March 20th 2019

What is an Abstraction? That was the question asked by Ed Ellis, as he opened our final meeting in March. A presentation by Ed Ellis, Abstractions, The Blood in the Author’s Veins, answered that question and many more in the course of the evening. When one thinks they know it all, it’s time to listen to someone like Ed explain a subject. His deep mining of information and cerebral explanations unearth knowledge we’ve not dreamed about.

Questions and discussion after the presentation sparked more questions and more discussion. I hope everyone enjoyed the chance to learn and better their writing skills.

Thank you, Ed, some of what you said actually sank in this old brain.

Oh, by the way, an abstraction can be anything creating an indirect thought leading to a conclusion.

Time for reading was short but we did manage to sneak in a couple of readers.

Living in a home without a kitchen, at least temporarily, was a teaching moment for Linda Bond. Renovation of her condo was supposed to be quick and easy. Any of you who’ve been through a major reno know, there ain’t nothing quick and easy, there’s always a screw up somewhere. Linda’s experience was no exception, but out of each issue there’s usually a nugget of knowledge found somewhere. After banging into an open cabinet door while attempting to oversee an issue the contractor was pointing out, Linda was upset. The fact the job was only into halfway done and she’d learned the time frame was expanding rapidly, she was beginning to lose her cool. Well, maybe she’d lost it, found it, and lost it again, but she took a break the next morning and sat down on a comfortable chair on her balcony with her coffee and shed the overseeing role. There, on the lake she overlooked, a beautiful white swan graced the water in the stately manner only a swan can achieve. If you want to know more about this story you will have to purchase a copy of Tales2Inspire’s next edition as Linda wrote this, especially for this publication. She is looking for an appropriate title, but for now, she simply calls it, A Teacher In My Life.

Next up, Bill Elam shared a short piece he’s written to accompany his book about a nameless old man and a group of nameless characters. He’s been asked by those who’ve heard portions of the story, “Are your characters real people?” In reply this and other questions he wrote these Author’s Comments, and the final word on the reality of his characters, YES, THEY ARE AS REAL AS YOUR MEMORIES. Does that answer the question? Bill, we can’t wait for the book to be published.