November 5th, 2026

     Are you writing? If not, get busy! Oh yes —the editing process; that’s what you’re doing. It ain’t easy, is it? It’s even harder when you write a series of books with the same characters, and it’s a continuing series. What happens in the first book affects what happens in the following story. I once wrote about a wife in the first book named Sarah; by the third book, I’d somehow changed her name to Sally. Thank goodness I caught it before publication. I figured I had two choices. Sarah could have died, or left, or whatever, and my character could have remarried. But that raised another problem: I’d have to write another ten or so chapters explaining Sarah's removal. It made more sense to simply go back and change all the Sallys to Sarahs. Oh well, I took the easy way out. The wife was a minor character in the third book, and I’d not made the error in the second book, so the fix made sense. Since then, I keep notes and character lists on hand. I suppose I could rely on AI to accomplish the task, but… oh well.

     I ain’t gonna’ pick on poor ole AI no more; least-ways not till next edition.

 

We are going to miss Scott Anderson, as he and his family are moving away from the Sarasota Area. Our loss is Georgia’s gain. But he promises to stay in touch and share his Haiku from time to time. So long, Scott.

 

    We move on to the reading portion of this meeting with Ernie Ovitz bringing us a snippet from chapter 10 of the third book in his series, The Roaring Lion. A small Wisconsin town unknowingly hosts the vacation home of the New Chicago mob boss. There, a meeting plots to overthrow the mob’s financial heir. Big Tony and his son, Little Tony, meet with Frank Esposito, a fixer for the organization. A long-term plan takes shape and receives Big Tony’s blessing. What takes place next? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

 

    As you may know, our group is not limited to one genre. We have poets, fiction writers, non-fiction writers, and a few memoirists. Roberta Molaro falls into a couple of those genres. Tonight, her poetry takes center stage with two beautiful pieces. Makes Me Wonder reflects on the passing of old friends and how the author keeps her guardian angel close by, in case she needs her on short notice. To The Rescue has the author serving as a guardian to a butterfly trapped in a spider’s web.

 

    As noted in the previous paragraph, we are an eclectic group, and we welcome our next author, who will continue her presentation from the last meeting. Anne Moore is preparing a book that shares the stories and reflections of 70 women reaching age 70. Anne is a powerful speaker, and she shared a speech she presented in her efforts to enlist backers and participants in her quest. We look forward to reading the results of her hard work.

 

    Bruce Haedrich shared several chapters from his book, Nadia, over the past months. Taking into consideration much of the group’s feedback, he decided to add two chapters to the story. He felt the story ended with too many questions. In the two additional chapters, he explains some of the thoughts and visions his protagonist experiences. Has Nadia evolved? Is she now human? These questions still wander through my mind, but do I really want to know?

 

    Tonight is the last meeting for our Scott Anderson, and as usual for Scott, his presentation was different. A talented Haiku author, Scott played an excerpt from a podcast in which the moderator read two of Scott’s Haiku. Good luck in your new adventure, Scott; we’ll miss you.

     As WWI progresses in France, James Kelly tells us of the young Lieutenant MacKenzie as he commands his group of five tanks leading the advance on the Seville French Line in his latest entry into the series of the MacKenzie family. In Advance the Line, the primitive Renault tanks with their two-man crews face the powerful German forces for the first time. Jim does a wonderful job of putting his readers in the tanks as they experience the effects of hearing the bullets strike the armor and watch the battle through small apertures, slits in the tank’s iron skin. His words carry an educational tone as tank commanders learn to use their guns more effectively against the anti-tank weapons developed to counter the onslaught of these iron behemoths. Look for all the books by James Harold Kelly in his series, “I am a Soldier, First and Always.” 

    We are always happy to welcome new writers to our group. Attending for the first time can be difficult for new writers, but tonight we welcome an experienced writer who is new to our group, Erik Markle. Erik shared a well-written, powerful piece with us. Imagine, if you will, a young man accompanying his female companion to a doctor as she is with his child in her womb. His thoughts and her thoughts are intermingled in a flood of emotion. Is the child thinking? Do the child's thoughts encroach on her parent’s mind? Is this what they all want? The last line of his work answers all. We hope to hear more, Erik.

    Well, that’s all for tonight. It was worth every second we spent together. We’ll get together again this month at the Nokomis Fire House on the 18^th at 6:00 PM—the meeting is called to order at 6:30. In the meantime, READ, Read, and read some more, then WRITE, Write, and write even more. We’ll see you on the 18^th.

 

October 21, 2026

 

How many of us check our writing against an AI detection program? Well, I did. After laboring over several pages of a new book, making sure it adhered to the principles of good prose set forth by CMOS, The Chicago Manual of Style, for those who don’t follow writers’ manuals. All my commas were in place; the semicolon was used where it was supposed to be; my spelling passed muster; and there were no dangling participles. It was some of my best stuff.

 

When TextDefend scanned the paragraph above, it showed 69% AI-generated and 31% human-generated. I didn’t use AI or an editing tool such as Grammarly to write the paragraph. I dug it out of my feeble mind. I have to ask: Do publishers use AI detectors on manuscripts we submit for evaluation? Maybe we should ignore the rules and write colloquially to get past the detectors?

Colloquially is an AI-suggested word in this.

 

We also discussed using common profanity in our stories. Even as recently as thirty years ago, profanity was rarely used in printed prose and seldom used in films, except in adult flicks intended for clandestine use in special “X” rated films. Times have changed. But even today, restrictions still apply to certain types of profanity. In those areas of some countries under the influence of religious sects, references to deities are forbidden. Readers and viewers have every right to choose not to read or watch material that offends their personal values. We understand that and defend it, but as authors, we can choose to write the way we want. Who do you choose to write for? What is your audience?

 

 

Okay, let’s move on to the reading portion of the meeting.

 

Ernie Ovitz led off the reading tonight with Chapter 8 of his latest story, The Roaring Lion. The chapter is a block-building chapter that depicts an interaction between a man and a woman in Tiwan. The woman works for an American company that bought a Biotech Software company from the man she is speaking to.
This scene sets the tone for the negotiations throughout the story. Well written, Ernie.

Scott Anderson announced that the next meeting may well be his last with us for some time. He and his wife have purchased a home in North Georgia. They have family there and are looking forward to enjoying rural living in the mountains. We will miss him sorely. Tonight, Scott read a series of Haiku and explained his method for sorting the work as he prepares to publish. Scott does promise to keep us up to date on his progress.

 A Box of Rocks seems like a funny birthday present. But for Bruce Haedrich, it is an inspiration for a genuinely intriguing story. To accompany the story, Bruce brought the box of rocks to the meeting so we could understand its significance. Polished to a sheen, cut to shape, and beautifully colored, the rocks held our attention. The story, as well-written as all of Bruce’s offerings, follows a man who receives such a gift from his daughter and discovers the secret powers hidden in the rocks. Thanks to the rocks, the story’s protagonist lives a wondrous life.

