Holidays 2017

Another year has come, in a few days we will begin anew. The past year brought us some wonderful stories, saw remarkable improvement in our developing writers, and allowed us to enjoy the friendship and companionship of like-minded people. Thank you.

We participated in our annual Holiday Meeting by enjoying goodies furnished by our members, too many to list but delicious by any standard. Cookies abounded, meatballs in marinara, pierogis, candy, and tarts galore. I gained 5 pounds, well... at least I felt like I did. And, as part of our semi-annual tradition, we made our donation to the Nokomis Fire Department recreational fund. This year we collected and distributed $273 thanks to the generosity of our members. The firefighters expressed their thanks and appreciation.  

Peter announced the pending publication of his newest work. We're looking forward to the day it hits the market.

Another bit of good news, Kathleen and Tim announced their engagement. We wish them all the best and know they are looking forward to an enjoyable life together. See our Member's Link list on this page. Look for www.jacobswc.com

Ellie, the youngest member of our group, read two short pieces. One, a delightful piece in which a sister and brother, probably not influenced by the relationship she has with her brother, engage in an interrogation to find a missing truth, the second addressed the challenge issued by Doug Sahlin at our last meeting. Good work Ellie.

Ian, accompanied by his delightful spouse, introduced us to the real Santa. Well, a Santa concocted in his mind but based on the Saint Nicholas of the East, now know as Turkey. In his story, the revered bishop dies and becomes a vampire. Goodness in his heart does not allow him to turn to evil. Instead, he enlists a corps of "undead" to spread his legacy of gift-giving across the globe. Both fun and intriguing, this story shows the talent of an exceptional story teller.

George followed that with reading a poem by Shel Silverstein. A young lad befriends a snowball and, unwilling to be separated from his new friend, he invites his new friend to spend the night. They snuggle in bed but, in the morning, the boy finds his friend has run away during the night. But, before he left, he wet the bed.

Don read a couple of wonderful pieces appropriate of the season. Beyond Christmas brings an awareness to our humanity we often avoid and it does so in a wonderful manner. Remembrances of  Christmas Eves looks back at some of the most wonderful times in our lives.

We took several breaks during the evening to visit the goody table.

In a story entitled Second Thought, written and read by Tim, a young man writes a suicide note; he calls a hotline and speaks to a young man about his age and has second thoughts. While retrieving the paper from his printer with plans to destroy the letter, a gust of wind sweeps it from his hand and carries it out the window to the ledge outside. It attaches to an abandoned bird's nest and flutters in the breeze. His attempt to retrieve it produces some unintended consequences. This is a must read, look for it in future publications.

In the spirit of the season, Kathleen shared her story A Christmas Surprise and although her talent is no surprise her story does supply what the title promises. 

Another break and, while all were enjoying the goodies, After enjoying a few moments in which I thanked the group for allowing me to host these meetings, I read a poem written by my lovely wife, Betsy, in years past. Then, I read the final piece of the evening, Ian's contribution to the wine challenge, Plonk. The story takes a look at the customs of societies worldwide toward wine and other alcoholic beverages in relation to minors. Interesting subject.

Our next meeting will be the first of 2018. Join us January 3rd at the Nokomis Fire Station. We gather at 6:00 PM to exchange pleasantries and the meeting opens at 6:30 PM. Hope to see you there.

Until then,
Keep on Writing!
Rod

December 6, 2017

We gathered on this second to the last meeting of 2017 at the Nokomis Fire Station and began at our usual 6:30 pm start time. Ernie Ovitz filled in for Rod and led the meeting. We agreed our next meeting, Wednesday, December 20th, would be our annual Christmas Party. We also agreed to take up a collection at that time and show our appreciation to the Nokomis Volunteer Fire Department for the use of their facility. 

We encourage everyone to bring spouses, friends, and a treat to share. As always, we remind everyone, our firefighter friends will gladly polish off any leftover treats, please don’t hold back. The food will not go to waste, though it may go to waist. 

Our annual Christmas meeting is a light, fun affair; we encourage those so inclined to bring a “Short” humorous or seasonal piece to read. The party begins with food, fun, and good conversation. We look forward to seeing all our members and hope many of our old friends come by to join in the fun. 

