Lois is back from New York, this is her 8th year visiting us. Debbie returns after an extended northern visit. Linda B, back from the frozen north brought her friend Linda S with her. Welcome back y'all.
Mary joins us for the first time, we hope she enjoys the meeting making it the first of many she attends.
After opening the meeting, we turned the proceeding over to Ian. Using techniques suggested by his son, the headmaster at an exclusive school in Great Britain, he presented each of us with a paper entitled, Creative Writing Exercise (Stage 1). We had 15 minutes to write a story including three items, a screwdriver, the number 42, and the color purple. With 15 writers in attendance, you might imagine the subject matter. Writers tend to write about things they know and understand. Subjects broached in these offerings ranged from a simple “junk drawer” in an average home, to a futuristic sci-fi offering. The exercise was fun and challenging; Part 2 is scheduled for the next meeting.
After hearing all the stories from the challenge, we moved on to readings our members brought to share.
Peter presented a mystical piece entitled Umbachara. A young man, an unlabeled bottle of wine, and a beautiful gypsy girl without clothing, combine in a story set in a vineyard under a warm sun buffered by the shade of the vines. The first wine of the season, the most potent and flavorful, bears the name Umbachara. As the young man imbibes in the new wine and... Look for the story in an upcoming publication.
Returning to his novel following the Roman Emperor Constantine and his family, Ernie gives us a glimpse into the life of Constantine’s wife, Fausta, as she's held captive by her father in his attempt to usurp the throne.
Our first-time attendee, Mary, brought us a story aimed at the Young Adult market. Entitled Journey to Cape Canaveral, 2020, a young girl writes an essay of 500 words in hopes of winning a trip to watch the launch of Apollo 8 in 1968. What happens? Does she win? Does she get to Canaveral?
The Second Hand, Ed's poem, elicited a ton of comment. Questions of existence, beliefs, and the future make for an insightful moving piece.
Bill revisited the first chapter, edited to provide a canvas for his portrait of a retrospective look at a life lived to the fullest. His untitled novel shows us an Old Man and his Wife who have an impact on multiple lives throughout their history. Mystery, beautiful prose, and an intriguing plot blend to give us a story to melt the hardest hearts.
We ran a little long, not having time to hear from all our readers, we were forced to ask Ian and Doug to wait until next meeting. They will be first on the reading list. We thank all of our members for their patience as we try to give each piece time and attention befitting the effort put forth by our authors.
Well, that wraps it up for this session. Check back with us often as we will post entries when we have news.
We hope to see you on February 7th.
Until then, keep on writing.
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