 Roberta Molaro brings us a story from rural Pennsylvania. In an annual contest at a county fair, a pair of goats are entered by the milkmaids who milk them daily. Guffaws from the dairy cow owners are soon silenced when it comes time to do the milking. The rules are simple; the milkers have a set amount of time to milk their animals into a stainless steel pail. The milk is weighed, and the pail with the most weight wins. Dairy cows have huge udders that hold gallons of milk, while goats have only two teats and small udders. Cows are milked daily by machines. Goats must be milked by hand, and contest rules do not allow milking machines. Can you guess who wins the milking contest? To find out, read Amilking We Shall Go in Roberta’s book available on Amazon.

 Anne Moore has a dream. She wants to interview and write a book based on interviews with 70 women who are 70 years old. Who are these women? What have they learned? How can their stories influence younger women today? As Anne pitched her ideas to potential supporters, they snatched her dream away with a single answer. “NO!” But that hasn’t stopped Anne. She’s nearly there, with women interviewed from several different countries, ethnic groups, and religious backgrounds. Way to go, Girl!

 It’s been a while since we heard from Ursula Wong. Why? She’s been traveling and observing people and conditions in China and Tibet since touring there 35 years ago. Changes? Oh yes! Massive changes. What we take for granted, like social media, is under strict government control there. There are no free exchanges of ideas. How do the citizens balance personal freedoms and controls? The citizens won’t talk about that. At least, not to strangers.

 We welcome back Peter McNally. Peter is a two-time stroke survivor and now the President of Stroke Survival, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Peter announced a Stroke Survivors Community Meeting on November 6, 2026, at the Frances T. Bourne Jacaranda Library, located at 4143 Woodmere Park Blvd. in Venice. (That’s just off Jacaranda.) It’s free. If you can’t make it, check out the website www.strokesurvival.org for education, resources, support, and hope to survivors, their families, and caregivers.

 RSVP BY 10/30/26 TO RESERVE YOUR SPACE (941)300-2230

 

Well, that pretty much does it for tonight, but we look forward to seeing you with us at the next meeting, November 1^st at the Firehouse. Until then, READ, Read, and read some more. Then WRITE, Write, and write some more.

September 16th, 2026

Hello again, and welcome back to our blog. After missing the last meeting, I am excited to join an evening of interaction with fellow writers. Some evenings, pre-meeting general intercourse with writers produces stories nearly as interesting as those produced on paper or electronic media. Our group is privileged to host several old war horses from various branches of the military. Oh, the stories…

That’s for another time and place. Join us one of these Wednesday evenings and hear the tales for yourself.

A discussion on how much time we take to edit our work after we’re finished telling our story. That is where the real work of writing begins. We’ve dashed out pages of words, most of them our darlings, rich in meaning, clever beyond description, and devilishly descriptive. There are a lot of them, maybe too many? Many of us have spent hours toiling at a writing station; we have reams of yellow pad pages stacked on our desks, a list of files aptly named resting on hard drives, memory sticks, and even those shining discs that electronic gurus laugh about when they see the stack. There might even be a thick manuscript waiting to be read by a Beta reader with a blue pencil in hand. Whatever it is, it is a story fresh out of our brain and in need of editing.

What’s next? Do you have an editor willing to read and suggest how you can get it on the market? At nearly 500 pages, that might cost more than you’ll earn from all that work. Okay, you’ll edit yourself first. You’ve made a lot of corrections as you were writing; spell check has helped with those words you struggled with, the ‘I’ before ‘E’ issues, and other spelling conundrums you’ve encountered. It’s pretty clean, but just a minute: in the first paragraph, you’ve used ‘that’ four times. Oh, only one of those ‘thats’ is needed. Click, click, click… There, that should do it. Wait, how many other that’s are in the story? How many are needed?

Where are we going? Let’s read the story carefully, word by word, paragraph by paragraph, page by page, fix, fix, fix. Oh my God, did I write that? More fixing. Didn’t I just read that a couple of pages back? Where are these words needed? Delete, delete, copy, paste, fix that thought. Will that be clear to the reader?

I took six months to write this novel; how long will it take to edit it? You think—I’ve been through the book five times; I can’t even see another error. I guess it’s time for an editor to look into it now. Let me see, how much is left? 320 pages, single-spaced, in a 6”9” format, nice for a paperback edition. My editor wants it in an electronic format in a standard “WORD” or equivalent word-processing format. Why did I choose to hand-write a novel on a legal pad?

 

Let’s move on to the reading portion of the evening.

 

Leading off this evening, Ernie Ovitiz reads from his latest work, The Roaring Lion. Ernie writes a financial thriller involving money often connected to the Chicago Mob and the Communist Party of China. Talk about international intrigue! A consortium led by Lee Santino, a crime boss’s nephew not involved in the Mob’s nefarious activities, has purchased a Chemical Factory in Taiwan to move operations to the United States. This meeting’s reading is a chapter describing a meeting of the plant’s operational staff and the new management team. Tension and issues with social niceties arise in the Chinese American interactions. Ernie reviews the proper protocols so he can present the tensions generated in the meeting realistically.

 

Don Westerfield is a poet whose life experiences influence his work. Don reads two poems this evening. Only A Matter of Time explores how people respond to the passage of time. Don’s line in the first stanza reflects time’s true importance to people: “It’s the coin of all existence;” an insight into time’s value. In the poem, Dementia, Don’s last stanza issues a plea for remembrance. As usual, these powerful poetic stories evoke a deep feeling in this writer.

 

Haiku is a unique poetry form. In the hands of a master, these brief words evoke visions in the mind of the reader that are unique to each reader or listener. Scott Anderson is striving to become a master of the Haiku. In doing so, he presents his work to an august publication, The Heron. Tonight he reads twelve of his latest works. Each is unique and personal.

 

Roberta Molaro is a poet who uses her word skills to tell the story of a young woman exploring the world for the first time without the company of her adoptive parents. Having lived without the knowledge of her adoption for twenty-plus years, Jennifer sets out on a road trip to possibly find her birth mother. In tonight’s reading, our explorer meets and forms an opinion of a young man living in a rural county in Pennsylvania. She sees a different family dynamic as she spends an evening with new friends. Roberta has found a story, and much of the telling is coming together well. With each reading, she incorporates new ideas and suggestions, many of which come from the critique offered by our little group. Thank you, Roberta.

 

Is Bruce Haedrich a visionary? Bruce wrote a novel several years ago and several essays over the past years that depict things now coming into being. In a sci-fi story, Nadia, about humanoids, the technology that wasn’t available two years ago when Bruce began writing is now producing a product similar to what he depicted. In 2012, Bruce released a book entitled The Fifth-Generation War. Today, many of the ideas and issues depicted in this work are surfacing. Internal strife in the world is closely mirroring the incidents in Bruce’s work. Whether or not we subscribe to a particular political view, Bruce's stories and essays are good reads.

 

A retired military officer and a history buff make for a great storyteller in James Kelly. His series, I Am A Soldier, First and Always, tells of a family of soldiers from the American Civil War through the Indian Wars in the American West, to action in the Spanish-American War in Cuba, and now his latest tome encompasses action in The War to End All Wars, World War I. Entitled Advance the Line, Jim is entering the editing stage. As in all his stories, the Mackenzie soldier fights for what he believes is right. Jim has written these stories and will write more as he strives to keep the action significant and historically correct.

