Appendix.....................Checklist for the Final Draft
Coming 2009-- The Soul of Fiction
Part One: Plantation Life, 1880-1939
Contents
Granny
My Captain
Yellow Sea of Death
Lightning
Charlie's Blues
Shotgun Wedding
Smokehouse Haiku
Ford Coupe
Jesse's Mississippi
Model T
A Maid's Day
Return
Preacher Man
July 4th
Roadblock
North
"Granny carried a shotgun, wore cowboy boots and had a dog named Spot. She wore a bandana on her head at all times; it might have been on account of her very large ears. Granny got mad once when I asked her about her ears."
~~~Leola ("Tuts")
Granny smoked a corncob pipe
short puffs from pursed lips
a smoky halo encircling her head
her eyes in a tight squint;
Granny wore man-pants
with her wild-eyed dog Spot snarling
ever-present at her booted heels;
Granny only set her pipe down
to grind
fresh picked herbs into medicine;
Granny only set her pipe down
to guide
new life into the world with midwife hands
Granny always set her pipe down
to reach
for her shotgun.
~~~from North
Granny (1880-1957)
Part Two: North
Contents
Letter to Home from the North
The Rabbit Hunt
Allie's Chow-Chow
Hungry Days
Delilah's Finer Things
Christmas
Cowboys and Indians
Black Rosies
Hillbilly Radio
Allie's Wisdom
The Umbrella
Little Billy
The Nurse
Eddie & the Wedding
Her Hair
Sequined Tams
Uncle Froggy Jump
Edward's War
Train
Black Rosies (Early 1940s)
Granny, Delilah and Lillian went to work
in the factories for the War;
in her kerchief and overalls,
Granny led the charge,
an Army of One.
Powerful examples with practical uses. The Soul of Fiction contains culturally specific examples and exercises that speak to the African American experience.
Learn from the Masters and discover the secrets of their craft. How did they do it? Study the work of Ralph Ellison, Zora Neale Hurston, Toni Morrison, Walter Mosley, and many others.
Learn how to avoid the common mistakes that could ruin your book.From weak openings to shifting points of view, this eBook has you covered.
A Wise Investment for Today's Writer. Writers at all levels benefit from weeks of instruction in the privacy of their own home and without spending hundreds of dollars. Replacing several how-to books containing hours of repetitive and "wordy" instruction, The Soul of Fiction provides thorough instruction in a fraction of the time.
"A very good book on the writing craft." Karen White-Owens, author of Circles of Love, a 4 1/2 Gold Star Winner and Romantic Times Top Pick.
"The Soul of Fiction is a required manual I use in my writing workshops." Denise Smith, author of Back from Sanity's Edge (2004).
"An excellent resource." Marvin V. Arnett, author of Pieces from Life's Crazy Quilt (2003), selected by the American Library Association as one of the "Best of the Best" books published by University Presses.
Based on true events, North chronicles the struggles and triumphs of Mississippi Delta sharecroppers who escape brutality on the cotton plantation to reach the north at any cost. Set during the Great Migration that began in 1910, North tells the little-known story of millions of African Americans.
"I'm confident that this collection will reach and reward communities in the city of Detroit. I greatly enjoyed North and I wish you a great deal of success."---The Honorable Kenneth V. Cockrel,President, Detroit City Council