Doug Sahlin has issued a new creative challenge theme for the January 3rd meeting: Obsession, Possession, Confession. He challenges us to write a short creative piece using one or more of the three subjects. We encourage everyone to keep the story short, no more than 500 to 700 words, so everyone has a chance to read and receive feedback from the group. Our last challenge was on the subject of wine and was well received. 

Thirteen writers joined us for the meeting and everyone brought something to read. We decided to waive discussion time and get right to the readings. We were most pleased to welcome Ellie Blackden, age 13, and her dad, age not revealed, to our group. Ellie says she's excited about writing and working on a dystopian novel with plans to self-publish using CreateSpace. She brought the first draft of Chapter One to read for us. 

We typically read in order from our sign-in sheet and, as Ed Ellis arrived first, he was first on our list. His opening poem was thoughtful and thought-provoking; Ed had several requests for copies. 

Peter Frickel shared a poem, Bananas, delivered with style, diction, and aplomb only Peter can muster. He followed the poem with a philosophical monologue entitled Truth, before giving us his take on the spirit of wine with Ubachata. It was great fun, and Peter, I hope I got the spelling right. 

Jim Jacobs was up next, his piece took us to the “Twilight Zone” of Townland, a place where every man is named Sam. His concept intrigued the group as he received many comments and, we hope, helpful suggestions to take away. 

Kathleen Kilpatrick read next. She also delved into the surreal with The Persistence of Time. A story inspired by Salvador Dali's famous painting. She tells of an inheritance which leads her protagonist on a journey of discovery, finding a family she never knew and an unexpected destiny.

Our next author surprised the group with a generous gift. Bruce Haedrich brought in several copies of the newest book in his Dan Marin Mystery Series, Finding Chloe, and passed them out to the group. We thought they looked great but Bruce was dissatisfied with the cover. His dissatisfaction was our gain. I am a Dan Marin reader and highly recommend Bruce’s books to any mystery fan. Thanks Bruce!

Our readings continued with Don Westerfield as he shared another chapter from his military memoir. He had us laughing and shaking our heads in amazement at his humorous story of the jet engine that started itself. Knowing Don's penchant for storytelling, at the conclusion of his reading several members of the group asked, “Did that really happen?” He swears it did; he's never fibbed to us before. Don's chosen title is, Echoes of Engines and Men. He says he's close to having it ready for publication, something we eagerly await . 

Kathleen, our New Englander, returned to us for the season. She kept us laughing, while making a few of us blush momentarily, as we heard her story The Mud Room. Oh my, I would not want to be that fellow. The big dummy got what was coming to him, that’s for sure. I might have gotten a little red around the cheeks as it was a juicy tale in Kathleen's unique style. 

George Milburn had a tough act to follow but was up to the challenge as he shared his work in progress Living and Dying in Osprey, Chapter 3. Set in the war torn years of the early 1940’s, murder was afoot in the Village of Osprey, Florida. His protagonist, Evelyn, discovers her friend Dorothy's parents murdered and Dorothy near death. We're eager to see where George takes us as the murder mystery unfolds. 

After our 8:00 pm break, Debbie MacAvoy read Chapter 2 of her work in progress, The Manipulator. Also set in the 1940’s, Debbie’s story takes place in New York. She has the authentic New York dialog mastered and in this chapter Teddy, a New York City boy, finds himself on a farm upstate. For Teddy and his farm hosts, John and Martha, it’s culture shock to the n'th degree. The situation tests them all. Debbie asked the group for comments and suggestions. Ed Ellis and others were eager to help. We will be interested to hear what she has for us next time.  

Doug Sahlin shared his moving piece Words of Love. The discovery of letters from a loved one lost. The writing came from the heart and we thank Doug for sharing with us. 

Ed Feldman took up the wine challenge with enthusiasm. He turned it into a longer piece with the story of a successful but lonely man cuckolded by a younger second wife. The poor guy’s life spirals down until wine snobbery becomes the driving insult and ultimate final straw. Ed is complimented on his writing style and we look forward to hearing more. 