 

Well, there you have it. I can’t give you a word-for-word recap of the meeting. You’ll have to attend to get the full impact of how these writers think and strive to tell their stories. If you can, join us, even if it’s just for one evening. But until then—KEEP ON WRITING! Read a lot and write a lot. Everyone has a story or two in them. Write it down, type it up, put it on a computer, even if just for the fun of it. Maybe you’ll share it with us.

Sept 13, 2026

 Hi Everyone, 

I couldn't attend the last meeting because I injured myself doing something stupid. I will do my best to attend the next meeting on Wednesday, September 16th, at the Nokomis Fire Department Training Center. 

I hope to see you there.

Rod

August 19th, 2026

First things first! In last meeting’s blog, I credited Scott Anderson with placing second in a Haiku publication; that was an error. Scott’s teacher in Haiku placed second, although Scott was not on the podium; his work is exceptional.

 

Welcome back. We started our evening off with a discussion of how we use AI. Of the ten members in attendance, all refused to let AI craft wording in their work. Editing programs that flag basic punctuation, spelling, missing, or doubled words are acceptable, but the writers prefer to make flagged corrections as needed.

However, most of our group accepts using AI as a research tool as long as authors provide and check information sources for reliability. Traditional research sites transitioned to AI early on, and most use the AI platform and provide source information. I still remember using an encyclopedia to search for facts. That set of volumes took up most of a bookshelf in my room, weighed well over fifty pounds, and was obsolete before the ink was dry.

                          One of several shelves in a library devoted to the encyclopedia.

Digging through 10, 15, 30 volumes of print to verify a paragraph’s content could be time-consuming and not always accurate because changes that occurred since the latest printing were not included in the older volumes. A set could cost more than $300 in the early 1960s. That’s about $ 3,000 today. What does today’s internet cost? How often is it updated? I leave you to remember, and for those of you too young to remember, LOOK IT UP!

 

Ernie Ovitz led us off in the reading this evening. Ernie shared Chapter 5 of his latest work The Roaring Lion. A café in the financial district of Chicago has a clientele of mixed occupations; commodities traders sit at a table next to construction workers fresh from remodeling the offices in an adjoining building. Suits from the law offices above, and an occasional man or woman off the street simply looking for a cup of coffee fill the tables of Frank’s Place. Frank’s has special rooms upstairs for special clients, like #1, Tony C. Tony Jr. has fallen from his father’s favor, at least in terms of his usefulness. He is a lawyer and functions well as consulari. But he cannot match Frank’s skills when it comes to solving Mob problems. Therefore, Frank is #2.

A Haiku is a poem nurtured by Asian Culture. Each poem has a meaning set down by the author, but the reader translates it into whatever meaning they see and feel in the words. Scott Anderson writes Haiku poems. Each of them carries his view of nature, human nature, and the world around him, but each of us hears the words and forms an opinion of what the author sees. As with most writing, the picture painted by the words is different in each reader’s mind’s eye. That is the beauty of writing.

 

Who else but Don Westerfield can combine his writing skills with extensive experience with warbirds like the venerable P-51 Mustang fighter? Stationed on an atoll in the Pacific during WWII, Lieutenant Benjamin Brown took the opportunity to find out if a monkey could learn to fly a P-51. An Army Air Corps officer compared his pilot’s capabilities to a Simian. This caused some discontent. Lt. Brown became the owner of a pet monkey, named Monk, and he decided to teach the little fellow to fly. There were a few unpleasant moments and a few disciplinary issues, but Benjamin’s Monkey did well, especially on long, boring missions. Then the squadron came across a large number of enemy aircraft. The squadron acquitted itself well. But Lt. Brown’s plane was reported to have taken major damage and was seen going down, trailing a lot of smoke. Thirty minutes after the squadron’s return, a single Mustang approached the airstrip, heavily damaged and smoking badly; it landed wheels up on its belly. The pilot, Lt. Brown, was dead. The only survivor was M…

 

Flash Fiction, short, precise, and a complete story, is not easy to write, especially for a novelist. But then Bruce Haedrich has never looked for the easy way to do his work. His story, The Honest Politician, meets all the criteria. It’s short, around 500 words, and it’s a complete story with a beginning, a middle, and an end. It is fiction, or so it seems. Based on the theory, all politicians lie; a politician runs his campaign on the basis that he may exaggerate, use false facts, and generally not tell the truth, but so what? Everyone else was lying, so he just didn’t answer the question directly. Would it work? I guess you’ll have to wait for Bruce to publish his Flash Fiction compilation to find out.

 

World War I rages on in Europe. French villages become bustling metropolises filled with military vehicles and personnel. James Kelly writes of a young U.S. Army officer in the first-ever U.S. Tank Corps training under George Patton in France. On the rare few hours of free time, the young MacKenzie enjoys a respite in a local Café. There he meets a young woman. Is she a widow? Is she someone of importance in the village? He doesn’t know, but she seems lonely. Look for Jim’s book, Advance the Line, to hit on Amazon.

 

Maybe it’s the season, or it could be a coincidence, but Dennis Cathcart shared his story, Séamus O’Shea’s Monkey. This is a rare departure into fiction for Dennis. His tales of hunting rare plants and reptiles fill two volumes of true experiences. Tonight, as Dennis read the opening lines, a melancholy but wondrous tale emerged. A magical monkey, a lonely man, and unrequited love lay in the offing. We must wait till the next meeting to discover the end of the tale.

 

Well, we’ve come to the end of another evening filled with stories and discussion. Join us September 5^th for another evening of Writers Helping Writers and hear some fascinating stories. In the meantime: READ, Read, and read some more, then WRITE, Write, and write some more.

 

August 5th, 2026

 

Forgive me, but I couldn't resist:😂

 It was a dark and stormy night; the lightning flashed, and the thunder rolled. Rain pelted the roof of the firehouse, and eight stalwart writers gathered to discuss the perils and positive energy of writing. 

Bob, did I hear that you left your windows open?

Well, we came together as we do the first and third Wednesday of the month to share our work and learn. We started off with a short discussion on Artificial Intelligence. We’re learning more and more about this tool. Several of us are using it as a research option. Those who do use it that way report it as an effective way to dig info out of the internet.

BTW—due to a technical glitch in this old man’s brain, the last blog posting was stuck in a nook or maybe a cranny and never reached its destination. I dug it out and posted it properly. Sorry about that.

* * * 

We entered into the reading portion of our meeting with Ernie Ovitz leading off. Ernie is working on a series of fictional stories that take us into the world of international finance influenced by politics, outlaws, and just plain old greed. His characters range from the righteous, hard-working investigator to the down-and-dirty mob boss who will do anything to get a buck, to a power-hungry politician bent on world domination. Ernie handles it well and gives us an engrossing story that keeps you wanting to read more. Tonight he read from the third book in the series, The Roaring Lion.

