A Party!
Lots of goodies and excellent readings at this party. A plethora of sweets, specialties, and food was on tap as the annual holiday party took place at this meeting.
Our semi-annual donation to the Nokomis Fire Department preceded the festivities. This year we broke the $200 barrier thanks to the generosity of our members.
After a short discussion and some goodies, we heard from several of our members with reading appropriate for the holiday season.
Bruce Haedrich read a chapter from his work in progress, A Gathering of Demons. A Christmas almost forgot turns out to be one to remain in the memory forever, but the foreshadowing of evil afoot lurks in the background.
Jim Drendel shared a true story of Riot, a dog who lived up to his name but found a special place in Jim's heart. All dog lovers can relate to this touching story.
Dennis Cathcart read his annual posting in the company newsletter of "The Day Before Christmas." Humor combined with a little pathos brought smiles to all our faces.
Ernie Ovitz shared a bit of wisdom from the great Mark Twain when he gave us the quote, "There are lies, damn lies, and statistics." From there he went on to read a speech written a few years past which still holds significance in today's world. We are people, not simply numbers, and achievements of those we've met often prove the statistics irrelevant.
Jeffrey Kutcher brought another chapter in his biography of his Cuban friend. A match of marble-shooting champions draws a crowd in the anticipation of seeing a longtime master dethroned and the challenger take his place at the top of the heap. Will the champion prevail?
The final reading was a classic from the pen of Don Westerfield. "A Bad Time for Sergeants," was a half of a Sergeant's telephone conversation with a Captain explaining how a situation which occurred while repairing a Fighter Jet got a little out of hand. Unfortunate word choices and over exuberance in telling the tale led to multiple apologies and had listeners laughing aloud.
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Friday, December 07, 2018
December 5th, 2018
Attended by 11 members, our next-to-last business meeting for 2018 was a lot of fun. Our next meeting, December 19th, 2018, will be our annual Holiday party. Those attending are asked to bring a dish, snack, or goodie in a container to be left with any leftovers for the members of the Nokomis Fire Department. We encourage each attendee to bring a Holiday story, humorous or otherwise. We'll see you there.
We do not charge dues for our group, but we do ask for donations to the Fire Department. We do this semiannually in appreciation to the department for allowing us to use their facility.
THANK YOU, NOKOMIS VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT
Our meeting began with a discussion, a definition or clarification. I asked the group if anyone can give me a definition for “Creative Non-Fiction”. I looked it up on the internet and found maybe twenty different things, last night, with 11 members in attendance, I got at least 15 different answers. A number of us had more than one definition. What about you? What is your definition of “Creative Non-Fiction”?
I asked for questions from the floor and Jim asked for opinions on how to develop a character as time progresses in a novel. As he is writing a novel, based on the life of a real person (a Union General), he wants to be as accurate as possible while maintaining the writer’s license to speculate as to conversations and thoughts not recorded in history.
After a lively discussion resulting in numerous ideas and suggestions being proffered, we moved on to the reading part of our meeting.
Ernie Ovitz led us off with a selection from his historical novel centered around Emperor Constantine. Spies, a severely ill Emperor, and an influential Bishop all bring a hint of intrigue to the story. We look forward to the next reading.
A Union General is “severely wounded but not mortally” as Jim Kelly’s saga of Winfield Scott Hancock continues. The wounded officer is shot off his horse and lays on the ground unable to rise. Pulling himself up on his elbows, he directs troop movement and is instrumental in stopping the Confederate attack. Recovering from his wounds in hospital and home, he can’t wait to join his troops in pursuing General Lee.
Private Detective Yale Larson tracks a killer who could be the owner of a speedboat on Siesta Key in Doug Sahlin’s revived work. Doug pulled the work off the shelf now that he’s complete some other projects. In his typical rapid-fire dialog style, Larson interviews a somewhat… "unorthodox" individual whose relationship with a Rock Star and possible substance abuse sets them up as persons of interest in this case.
Debbie MacAvoy asked for input as to writing about a confrontation between two men. A teenage boy and a fifty-something hired hand have a confrontation and afterward reconcile when misconceptions are cleared up. Debbie asked for help in seeing things from a male perspective and received comments from all male members present.
Ian Schagan brought us a Sci-Fi piece, part of his newest novel, about star travel with a goal to colonize planets. Intrigue and ideological differences show their faces in this thrilling outer space thriller.
Well, another entry must end. Until next time, KEEP ON WRITING.
We do not charge dues for our group, but we do ask for donations to the Fire Department. We do this semiannually in appreciation to the department for allowing us to use their facility.
THANK YOU, NOKOMIS VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT
Our meeting began with a discussion, a definition or clarification. I asked the group if anyone can give me a definition for “Creative Non-Fiction”. I looked it up on the internet and found maybe twenty different things, last night, with 11 members in attendance, I got at least 15 different answers. A number of us had more than one definition. What about you? What is your definition of “Creative Non-Fiction”?
I asked for questions from the floor and Jim asked for opinions on how to develop a character as time progresses in a novel. As he is writing a novel, based on the life of a real person (a Union General), he wants to be as accurate as possible while maintaining the writer’s license to speculate as to conversations and thoughts not recorded in history.
After a lively discussion resulting in numerous ideas and suggestions being proffered, we moved on to the reading part of our meeting.
Ernie Ovitz led us off with a selection from his historical novel centered around Emperor Constantine. Spies, a severely ill Emperor, and an influential Bishop all bring a hint of intrigue to the story. We look forward to the next reading.
A Union General is “severely wounded but not mortally” as Jim Kelly’s saga of Winfield Scott Hancock continues. The wounded officer is shot off his horse and lays on the ground unable to rise. Pulling himself up on his elbows, he directs troop movement and is instrumental in stopping the Confederate attack. Recovering from his wounds in hospital and home, he can’t wait to join his troops in pursuing General Lee.
Private Detective Yale Larson tracks a killer who could be the owner of a speedboat on Siesta Key in Doug Sahlin’s revived work. Doug pulled the work off the shelf now that he’s complete some other projects. In his typical rapid-fire dialog style, Larson interviews a somewhat… "unorthodox" individual whose relationship with a Rock Star and possible substance abuse sets them up as persons of interest in this case.
Debbie MacAvoy asked for input as to writing about a confrontation between two men. A teenage boy and a fifty-something hired hand have a confrontation and afterward reconcile when misconceptions are cleared up. Debbie asked for help in seeing things from a male perspective and received comments from all male members present.
Ian Schagan brought us a Sci-Fi piece, part of his newest novel, about star travel with a goal to colonize planets. Intrigue and ideological differences show their faces in this thrilling outer space thriller.
Well, another entry must end. Until next time, KEEP ON WRITING.
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