Ellie Blackman, our final reader, sat patiently through our meeting and listened to the readers with interest. Though our time was drawing to a close, all agreed we wanted to hear Ellie’s piece. She presented us with printed copies from Chapter 1. Her words painted a dark picture of civilization’s collapse. Through it all, her protagonist and dog, Buddy, manage to survive. We wonder what will happen next. We hope Ellie and her dad return to share more of her story and let us see how she progresses. Ellie, you are most welcome anytime. 

Thanks to all of our participants, and we look forward to seeing all of our Sarasota Writers at our Christmas party, December 20th.

Keep on writing.

Next Meeting - Dec 6, 2017

Our next meeting is this coming Wednesday, December 6th, 2017. 

We hope to see you there!

Wednesday, November 15th. 2017

Welcome back. 

This week we have news, our own Bruce Haedrich published the 8th book in his Dan Marin mystery series, it's entitled Finding Chloe. He tells us it's three stories in one book, imagine, three Dan Marin mysteries in one book, a real bargain. Look for it on Amazon. 

At our last meeting I challenged our group to write a little piece about wine. Easy right, 500 words or less, first draft stuff, quick and simple. Well, five of us responded, I had to, it was my challenge. 

Doug responded with an enticing tale of a French femme fatale serving her wine/food critic lover a romantic meal in her apartment. The twist at the end was typical Doug.

Kathleen gave us another twist on wine when she rolled out a rollicking verse wherein Tinker Bell meets… well you have to hear her read it to truly enjoy the piece.

Tim captured the essence of a twisted classic with his Twas the Night Before Christmas in Nokomis. Who knew Santa enjoyed more than milk and cookies.

Debbie brought us a suspenseful tale of Wine Girl. A mysterious visitor leaves a bottle of wine on the kitchen counter as a welcoming gift. She also brings terror to summer visitors in a lonely cabin with a history and a reputation for the gruesome. If you find a welcoming bottle of vino at your next rental…

My entry was much less exciting as it explored the use of wine among today’s society and throughout history.

We entered the reading portion of the evening with a tale written by Bruce. It was read by Peter who gave it a most tantalizing tone. In Tribute to Robert Guest, a music instructor who had a profound influence on Bruce’s life, the piece chronicled a young man’s performance in a piano competition in university. While his friends watched, he enraptured the audience with a performance of a short piece by Franz Liszt. The thunderous applause gave proof he’d won the competition. However, the encore brought a reaction beyond any received for any previous performance. Look for Bruce’s book in the future.

Peter read a short excerpt of his work and explained his thought processes in producing such a stimulating piece. Getting to peer into a creative mind leaves us in awe. Understanding the premise and following another’s train of thought is, at best, confounding. Especially as he delves into a character’s inner struggle as to abort or bear a child.

In Guts, Ed’s depiction of a teen, a remembrance of his youth, participating in a cross-country race and, due to the heckling of his friends, resolves to not finish last for once in his life. His descriptions of elation in passing other runners, the surge of power, the feeling of speed, and the devastation of will experienced when a slow-moving train interrupts the race leaves the reader with a palpitating heart while gasping for air.

With Ian’s return from his summer hiatus, he brought a beautiful piece of mystery and wonder from a visit to Utah’s Arches National Park. An old Indian presents a hiker with a small stone disc engraved with symbols of unknown origin. The hiker discounts the talisman but continues his hike. Soon, he slips away from the crowd of tourists and finds himself in a secluded part of The Devil’s Garden. There, in his isolation, he discovers an arch not marked on the map he carries. As he gazes in wonder through the arch, he witnesses the dance of a solitary shaman and watches in awe as the moon falls, growing larger with each passing moment. Upon reporting his vision to the park rangers, they return with him to the site and find a solid rock wall where he'd encountered an arch only moments earlier. "It will be an arch someday, thousands of years from now," the ranger explains, "but only after the wind and rain wear it away over the centuries." The talisman, is gone, lost to the ages and only he…

We look forward to seeing you soon at a meeting. The first and third Wednesday of each month, barring a holiday falling on these days, we meet and chat at 6:00 PM. We begin the meeting at 6:30 PM. Please come, join us if you enjoy writing, reading, or listening to talented people discuss a myriad of subjects.

Until then, keep writing!

Rod

Thank You, Kerri

I'm passing this on for all our readers. Thank you, Kerri.