Sometimes we just need a break from our everyday lives. This week was Dennis Cathcart’s turn. He and his lovely wife spent a week at the beach, and Dennis, not bothered by the daily chores of home life, took the opportunity to write about an incident his wife, Linda, experienced at the beach. In the past year, the condo has made some changes, along with many needed repairs to the property and buildings. To prevent hurricane-driven water from encroaching upon the property, a large sand dune was constructed between the beach and the buildings. Linda was intent on taking advantage of the beach and set out on a trek with all the necessary materials. Beach chair, folding type, latest book, sun block, and other necessities in a beach bag. Dressed in a swimsuit, sandals, and a sun-shade hat, carrying the beach bag and folding chair, she made her way through the paved parking lot and stepped onto the sandy beach. A few steps more on the soft sand and she began to scale the side of the tall dune. Climbing the mountain of sand laden with all her accouterments became a near Huclean task. Two steps up, slide back one, repeat again and again. But Linda is a trooper; she persevered and finally made it to the top of the dune. Descending was easier; one step and she slid all the way to the bottom. There she was, on the beach of white sand under a midday sun in 95-degree humid weather with no shade except that provided by her hat. Sunscreen may keep you from getting sunburned, but it doesn’t provide cool. How long do you think she lasted? Probably longer than I would have. Tune in next time to hear the end of the story.

Bob Miller brought us something unique in his memoir this week: a chapter entitled Burning the Bridge to This Life. Bob is a believer in Cremation rather than Body Internment. He has written a chapter that is akin to a ‘voice from the grave’ giving us an argument for Cremation vs Internment. Bob says this memoir is for his family to read, not necessarily for general distribution, and he wants to include this to enforce his wishes. Why not?

 

When Scott Anderson entered a Haiku poem in an internationally acclaimed publication contest, he didn’t expect to win but wanted to see how he’d fare. Well, he didn’t win, but he did come in second.

Congratulations Scott!

Reading several of his latest poems, Scott gave us something to think about. I think more of us are coming to appreciate Haiku due to his help. Thank you, Scott.

 

Ursula Wong tells us that her latest book is doing well in the market and another is in the works. The 7^th Mission is coming soon. But tonight she took us away from the Russians and read a standalone short story. A Force of Will is a powerful story of dedication to a difficult task despite the pressures and regrets. It’s doing what you must, even if you don’t want to.

 

Bruce Haedrich has launched an effort to write as much flash fiction as he can in the shortest amount of time he can. Tough job, but he’s producing some really good work, including the story he read tonight, Brown Eyed Girl. Taken from a song by Van Morrison with the same title, this short ‘short story’ is a conversation between two people facing a catastrophic event while discussing what they could wish for if wishes could come true. Bruce brings the story to life and makes us part of his world.

 

Rod Digruttolo takes us back to shortly before the stock market crash of 1929. A discussion between two men about selling off their stock holdings and converting them into liquid assets weighs the pros and cons of such a move. One of the men seems to have information that portends the upcoming crash, while the other wants to ride the wave of high profits and massive dividends. Rod asks the group the question: Does this sound real? The passage is from his book, Disciple of Darkness.

 

Well, I hate to say it, but that’s all I have for this meeting. I’m sure I missed something, but I find it easier to ask for forgiveness than remember everything. So, until next time—please, READ, Read, and read some more, then WRITE, Write, and write some good stuff.

July 15th, 2026

 Good afternoon, evening, or even morning, whatever the case may be. It’s good to know someone is reading this post. This evening, ten of our stalwart crew came together to share ideas and listen to some inspiring words. We opened the discussion with something most of us seem to dread, though we know it’s absolutely necessary and must be done. We talked about “Rewriting.” 

Yeah, I know it’s hard work. You’ve written a masterful story. The words flowed so easily—well, maybe not so easily, but they are beautiful, well-formed, and without a doubt, immortal. There are so many. How can you change them? The members of your writer’s group have listened and approved, given you a few suggestions, and sometimes their suggestions hit on a good idea. Yep, I can make a few of those changes; they were good ideas. Well, the good ones I’ll keep. The first sentence should read… Wait a minute, that change works… It grabs your attention in the first paragraph. Oh, here, we don’t need all these words; strike them out.

Guess what? You’re rewriting, and it’s helping your story on to the next paragraph. Wait, nobody mentioned that. Did I write that? The next thing you know, the 110 thousand words become only 90 thousand of your darling words. Now, is it time for the Editor?

Here in this setting, where you read your work to a group of authors, you expect challenges; you expect critique; but you do not expect rude or unfriendly criticism. Don’t take the critique personally but take it to heart. Your fellow authors want you to create something you can be proud of. Because the readers of the world aren’t as well-versed in the skills needed to write your story, they are who you must satisfy when it comes to who will read your work. All of us can do better. That’s why we rewrite, not just edit. If you discover that the woman you called Joan in chapter one has become Joanne in chapter seven, don’t you think you should fix it before publication? What happens if you are in the third or fourth book of a series? You might have to go back to the first, second or wherever to fix that. Be prepared.

*** 

OKAY! Let’s move on to the reading portion of tonight’s meeting. Nine of the attendees had work to share. Leading off was Ernie Ovitz. Working on the third book in a trilogy, Erine brings us a scene from The Roaring Lion. Money is the theme for the three books of this series. In this installment, a congressman visits a private (I think it’s a charter school) in West Chicago. A change in the availability of government funds leads to funding cuts. Where will the money to keep the school open come from? I mean, after all, this is Chicago.

 

Chapter 7 of The Reluctant Heiress takes us to a rural setting in southern Pennsylvania. There, Roberta Molaro places Jennifer in a situation new to her. She’s dining with a family whom she is meeting for the first time. The McCoy’s are friendly yet mysterious in some ways. The food is excellent, but different from the fare Jennifer is used to. The ingredients were mostly from the farm the McCoys own. During dinner, a phone call brings some bad news. Aunt Mae has died. Aunt Mae is not really an Aunt, but simply a close family friend who was looked upon as an honorary ‘Aunt’ by everyone in the family. All this was explained to Jennifer by an attractive young man, Drew McCoy, who was about the same age as Jennifer.

 

Bob Miller is writing his memoir and shares Chapter 17 with us this evening. Joining The Navy at 17—What Could Go Wrong? For a youngster setting off in the world is hard enough at the tender age of 17, but to join the Navy straight out of High School can be a bit enlightening. Expecting to sail the high seas, visit new places, and meet new people are great expectations. Boot camp was not in those expectations. Bob did not anticipate becoming a professional toilet scrubber, nor did he think yelling was an effective way to convey ideas, or that sweating was something you did while running at a trot for mile after mile in the hot sun, not playing baseball or football. Oh, and the language. Words never used in public or around the fair sex became part of normal conversation. Cussing like a Sailor was something he now understood where the saying originated. 

 

Dennis Cathcart brought us an update to his original essay, Time Traveler, for our enjoyment. Time travel does exist; we simply ignore it as we look at the ancient trees, plants, and flowers that have survived floods, droughts, and upheavals for time immortal. Dennis sees these things as he travels the world’s exotic locales such as the rocky highlands of Brazil, the windswept cliffs of New Zealand, and many other places where he seeks the rare and unmatched beauty of flora and fauna worldwide. Thank you, Dennis, for giving us a unique look at these wondrous living species as they have existed over time. 

