Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Welcome to the debut of CWG’s blog, Karen’s Conundrum. Often it’s interesting to trace an event, an idea, or a word back to its origin. I thought it only fitting to start this inaugural post with a brief recounting of this blog’s genesis.

KarenConSMNot long ago at one of our Saturday critique meetings, when there was a rare window of time available between critiques, I seized the opportunity to put a question out on the floor to my fellow members pertaining to the word “OK/okay.” As a copyeditor, I am constantly plagued by pesky, annoying imponderables, and that particular day OK/okay was my conundrum du jour. My question was simple: Which word/spelling is correct? OK or okay? I was pleasantly surprised at the lengthy, insightful, and humorous discourse that ensued. But in the end, it was agreed that no answer was conclusive. Continue reading “Karen’s Conundrum – OK or okay” →

Writing Prompt: Week 1

“When a good writer is having fun, the audience is almost always having fun too.”
– Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly, Aug. 17, 2007

Never forget to have fun with your writing. Every week we’ll post a prompt for you to use in any way you’d like. Be it a short story, flash fiction, something to start off an idea for a novel, or a poem; write what makes you happy. If you’d like to share your work, create a post to your website or blog and leave us a comment with the URL. Or, you’re welcome to keep it to yourself if you’d prefer.

This week’s prompt:

Person, place, and thing – use all three.

Police
Coffee shop
Red robe

Creating Characters

Writing Installation Art image
Creating characters doesn’t have to be messy… unless you want it to be.

There are as many ways to tell fictional tales as there are people writing them, and every writer uses different methods to tell their stories. Creating a believable character is particularly challenging to some because it’s far too easy to slip up and express stereotypes without really intending to. For instance, someone writing a work of fantasy set in the Civil War might unintentionally create a Colonel Sanders (late owner of Kentucky Fried Chicken) type of character which, while possibly humorous, might not be what they wanted. Worse yet, relying on stereotypes could catch a writer by surprise, should they unintentionally offend a portion of their readership. Ideally, should a writer like to include a character with a different background from that of the writer, they should do a certain amount of research on the subject – be it through anthropological and historical studies, or talking and paying attention to people who might fit the bill.  Continue reading “Creating Characters” →

Welcome to the Charlotte Writers Group!

Founded June 5th, 2008, CWG is Charlotte’s premiere writing and publishing group dedicated to cultivating a thriving literary and genre fiction community in the Queen City. Our organization is committed to helping novice writers learn the craft of writing and storytelling, assisting experienced writers on their way to publication, and providing published authors a chance to share and give back to their community while taking part in workshops, lectures, and interviews. Many of our current and past membership have had work published at all levels of the professional publishing industry, and with this wealth of knowledge and experience we truly believe we provide our members with a high level of quality interaction. We work hard to be the best in our pursuit of helping our members achieve their fullest potential.

Now in January of 2015, Charlotte Writers moves to an independent website from the original Meetup to further this pursuit. Please take some time to explore the new site and see what we are about. New content will be continually added.

Hopefully you will like what you see and we will see you soon!