Rod - this is the literary journal at St. Leo - near Tampa. 

Might be a nice challenge for someone in the group since the entry fee is only $10.00.

Kerri

Lightning Key Review in conjunction with Green Rabbit Press is seeking submissions for an inaugural chapbook prize for creative nonfiction, in memory of the magazine’s co-founder, Kurt Wilt.  Harrison Scott Key, author of the Thurber Prize winning memoir, The World’s Largest Man, will judge the contest.

The winner will receive a $500 prize along with 50 copies of the chapbook and a free entry to the Sandhill Writers Retreat at Saint Leo University, May 19, 2018, where Harrison Scott Key will be the keynote reader.
Entries must be creative nonfiction essays or memoir, 30-50 pages in length, either as one long essay or a series of essays.  Previously published work in magazine and journals is fine.  There is a $10 entry fee.  One submission per person.  Former students and colleagues of the judge are not eligible.

All entries will be due by January 1, 2018.  Announcements will be made in late winter, early spring of 2018.

For questions, please visit the website: http://www.lightningkeyreview.com/blog/kurt-wilt-chapbook-prize-for-creative-nonfiction/

November 1st,

We had a great meeting this week and welcomed a first-time attendee. Ed Feldmann joined us for his first meeting. Welcome!

Ed Ellis shared his experience of giving a presentation at the Women's Resource Center in Sarasota. He says he's looking forward to a second class and was impressed by his students.

I heard from Ken Boring, the author who spoke with us a couple of months ago about his book Remembering What I Forgot, a story of Alzheimer Patients and their caregivers. He also gave a presentation at the Women's Resource Center. It feels good giving back to the community.

On Wednesday November 15th, Tim Jacobs and Kathleen Kilpatrick will present a program at the Selby Library where a writer's group meets on the second floor. Their presentation is slated to begin at 1:00 PM and last about an hour.

During our discussion we touched on how to instill emotion in our writing. Choosing the proper words makes or breaks how the piece comes across. Darianne suggests a resource she found online, The Emotional Thesaurus. 

While on the subject of emotion, Doug shared a story about wine which sparked a stray brain cell in this writer. I issued a challenge for the group, write a short story of 500 words of less with the main topic being wine, the drinking of, results of, or making of. Have fun with it.

We moved on to the reading portion of our evening and Darienne was first up as she gave up her turn last meeting for this writer. She brought a piece read previously entintled, Blue Max. The story follows a Grandmother, Granddaughter, and Blue Max, their dog, as a storm approaches. Her changes were appropriate and made the story better but she received additional feedback aimed at making the story more fluid and understandable.

Bruce writes mysteries and, for each, he looks for and chooses a quote appropriate to the subject. With the quote in place, he finds a way to reference, or paraphrase, the quote within the story; a clever and interesting ploy. He shared three instances from his works, Finding Chloe, Metropolis, and Vendetta. 

Don shared an excerpt from his memoir of a career in the military. With morale low and the squadron in poor readiness, our fearless hero points out to the Colonel how the entire mess is the Colonel's fault. That might not have been a great idea. As it turns out, nearly 18 years pass before Don's next promotion. But don't dismay, the promotion made him the highest ranking Non-Com in the Indiana Air National Guard.

Resurrecting a poem entitled A Beacon of Reality, as requested by Barbara, Ed gave the group chills with poignant verse. It made us feel our mortality.

Tim shared a piece he calls, A Failed Clown. Finishing a gig at a youth's birthday party, a man returns home and finds a letter in his mailbox informing him he's failed Clown School. He turns to alcohol and... you need to read this story.

Kathleen brought us a children's book, Mr. Silhouette, or Mr. Sign Guy, (title soon to be chosen.) The hero lives in Sign Town where he must confront a Sign Lion as it terrorizes the residents.

Debbie's first chapter of The Manipulator takes place in 1948 Staten Island. A trio of young lads, good friends for as long as they can remember, have a conversation about one of their number having to leave Staten Island and move to a farm. Their thoughts make the reader want to continue. Will he go or will he stay, wait until it's published and read it for yourself.

UR Ryde, by Doug, plays off the rise of ride-sharing companies. The driver thinks, "Who is my passenger?" But, maybe the passenger should think, "Who is my driver?" Doug's imagination was unfettered in this twisting plot. 