Scott Anderson is experimenting with Hikau and learning about the many ways of expressing thoughts about different phases of life and things around us. Tonight he brought us seven unique offerings of a personal nature. Poets look at life and divine images not all of us can grasp. To look at a memory we cannot see, they show us a feeling put into words. Even the manner in which the words are accented can change the meaning of a poem. Scott masterfully writes and reads his work so that, to this writer, it seems like a video. 

Another masterful poet is our own Don Westerfield. Don’s work often takes us back in time, for those of us who are now senior citizens like himself. As he reads his poems, a scene forms in our minds, and our hearts beat to the cadence of memories. The Sinner tells of the sinful things we’ve done in the past, mostly those we might regret and have no way of correcting. In today’s realm, the Sonnet is almost forgotten. But Don returns to an earlier time as he reads Blue Sonnet, a true Sonnet expressing the happiness that often dwells in poetry and replaces misery.

 Hearing Ursula Wong read a piece I shall call Return to Scrabble Hill because I failed to catch the title, she does an excellent job of showing the readers the actions of a robust party of simple people of the land. The piece had a wholesome feel of rural America, possibly in New England, as evidenced by a lobster pot and regional language, but could as well have taken place in an unlimited number of places. It was a well-written piece that conjured the nuances of friendship, sexual tension, and even a competitive undertone one might feel at such a gathering. Great job, Ursula.

 

 Bruce Haedrich has completed the initial work on his novel, Nadia, and has moved on to a project of writing Flash Fiction. Tonight he brings us, Nancy, a brief but poignant story of a young woman who wanted to bear a child but couldn’t for years. But, as a result of a miracle, according to Nancy, she finally bore a daughter. Nancy’s brother was suspicious of Nancy’s steadfast belief in God and scoffed at it. When Nancy reported noticing a loose seatbelt on the baby’s car seat, she stopped to fix it. To her surprise, there was no problem. Oh well, better safe than sorry, she thought and continued on her journey. A pickup truck ran a stop sign and broadsided her. Because the seatbelts were fastened, both Nancy and the baby survived without major injury. Her brother still did not change his tune, If you hadn’t stopped to fix a seatbelt, you wouldn’t have been at that intersection at the wrong time.

James H. Kelly tells us of the War to End all Wars, WWI, in his tale of the Mackenzie clan, Advance the Line. Young Lieutenant Mackenzie volunteers for the newly formed Tank Corps under then Major George Patton. New weapons will bring about new ways to fight. Learning about the machine and its abilities is the first priority in this chapter. The massive machines are not invincible, but they provide much greater protection for the soldier than infantry does. Or that is what young Mackenzie tells his lover in letters home.

Well, there you have it. We’ve completed another meeting and enjoyed hearing some fine writing. We did our jobs by critiquing our fellow writers and learning something with each session. We’ll be back at the firehouse onAugust 5^th, at 6:30 PM. We hope you can join us and share ideas and stories with us. Until then, READ, Read, and read some more, then WRITE, Write, and KEEP ON WRITING.

July 1, 2026

 

Even though it looked as if it might rain, eight of our stalwart writers came to our meeting. It is summer, and the heat is dangerous. Be careful, drink plenty of water, and stay out of the heat as much as you can. It’s a great excuse to stay indoors and write. I’m doing my best to adhere to that policy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the United States of America! We’re 250 years old and have learned a lot, some of it the hard way. We can only wish we get smarter in the coming years. As authors, we may sway an opinion or two.

After a brief discussion about the use of AI for research or editing, we learned that none of us present use it for writing, only for research and basic editing features. How much do you think the major publishing houses use AI?

 

Leading off the reading portion of our meeting, Ernie Ovitz read from the opening chapter of his latest financial thriller, The Roaring Lion. This is the third book in the saga of Lee Santino, as he endeavors to shed the influence of the Chicago mobsters, of which his uncle was once the Capo. A lot of money is involved, and we can imagine what the Mob might do to get it. (Well, at least Ernie can.)

 

We all know that when Don Westerfield takes the floor, we’re going to hear some good stuff. Tonight was no exception. Don regaled us with two poems. In I’ll Remember You, he tells of a lonesome evening in Honolulu as a young soldier takes a break from yet another war in 1966. He meets a young woman as lonely as he is. They dance on a warm evening until the music ends, playing the song, I’ll Remember You. His second selection was a great follow-up to the first. Sweet Dreams tells of a love lost to wanderlust. Regrets follow but remain in the dreams of an unrequited love.

 

Haiku is a fascinating form of poetry. Each verse conveys a message clear in the author’s mind, but that could be different in the mind of the recipient. Scott Anderson fills our minds with images as he reads his Haiku selections. Nature, Human thoughts, and Fantasy are all there in so few words, read in a brief moment.

 

Bruce Haedrich approaches the future maybe a bit ahead of the rest of us. His stories often foreshadow technological and political ramifications before they occur. Some of his predictions are frightening; some are hopeful; and others are just simply amazing. In Bruce’s story, Nadia, we look into the future of robotics, specifically humanoid robotics. As Bruce nears the end of his story, things get complicated. If you’ve read any of his work, you know his stories are always complicated, but this one takes it to new heights. Look for the book as it moves toward publication.

 

James Kelly continues the saga of the Mackenzie family in his latest book entitled Advance the Line. It’s 1918, and the War To End All Wars finds the first divisions of the U.S. Army on the line in France. Young Lieutenant Mackenzie’s platoon is at the center of the company in an area where the fighting has been very light. The French commanders have placed the untested Yankee Division on this part of the line because they have not felt the brunt of combat and fear they might not hold if attacked. However, the German forces recognize the opportunity and launch a fierce assault. They drive the American forces back. Assigned to hold as long as they can, Mackenzie’s platoon suffers many casualties but holds. The Americans regroup and counterattack. They break the enemy’s line and drive them back. After the battle, Mackenzie answers the call for volunteers to join the Tank Corps. Despite his superiors’ wishes, he is transferred.

 

Fitting for this meeting, Roberta Molaro reads a new poem, Independence, written especially for our nation’s 205^th anniversary. In addition to her poem, Roberta shared some of her history with us as she tells the tale of Someday Hill.

 

It’s been a great evening. Beautiful words filled our ears and sank into our minds. We’ll meet again on July 15; it will still be hot, so you can stay cool and write. In fact, you can READ, Read, and read some more, then WRITE, Write, and write some more. In any case, KEEP ON WRITING!

June 3rd. 2026

 

I’m back. Sorry about the last meeting, I couldn’t make it, I had grandpa duties to attend to. When your eleven-year-old great-granddaughter asks you to attend her singing debut, you go! She did well, I might add.

Regardless vs Irregardless: we all know ‘Irregardless’ is not an official word, but how often do you see or hear it in your everyday lives? It’s one of those colloquialisms that pop up in conversations and quick notes across the English-speaking world. I’m not sure if other languages have a similar word, but I’ve even found myself popping it into a conversation once in a while. Regardless, try to remember: use ‘Regardless,’ not ‘Irregardless’, in your everyday spoken language, and you will be less likely to drop it into your writing.

