Sweet Heart’s of the Rodeo

I’d like to take you on a visit to our group in words and what value you get from belonging to a writers group.


Over the last 7 weeks, the group has actively studied the written words of famous Short Story writers as…


Robert Olen Butler: “The Ironworkers Hayride,” “The Grotto,” “The Twins”


Ann Proulx: “The Half-Skinned Steer”


Aryn Kyle: “Nine,” “Foaling Season,” “Allegiance”


In the process, our group’s moderator (co-leader) has developed exercises for the group to write, post, and review each other’s work.


What I have gained from studying, participating in this group is a strengthening in my writing. As you, learn to analyze theme, setting, and characterization of such notables and how they utilize the events they write about, you are able to intensive your own characters perspective.
During the first week, we followed Robert Olen Butler’s lecture at Florida State University his “Inside Creative Writing” site, as he writes a first person narrative from a postcard. What struck most of the group’s thought and what we found interesting was how Butler reviews his work as it develops (revising his works he goes) and I too have found this useful and added it to my own writing thereby making the process easier for me.


Afterward during the next week group session, our co-leader posted an exercise for the group to write a 1,000-word story from a postcard or picture. It gave this member a completely new out look, for I look at a postcard/ picture with a different set of eyes now and see what possibilities there maybe for a story.

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