Our next meeting is November 15 and we welcome all interested in writing. We want to help others improve their skills. 

Until then, keep on writing.

Website Help

 


Note: this blog does not recommend nor receive compensation for any business mentioned here. This is simply a resource available to our writers.


Pssst... This is from Peter Frickel
  

If you are in need of exploring/ finding where to look for a website developer, my son Mark Frickel offers the following opportunity.
Please communicate directly with him.

My website peterfrickel.com was created by him–have a look. 


From Mark:

Simple and jokey, but memorable I hope. If anyone needs a site done, please send them here:
www.heynicesite.com

Mark Frickel
Floatation International
Web: www.floatationtanks.com
FB: www.facebook.com/floatationtanks

Thanks to Doug Sahlin

A link to a free video mentioned during the meeting on October 18th; 

https://selfpublishingformula.com/courses/ 

The thired link on the upload page is a free course.

Here's an example of a book trailer Doug recently created:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGhAAHr-LtA

Notice the pop-ups in the upper right-hand corner of the video and the links at the end of the video; they were added by YouTube.

October 18th, 2017

Welcome Back;

We had some good fun at this meeting, not the least of which was welcoming a couple of first time attendees, Kathleen and Tim, who as Tim said, "are partners in business and life." Co-owners of Jacobs Writing and Publishing Consultants, LLC, we paid heed to the thoughtful comments each made throughout the evening. If you wish to know more about this couple or their business I suggest you check out their website, www.jacobswc.com or call 239-464-9730.

Our meeting started with a brief discussion featuring a blog entry written by Jennie Haskamp in The Daily Muse entitiled 15 words to eliminate from your vocabulary to sound smarter. I came across this article some time ago and felt it worth sharing with our group. I'd no sooner finished my presentation, when several attendees presented statements using most, if not all, of the 15 words. Good fun.

Of the 12 attendees, 11 prepared work to read and wanted critique from the group. All but one accomplished their reading and each received useful comments from the group.

Kathleen was asked to lead off and read a piece she is working on with a target audience of 8 to 12 year-old's, I think she might well expand her target as we heard good work that might well apply to teens as well. The opening chapter of the piece found a ghoulish hag under a bridge where she's just finished off feasting on the brains of a pair of trolls. Unsatisfied and still hungry, she longed to find other victims and, using the sharpened bones of her victims, she knitted some clothing before setting out to hunt.

Next up was Tim. Revisiting his early love for writing he presented an essay which gave credit to his High School teachers who encouraged his love for the written word. A stirring piece, it gives credit to teachers often a forgotten part of our successes.

Peter shared a selection of readings two poems, each poignant and revealing, and a selection from his collection of letters. His short verse expresses his vision of sky and clouds above the majestic Ruwenzori mountain range of South Africa and its view of what transpires within its purview. A bit longer verse explored visions in a mirror when one lets the mind's eye see beyond the obvious. Finally, the letter reveals the passion a writer has for his craft as he imparts his feelings to a longtime friend with whom he's shared past memories.

Letitia, compiling her notes and memories for presentation in a memoir which will be powerful, shared a brief segment of the mental and physical anguish an addict mother feels. She writes from experience seeking to help others with a focus on women in crisis. She hopes to help them avoid the pitfalls of recovering addicts, alcoholics, and victims of abuse locked in a life filled with what may seem insurmountable issues. Good stuff.

Our local Irish Dame, Noreen, enthralled us with a fantasy as she listened to a group of seagulls, (in the Gallic, faoilleans pronounced free'lanns), watching people on a beach. In her story, the birds chatter away and she can understand every word. As she read we laughed aloud, often and with gusto.

When Don read his tale of attending college 40 or more years ago at an age of 40+ years, we again had a good belly laugh. The story entitled, Humanities 101, showed how a person born in the 1930's handled 1970's culture in a classroom. When a professor invited a poet to read his latest popular work, the title, Looking At Life Through A Glass Asshole, was a shock to the older students. When the contents contained a number of words considered profane by their generation... Well, you have to hear the story, or read it yourself, to enjoy it's intricate details.