 The weather forecast predicted rain, even possible thunderstorms, for this Wednesday evening. Regardless, see how I snuck that in there, eleven stalwart writers joined us this evening. Our co-host, Ernie Ovitz, couldn’t make it because he was a bit under the weather and didn’t wish to share his malady with the rest of us—thank you, Ernie. After a short discussion about ‘Regardless vs. Irregardless,’ we moved on to our readings.

Gary Conkol gifted those of us present with proof copies of his newest ‘ENATAU’ series, Martian Contact, Interplanetary Similarities V1, and The Death of AI – (Artificial Intelligence) – Bad News and Good News. Gary is an engineer (by his own definition, semi-retired) who is venturing into fiction with the ENATAU series. As a Master Engineer with extensive experience in technology, Gary offers insight into interplanetary travel and the possibility of contact with species that might have inhabited Mars in the past. He incorporates the team concept into his tale, highlighting the potential for great achievements if the world's societies combined their abilities and talents. He read from the latest installment of his series, Volume 3, as Mark, a robot tasked with translating The Martian Chronicles into English, recounts the fate of the Martian population for the team leaders.

 

Roberta Molaro, also venturing into prose fiction from her comfort zone of Poetry, reads from Chapter Six of The Reluctant Heiress. Jennifer has traveled to a small town in Pennsylvania, where her birthmother once lived. She is looking to fill in her history, as her adoptive parents had only a few sketchy details of her past. There, she meets a lady named Clare Kelly. Jennifer is convinced that Clare knows something about her history and accepts a dinner invitation with Clare and her family at their farm. Who is Clair? What does she know? Why did she invite this complete stranger to dinner?

 

For all of us who’ve been following Bruce Haedrich’s tale of Nadia, we know Chris and Nadia are a couple, even though she is not human and he is. In Chapter 44-New Worlds, Chris has chosen to forsake his human girlfriend, Nancy, and continue his relationship with Nadia. Some facts have been revealed. Due to government interference, the company that produced Nadia has been disbanded and can no longer support the life-giving nutrients the humanoids need to live as long as the average human. The humanoid’s lifespan may only be fifteen or so years, but Chris is willing to accept that.

 

Hikau is an interesting form of poetry when you look more closely. Scott Anderson is studying the form and writing prolifically. Each poem has a structure and meaning to the writer, but may have a significantly different meaning to the listener. As Scott writes of the color of a bloom, we see the change in our lives as we age. The travel of a worm across a garden becomes the flight of a spacecraft across the universe. Hikau evokes feelings, imagination, and vision to all who read, hear, and write.

 

Tom Grubb, a fairly recent attendee, shared an interesting chapter with us this week. In a piece with the working title of Getting Ready, Tom shows us the mental workings of a person who has psychological issues stemming from substance abuse. In a masterful bit of writing, we see the torture in the mind of one man. How does he steel himself to face the world? Will he recover mentally and or physically? Does this bring back dark memories in the reader?

 

As Ursula Wong took the floor, we anticipated and received a cliffhanging spy thriller. Grace Urban created an AI program that can change the world. She paid a ransom for her friend using the program as payment. In turn, the Georgian Vory leader with whom she bargained used the program as payment to a Russian GRU officer in an attempt to provide protection for his son, thus releasing the program’s power on the world. Now Grace must destroy the program; success will destroy her work; failure will destroy the world as we know it.

 

Well, that pretty much wraps up our meeting this time. Be sure to join us again at the Nokomis Fire House on June 17^th at 6:30 PM, we always have fun, and you might just learn a little bit about writing, or even about yourself. Until then—READ, Read, and read some more, then WRITE, Write, and write some more, and KEEP ON WRITING.

May 12th, 2026

 

Welcome back, readers and writers.

Well, Spring has sprung, and we are on our way to hot, humid days ahead. We had a good turnout for this meeting, with 12 attendees, including 2 newcomers. We welcome Ally Simx and Pablo Vannucci, and we hope you enjoyed your visit. Of the 12 in attendance, 10 had work to share.

 

Our co-host Ernie Ovitz led off the reading portion with another excerpt from his latest work, The Crucible. The death of ‘El Patrone’, the boss of the Chicago Mob, His funeral was attended by all the upper echelon gangsters from Chi-Town as they came to Sarasota, Florida. A lavish banquet was held at a prominent upscale hotel and convention center. Ernie was masterful in his attention to the individual actions, which reflected the inner thoughts and desires of those seeking to profit from the old man’s death. Ernie, are you a ‘Made Man’? You kind of think like one.

 

Scott Anderson continues in his study of Haiku. Tonight, he brought us a group of poems that once again made us use our visualization skills. Each person sees, feels, or understands the short poems differently. Scott recently had one of his poems accepted for international publication in a noted Haiku site. Keep us in the loop, Scott.

 

As always, Don Westerfield kept us enthralled with two poems written in his fascinating style. His look back at past events is always invigorating. In Sailing to the Moon, we could see the bright full moon hanging above the water as we guided our little sailboat toward the silver orb. We felt the salt spray and wind in our faces, smelled the ocean’s salty brine, and recalled our days as lovers watching the heavenly orb from earth. As Don read The Nature of Things, we see the man behind the words as he looks at those things outlined in the world around us. Why do Salmon swim upstream to spawn? Why can an apple grow on a pear tree? And why do things happen in an order? It’s the nature of things.

 

Roberta Molero continues her journey into the world of prose with Chapter Two of The Reluctant Heiress. Young Jennifer recently graduated from college. On that day, her parents revealed that she was adopted. Although she loved them and they loved her, she set out on a quest to find her birth parents. She began a journey from her lifetime home in New York City to track down her beginnings in rural Pennsylvania. The trip, her first alone, opens up a new and strange world. Will she soon discover something, or will the Culture Shock be too much? Her first encounter is with a woman in the Post Office. Was the strange look she got because she was a stranger, or was it a look of recognition? Her adventure in procuring a night’s lodging triggered caution within her. Stay tuned for more adventure.

 

Robots! Now that I have your attention, can you imagine a robot so much like a human you can’t tell the difference? Well, Bruce Haedrich can. Bruce writes of a robot, humanoid, terrestrial, or whatever you want to call it, that has all the attributes of a human. Physically, she is flawless, beautiful of face and body; intellectually, well-informed and ultra-intelligent, as a supercomputer instilled its knowledge into her brain. And I hear she’s damn good in bed, too. What more could you want? H’mm, I hear there are some issues, especially with our narrator’s human girlfriend. She seems to think there’s something wrong with our current model. Could it be she’s not really human, but just a robot?

 

Are we really going to Mars? Gary Conkol has already been there in his book, Martian Contact–Interplanetary Similarities. This is his second book in the ENATAU (Emerging New Age of the Technology-Assisted Utopia) series. A team of scientists is stationed at an outpost on Mars. Among their many accomplishments are a few discoveries of artifacts belonging to previous inhabitants. Who are these beings? Are they truly Martians? Whoever they were, they were highly advanced in technology and had a sophisticated society. They looked surprisingly like humans, but a common trait among their species was a peculiarity in their eyes. Most, if not all of them, had two different colored eyes. A rare occurrence on earth, but….

