Line by Line
#WritingCommunity,
You are invited to #LineByLineTime, A Mini Critique Hour hosted by @graestonewriter on Twitter.
In the movie Gore Vidal’s Lincoln, the president “runs the lines” of The Gettysburg Address with his aides, saying, “I have a short short short speech, which I will try out on the chickens, as the farmer said.”
(Marvelous, powerful movie that has haunted me all these years.)
Each week #LineByLineTime writers share lines from their WIPs. (Try it out on the chickens, as the farmer said.)
There will be a focus question during the hour, a chance to share, and a time for “best in show.”
LineByLine has Moved. Below is a Sample Topic
Wednesday, January 13, at 9:00 PM Eastern, we share That moment when the love interest or someone special enters the story.
I am using Betsy Byars’ Good-bye, Chicken Little, and The Cybil War for our Line-By-Line exercises. Byars wrote MG books for years, won prestigious awards, and knew her stuff. Betsy passed away on February 26, 2020.
This is from the flyleaf of my first edition of Good-Bye, Chicken Little. (Yes, signed to Ruth and I.)
It was hard to believe that Uncle Pete had disappeared into the Monday River through that small, jagged hole in the ice. But the checkered cap beside the hole said that he had.
and further down
From the time of his father’s death. the world had seemed so full of unreasonable, scary accidents that Jimmie had begun to call himself Chicken Little.
I am a little underwhelmed by this, and have to remind myself it was probably written with adults in mind as what 5th grader could afford a hardback book in 1979?
The cover is a watercolor by Ruth Sanderson and is perfect. Subsequent covers pale by comparison.
Photos rarely give the full effect of an image, but in the clouds, Jacob is wrestling with the angel. Above Jimmie’s head the wings of the angels raise and to the left. Jacob’s head is above and slightly to the right of Jimmie’s head.
I hope you will join us Wednesdays for #LineByLineTime.
Feel free to make helpful suggestions about other lines the group might explore in the future.