Lewis Carroll's The Jabberwoky is difficult to read under the best circumstances. When Bruce read it using the techniques of an evening newscaster, it was even better. We may request a repeat performance.

George brought the opening chapters of his latest work. It's a mystery and takes place in the community of Osprey, Florida during World War II. His characters come to life and his chapter end leaves us wanting more. Can't wait!

A few week ago Doug presented a piece called, And Justice for All. This week he brought it back with changes made considering the comments he received at the last reading. Well done.

Darienne deferred her time so that Rod could read a chapter he's read before and is having trouble making it work. The changes were well received and additional suggestions made. That is the purpose of this group, Writers helping Writers. Darienne will be first on the reading list next meeting.  

We hope to see you at the upcoming meeting, November 1st. In the meantime, keep on writing.

Concerning October 18th Meeting

Three Quick Items

1. Thanks to Darienne for reminding me:

"The Elements of Style" by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White are almost required for all writers.

A quote from Professor Strunk: "Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all sentences short or avoid all detail and treat subjects only in outline, but that every word tell."

2. Our fearless leader, Ernie Ovitz, will be unable to attend tonight or the next meeting. We'll miss him.

3. Our thanks to Peter. Here is the information for an on-air radio program that features local writers and their work.

WKDW

97.5 FM

North Port Community Radio

Check out Face Book-

Dobie Pasco is the show host

12735 Tamiami Trail [US 41] North Port FL 34287

Phone: 941-564-8739

Join us Wednesday night. I hope to see a number of writers there and hear some really good stories.

Oct 4th Meeting

Welcome to our Fall meeting:

Although attendance was better, we still did not have a full house and that’s okay. All who attended came through the recent storm with little or no damage. Hang in there, only another month to go.

Marisa attended this meeting, we haven’t seen her in a while and it’s always good to have her in the group. She’s an excellent essayist and writes about very interesting subjects. She also hosts an open mike program at the Sarasota Brewing Company, 6607 Gateway Ave, in Sarasota’s Gulf Gate Neighborhood the third Wednesday of each month. If you’re not busy attending our meeting, stop by and say hello one evening; take time to enjoy great food and Fantastic Beers while listening to some interesting writers. As might be expected, her presence elicited inquiries about open mike venues in the area. 

Peter mentioned an open mike show aired in North Port, he thinks it's prerecorded and airs Sundays at 3:00 PM. He could not remember the local station so, if anybody has further information, please send me an email at rodshs62@hotmail.com.

Our own Ed Ellis is scheduled to present a mini-course on Creative Writing at the

Women’s Resource Center.

340 S. Tuttle Ave.

Sarasota, FL 34237

Phone: 941-256-WRC1

Dates and Times.

Class #1 – 1 PM to 3 PM Friday October 20th.

Class #2 – 1 PM to 3 PM Friday October 27th.

Call the WRC for more information and who is eligible to attend.

A discussion about character names and how authors determine those names brought forth many thoughts and questions from our attendees.

One question evoked curiosity more than others; "How do you handle names from long ago in different locals? ie. Roman or Greek names from antiquity or Old English names." The consensus was “Research,” do your research and use names from the period.

For names in the modern era, the Social Security Administration’s popular names list provides the most popular names for each year. Remember, many readers have lived for decades and are familiar with names used in past years.

It's probably not a good idea to use multiple names for a single character. William Hartford may be known by more than one name in life; his friends may call him Willie, to acquaintances he's Bill, to his staff and coworkers Mr. Hartford is appropriate, a few old army buddies call him H-man, and there’s always Billy, Billy-Bob, or Hartford. Numerous other nicknames might apply. However, once you’ve introduced the character a single name within the context of your story would be less confusing to your reader. Sure, a derivations are acceptable if a special relationship is clear and consistent.

What do you think?

 As we moved on to the reading portion of our evening, Ed shared a piece which made us laugh as only his twisted, maybe only slightly bent, mind can. We were introduced to Mr. Bacharacharockus whose story takes place at Walt Disney World. Separated from his wife because he wishes only to rest and write a bit while she explores Fantasyland, Ed finds himself at his favorite restaurant. He requests a seat in the bar and a sweet tea. Three young hostesses concur, he must tell them his name before they can seat him. Not wanting to be bothered, and unwilling to use his pen name as he often does, he blurts out the first name that comes to  mind, Peter Bacharacharockus. After spelling it out for the hostesses, he's escorted to a seat where, while sipping on his sweet tea, he writes page after page of prose. All goes well until his wife arrives to retrieve him...