 

Short stories are a wonderful way to get your reading done in the free moments of your day. Danny Spurlock is a masterful storyteller and writes enchanting short stories. Tonight’s offering, Simple Interest, tells of a young man, married and successful, who, on a visit with his father, returns with a cupboard full of baking pans and equipment for bread-making. His wife asks, “Why did you drag home all this junk?” his simple answer is, “It’s a family tradition.”

 

James Kelly writes of the MacKenzie family, from the battlefields of the Civil War to the Indian wars in the Dakotas, the Spanish-American War, and now WWI. The MacKenzie men and women have served in uniform or been married to men in uniform. Now, the latest chapter of Advance the Line tells us of the young Lieutenant, Joshua MacKenzie, who finds himself in Seicheprey, France, his company having just relieved a French unit in the trenches guarding the town. Early in the day, well before dawn, the German General sends his men to attack. Led by the Shock Troops, who slip quietly through the darkness, they attack first by attempting to destroy the machine gun emplacements, then by infiltrating the trench, they drive back the defenders. MacKenzie and his platoon were isolated and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the advancing enemy. My! How exciting! Look for Jim’s newest installment in the MacKenzie Saga and join us in Nokomis to hear what happens next.

On his first visit with our group, Ally Simx read from his latest work, a Sci-Fi adventure. Claire Sparks is a leader fighting in a future revolution. The stress and fatigue of the war have driven her to use a powerful drug, to which she is now addicted. She seeks the counsel of her mentor, Findly, in an hour of depression.

 

On his first visit, Pablo Vannocci also read the opening from SKYKR, his current Sci-Fi adventure. In this opening chapter, Pablo goes to great lengths to show how birth might look to a fetus with awareness of the world around it. His graphic descriptions took the listeners from the darkness of a womb to the exploding light of a new environment, never before known to the fetus. Powerful, exciting, and different. Damn fine writing, Pablo.

 

 

Wow! From the Chicago Mob to a first-time traveler and on to Mars. From all-out war to the confusion of birth. We did some traveling tonight. Isn’t that the wonder of reading? We can travel to Mars, fight in a World War, and dine with mobsters without leaving our easy chair. Oh yeah, we can snuggle up with the robot of our dreams when our eyes grow heavy. Ain’t this a wonderful world. Until our next meeting, May 20^th at the Nokomis Fire House, READ, Read, read some more, then WRITE, Write, and write something you'd like to read to us.

April 15, 2026

 Welcome back, readers and writers. The year is rushing past like a mountain stream. There are rough spots and smooth stretches where everything changes. Sometimes our efforts crash upon the rocks of life, and we get very little done, no matter how hard we try, while in the smooth stretches, our first thoughts fit perfectly and require little or no editing. Sometimes I think the rough times are the most productive because we have time to rethink and revise what we’ve written. Those smooth moments can lull us into false thinking. Are we really that good? Do words really come that easily? That’s why we attend writers’ groups. If you want an honest critique designed to make you a better writer, trust your friends in the group. These writers are not your competition; they have their own issues and rely on you to help them as much as you need help. Listen and learn. Sure, some of the advice is off target, but most of it is truly meant to guide you on a path toward better writing. You are the author, you must decide what changes to make and what to leave alone. The same goes with editors. Editors are here to point out errors, not rewrite your work. That misplaced or overlooked comma, the dangling participle, a forgotten word, or the too often repeated word, can change the quality of your work. We all have our individual style, and that is where we can shine, or go down in flames. Don’t fall in love with your words; be open to change. Listen to what readers have to say about what you’ve written. Beta readers, those who read what you’ve written and give you honest feedback, no matter how brutal, can help you more than the “good job” advice you get from family and close friends who don’t want to insult you. When an editor, or another writer, says, “That doesn’t look right,” maybe there is a problem. Check it out!

 Again, I’ve gone on too long, but that’s what you get when you have a writer and a computer in the same room. We had a smaller group this time. We wish Dennis a speedy recovery from the ailment that struck him and his lovely wife, Linda. Get Well Soon! Ursula, you and yours enjoy your trip.

We look forward to seeing y’all back soon.

We only had six people at the meeting, but it was a success. Four of us read our work and listened to feedback. 

Starting off with Ernie Ovitz. Ernie brought us the continuation of his newest story. El Patrono’s funeral was attended by the leadership of Chicago’s Mob and their wives. Lee Santino, El Patrono’s nephew, who was more like a son than a nephew, revealed a plan to allow the organization's made men to retire with a clean-money pension. While Lee dealt with the mobsters, including the new boss, Tony C. -- Maryam Santino, Lee’s wife, observed the actions and foibles of their wives. The underlying tension, too much booze and rich food of the final dinner, weighed on everyone. Too much for Maryam, who was newly pregnant.

 

Scott Anderson is a poet studying the art of Haiku. Tonight, he shared with us five new verses submitted to a prestigious publication of the genre. Each poem has meaning to the reader. Different readers may have different meanings. To me, the meanings represent:

Shadow Existence, that part of us and others unseen, the shadow self beneath the living us: 

Broken Eggs, those things we’ve done that cannot be undone: 

Ship in Fog, the difficulty in finding one’s way in the confusion of life: 

Large Hail, the big thing that cause change in life: 

Space Inside, what happens to the space inside a box if the box in destroyed? Does it still exist? Does it simply join the space outside the box?

Fun, isn’t it?

 

The inquisitive mind of Bruce Haedrich is hard at work creating a dilemma for readers to ponder. His latest work, Nadia, is such a piece. Originally a robot, a humanoid, Nadia is a beautiful human replica. Recalled by the factory to repair flawed hardware and software issues, Nadia was transformed into a different being. Aesthetically the same, a beautiful female human replica, she returns as a new form, a new species of human, as assessed by science. A young man, Chris, accompanies her to a special school designed to train these new forms, now called terrestrials, on how to perform as real humans. But are they? Chris brings Nadia to Florida, where they join Nancy, Chris’s human girlfriend. The problem is that Chris has fallen in love with Nadia. Nancy knows this and suggests that Nadia is still just a humanoid, not a human. Is she? Is she not human?

 

Roberta Molaro is a poet venturing into the world of fiction in prose. Tonight she brought us Chapter 2 of her story, The Reluctant Heiress. Traveling alone for the first time in her life, Jennifer heads from the suburban life in New York to the small rural towns of Pennsylvania in search of her birth mother. She has only a name, no pictures, no physical description, only the name, Mary Hoover, and the name of a town, Owensburg, PA. Jennifer’s first stop in town is at the Post Office. There, she bumps into a woman in the lobby who is reading a letter from her son in the Navy. The woman looks shocked to see Jennifer, then leaves after apologizing for the collision, and turns back at the door to take another long look at Jennifer. It was as if she recognized her. The Postal Clerk says he hasn’t heard of any Hoovers in town, but he’d only been here for a year. The Postmaster isn’t much help either; he doesn’t recall the Hoover name.

 ***

We are left hanging at almost every meeting. We give suggestions to the reader/writers and wait until the next meeting to see whether they’ve taken them or made changes to the story. Sometimes the whole story changes direction based on an idea given or changed by a suggestion.

