#23 Write one letter to my Aunt Frances per month

I wrote and mailed off another letter to my Aunt Frances. In this letter I included the first four poems of the rough draft for my chapbook and a recipe for orange soda cupcakes. I know she won't bake the cupcakes but I figure that my cousin's daughter (my second cousin?) who lives with Frances will maybe use it someday. I have a feeling Frances isn't reading my letters anyway. Hopefully Amanda is.

#19 Find or create a writing group

1) On zoetrope I have four poems currently submitted to help me workshop my chapbook.

2) I belong to a novel writing critique group that will have its first meeting Saturday, October 27th.

3) I have formed another novel writing critique group that will be meeting the second Saturday of each month.

4) I have joined a writing group that meets every other week on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month. I will workshop the chapbook and my short stories with this group.

I think I can safely cross this item off the list. I belong to FOUR writing groups of sorts. Yay me!

#1 Richard II (3/27)

I finished Richard II today and I have to say that I preferred this play to King John by far! The language is more lovely throughout. I say this even though there seems to be some criticism re. the overly affected and even stiff. Whatever! It shows lyrical growth and Shakespeare is beginning to come into his own.

Of course, I looked up more about Richard II in wikipedia so I would better understand the historical climate about which Shakespeare is writing. According to the notes I read about the play there is some suggestion that this was meant to be a sort of introduction to the coming Henry plays (ie Henry IV Parts One and Two and Henry V).

I could bore you with the historical context re. when Shakespeare wrote this particular play but unless you really enjoy Elizabethan history it will probably bore you. Not me! I love this stuff! I was completely unaware that this play had an impact on the inevitable fall of Essex.