Ernie, challenged by a previous comment requesting more feminine presence in his work, read a chapter describing a bit of female influence in his latest tome. In this chapter, A Town Under Siege, two comely young women, princesses of Roman royalty if you will, bring bread to hungry soldiers on the walls of the city. Having endured an arduous day repelling repeated assaults by the Franks, the men are hungry for more than bread but even the youngest of the pair sloughs off the bawdy invitations of battle-weary troops. Only the presence of Constantine's son, Christmas brings the pair some uneasiness...

Peter enthralled us with the latest in a series of letters purportedly written to a friend. The letter remembers the recently deceased mother of the writer. The vivid memories of his mother and father’s relationship brings a hint of moisture to several eyes as words form descriptions of a mother waiting for a father to return from the hunt and in the final paragraph...  

After an absence of several months, Marisa returned and brought an essay entitled The Storm. Written in the second person, her rendition of an evacuation during the recent storm gave insight as how she and "the one she loved" left their new dream house against his wishes, spent the hours of the storm in another home, and the morning after the storm, their return provides a unique view of a  relationship...

Chapter 15 of Don’s memoir gives us a glimpse of what it was like when a young President, John F. Kennedy, called up military reserve troops, including the Air National Guard, in response to Russia's saber rattling. While making ready to report for duty in France, the Indiana Airmen faced with inept administrators and questionable deployment orders, end up returning home without deployment...

A piece we heard once before came back with many remarkable enhancements as Darienne read Take the Dotted Route for the second time. She and hubby embarked on a road trip this past summer. They wandered west using routes less traveled. Through the high plains of Colorado we enjoyed wonders of National Parks in several states concluding our journey at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Each locale was brought to life with great writing giving us the sense of the land with visual, sensual, and emotional prose. Not only did we see the sights of this glorious country but we met wonderful people with dreams fulfilled as they live in the paradise of their choosing...

Join us on October 18^th at 6:30 for the next meeting. I don’t know what we’ll discuss but I can promise it will be interesting.

Till then, Keep On Writing!

I’ll see you there.

Rod

First Wednesday in October, 9/4/17

Check it out. We’re having our first fall meeting this year.

The last two meetings have been sparsely attended thanks to Irma, she was not welcome nor invited. I hope to see more of you at this meeting and through next spring.

The proposed subject for this meeting’s discussion period. “What’s in a name, especially your character’s name?”

Think about this for a bit and come prepared to discuss the way you name the characters in your fiction or if you change the names to protect the innocent in a memoir.

Bring some of your work to read and receive feedback from the other members. 

See you there on Wednesday night.

Keep on writing,

Rod

FWA e-News Join the Sarasota Writer's Group Today Guess What? On September 16th, from 11 AM to 12 PM EST, Monica Odom is presenting a Webinar on the Dos and Don'ts of pitching to a Literary Agent. Click here for details. Check out all the need-to-know information before the Annual Conference. Planning to sell your books in the bookstore this year? Sign-up closes this month. Go here for more information. Haven't registered for the Annual Conference yet? Rates go up on 9/18/17. Register here and save. Looking for a way to add some sizzle and pop to your meetings? Group leaders and all interested members are invited to join the Writers Group Rendezvous in the Waldorf on Friday night @ 8:30 PM during the Annual Conference. Don't forget to register your youth for the Annual Youth Conference. Click below for details. Register Annual Youth Conference If you are attending or planning to attend the 16th Annual Conference, please be sure to reach out to Hilton Altamonte Springs and book your hotel room. We are nearing capacity.  Join us on Facebook! EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Cheyenne Knopf Williams President   Vic DiGenti Executive Vice President    Larry Kokko Vice President of Administration & Membership Cynthia Knopf Vice President of Finance Chrissy Jackson Director Emerita   Advertise in The Florida Writer Promote FWA at Your Book Signing or Event Call for Submissions The Florida Writer Subscribe to FWA Blog Updates Florida Youth Writers