 

Well, that's about it for this meeting. Our next meeting is May 6, 2026, at the Nokomis Fire House. We call the meeting to order at 6:30 PM. A group of us usually shows up around 6:00 and visits before the call to order. You’re welcome to join us. There’s no charge, all we expect are you and your opinions. We hope you enjoy and learn. If you like to read but do not write, you are still welcome. Who knows, you may discover a desire to write, and our motto is Writers Helping Writers. So, until we meet again, READ, Read, read some more, and then WRITE, Write, and KEEP ON WRITING.

April 1. 2026

Welcome back. We open the meeting on April 1, 2026, with a promise not to pull off any April Fool’s pranks.

 

Do you use dashes in your writing? There are three popular dashes, em(—), en(–), and hyphen (-). Several articles mentioned that many publishers/editors discourage the use of em dashes in popular writing. They are a legitimate type of punctuation. The em dash is the width of an M in type and is often used to set off additional information. For example:

·         The grocery store—known for its great bakery—was very busy. 

 

The em dash can also be used for an abrupt change in thought or an interruption.

·         I was halfway to the store—but I realized I’d forgotten my wallet.

An em dash can introduce a Summary or an Explanation.

·         We had one goal in mind—making enough money to pay for the car.

In dialogue, it can indicate an interruption.

·         “It was just a—” “No, let me finish!”

Easy ways to insert an em dash in MS Word are: two hyphens without a space --. In some versions, this will work, but not always. Press the Ctrl and Alt keys at the same time as you press the minus key (Ctrl+Alt+- = —.) You can also use the Insert tab and choose the em dash symbol, but for me, this is too time-consuming and difficult to find the proper symbol.

There are other ways to accomplish the scenarios listed above, but you are the author; use whatever method you think is best suited to the work you are doing. Note that the em dash does not have a space before or after it. That is not always the case with the en dash.

The en dash is the width of an N in type and is often used to set off a range in numbers, dates, or times.

·         “Please attend the meeting scheduled for 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM.”

·         “We will discuss pages 19 – 22 in the operations manual.”

·         “The Miami–New York flight has been delayed.”

·         “The Father–Son dinner has been canceled.”

If you are using a Compound Modifier with one of the elements being a compound adjective as a multi-word phrase, use an en dash.

·         The post–graduation party is in Victor’s Hall.

Note the space before and after the en dash in the time and date scenarios (numerical), while there is no space in the text.

In many cases, a hyphen can be used without many readers noticing. Use the hyphen when using compound words or multi-word phrases. Don’t be afraid of the hyphen; it’s a handy tool, a punctuation mark used to join words or parts of words. Be careful, it is not interchangeable with the em dash or en dash.

Have I confused you enough? I think so. Let’s move on to the meeting notes about the readings.

Ernie Ovitz led off the reading session with an excerpt from his latest story, The Crucible. The patriarch of the Chicago mob died at his Florida home. The upper echelon of the organization came to Sarasota for the wake, funeral, and send-off dinner. Ernie gave us an insight into what such a gathering and its almost unlimited financial resources can provide. The alcohol and food were top-of-the-line vintage and prepared by world-class Michelin-starred chefs. Agosto Santino, called El Patrino by his associates, had been the pattern for a typical mob boss. Cruel, bloodthirsty, and unforgiving in his younger days, he changed in his declining years. Using funds generated by nefarious means, he set up a financial program specifically designed to legitimize the questionable funding and use the profits to provide a retirement for his soldiers in the organization. The fund had grown to an enormous amount and was still growing. The fund and its administration were handed over to Leonardo Santino, Agosto’s nephew, the head of a group of Hedge Funds based in Colorado. The problem? Leonardo didn’t want to have dealings with his uncle’s old associates. How’s that going to work out? Look for the book on Amazon soon.

 

When Don Westerfield took possession of the lectern, we knew we were in for a poetry lesson. Having visited the historic battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Don sat down and wrote his verse entitled “Forgotten.” The forlorn message, read with the twang of a real country boy, stirs emotions, allowing us to hear the wind passing over the now-quiet battlefield, to feel the pain of the fallen, and to understand the loneliness of the unknown left behind. In his second verse under the title of “Old Chum.” Don speaks to an old friend from his youthful self. His words bring forth memories of yesteryear for me; for some, the word may apply only days or hours hence. The last line bears an apology for tears wept upon the “Chum’s” stone.

 

Have you ever dreamed of space travel? Remember those books and television shows that show the wonders of other planets. Well, Gary Conkol is midway through a story of space travel that takes us to Mars. A group of visionaries and brilliant scientists developed space travel so sophisticated that they can reach Mars in mere minutes instead of weeks and have established a colony on the red planet. There, they discover pictures of what may be ancient Martians; they look very much like earthlings, except for their eyes. Their eyes closely resemble…

 

Nadia’s story continues. Bruce Haedrich brings Chris and Nadia back to Chris’s home in Florida. They arrive late at night; Chris is glad he doesn’t have to face Nancy until the next day. Finally, at six o’clock that evening, Chris and Nadia met Nancy for dinner. It was awkward, even though Nancy and Nadia hugged, and Chris gave Nancy a kiss. When asked about the future, Nadia says, “We plan to settle somewhere in the States, far away from a major city.” Nancy sets a trap, “Who’s we?” she asks Nadia. In a private conversation the next morning, Nancy plants a sliver of doubt in Chris’s mind about Nadia being humanized. Is there trouble brewing in paradise?

 

Bob Miller, like most of us, husbands and wives, feels an obligation to attend his wife’s class reunion. In this case, they travel from their home in Michigan to Sidney, Montana, for the big event. Bob, being Bob, decides he’ll take the name tag of an alum they know won’t be in attendance. The highlights of the trip are the rodeo and Bob being crowned the alum who changed the most in appearance. Oh, by the way, Bob, I was looking at the Montana Police Blotter this weekend. There’s a warrant out for someone who looks a lot like you.

 

It’s 1918 in France as James H. Kelly begins to read from Chapter 17 of Advance the Line. A thunderous volley of artillery exploding rips Lieutenant Madkenzie from his half-sleep. The barrage continues walking its way down the trench line of the 102^nd Infantry. The concussions hammered the line. The hands on his watch glowed in the darkness, showing 4:00 AM. Shaken awake, but alert and ready, the men scanned the no-man’s-land for movement. The machine gun posts were silent, men straining their eyes to pierce the darkness. “JETZT!” came the command in German, meaning NOW.

The evening ended with Rod Digruttolo reading an excerpt from Chapter 47 of his latest work, The Garden’s Secret. Dale Anderson is a Special Investigator for the Sheriff’s Department of Clay County, Georgia. He is investigating a 50-plus-year-old murder case in which four young girls were raped and murdered. Dale reports to the Sheriff about his latest findings. A murder in Tennessee, suspected to be committed by the same killer, is proven to be the work of a deranged man who committed suicide shortly after the murder. The chapter moves the story along, keeping the mystery alive.

 

THAT’S ALL, FOLKS, at least for this writing. We hope to see y’all at the next meeting, April 15^th. at the Firehouse in Nokomis. Until then, READ, Read, and read some more. Then WRITE, Write, and write some more great stories.