UWC

The "Unnamed Writing Club" (I'm not kidding; that is its "name") is a joy, delight, and pleasure to me. Seven girls meet in one or another of our collective dorm rooms to share manuscripts, edit one another's work, drink tea, and eat chocolate. Soft music in the background, usually classical or celtic, adds to the elegant ambience... which is all to the good, for the conversation generally detracts from it, and in this I am the chief offender.

I will tell you of the UWC fairly regularly from now on, but I must protect the guilty. Ergo I shall invent pseudonyms for my comrades. They are as follows:

Dramatis Personae

Christy
"Athena"
"Camilla"
"Lavinia"
"Nausikaa"
"Andromache"
"Cassandra"

As with all my accounts of dialogue, I cannot answer for perfect accuracy. However, the gist of the thing is set down here, with it being understood that my memory is being embellished by my imagination, though of course I would prefer to have perfect auditory recall. Also, as any fiction author knows, sometimes rearrangements and additions are subconsciously (or even consciously) included to make the thing understandable. I shall try to remain true to life, but it is important that you not absolutely impute any of these words or sentiments to my esteemed colleagues, because I cannot remember, always, what was said as opposed to what may or may not have been said, but sounds like it was. With this in mind, then...

"I just counted six definite articles in this sentence alone! It should be a crime to use "the" this many times!" - Christy
::General laughter::
"More hot water?" - Andromache
"I think I need a new teabag." - Athena
"This is really good, [Cassandra]! I like the way you've woven the battle scene together." - Lavinia
"Thank you. I was a little concerned that it became confusing on the second page." - Cassandra
"Christy! I liked my 'beautiful violet eyes'! Why did you mark it as bad?" - Camilla
"I'm sorry, dear, but it was so purple! It's a fairytale cliche, you know." - Christy
"But it's necessary to the plot." - Camilla
"That's true, it is. However, I ask you, is there ever a sufficient excuse for violet eyes?" - Christy

"Christy, I don't understand who your main character is talking to." - Lavinia
"Oh, that. Yes, I'm sorry, I was experimenting with second/first person perspective. I like experimenting with perspective, but I admit that it gets a little confusing. She's talking to the star." - Christy
"Hang on a second. She can't be!" - Camilla
"But she is. It's based off of a Romanian poem called Luceaferul." - Christy
"Then it's fantasy. I thought you were going for realistic." - Athena
"Well, we have Biblical accounts of angels visiting earth, yes?" - Christy
"Yes...." - Athena
"So, in a sense, reality is fantasy, at least as we generally conceive of the fantasy genre." - Christy
::laughing:: "I am not going to get into a philosophical discussion about reality with you during a writing meeting!" - Athena
"Oh, all right. We can have a philosophical discussion about reality after the writing meeting. By the way, your story gets confusing in the last paragraph or so." - Christy
"Shall I act it out for you?" - Athena
"You're going to act out getting hit by an arrow in the shoulder and wolves dying all over the place?" - Christy

Much later...

"Riiggghhht.....So I'll just give up chocolate, and then I won't need men?" - Christy
"Let us know if it works!" - Nausikaa

And so on. The UWC has one creed: excellence for Christ, friendship for one another. It has one law: at every bimonthly meeting, each author must bring something new, even if it be only a few paragraphs. Among all of my on-campus activities, this meeting is second only to caregroup, and reminds me that God loves to give his children good gifts, among them this great blessing: friendship.