Linda asks that I post this for all our members.

Linda Schell, Marketing Volunteer
Writers on the Air
97.5 FM 501C-3
Member of Ed Ellis's Englewood Group
Member of ABC Authors and Illustrators


ATTENTION: Open Mic live on 97.5 FM . . . Every Sunday WKDW 97.5 FM nonprofit radio invites amateur writers, poets, and comedians to perform or READ their poem, story, or screen play on its weekly program, "Writers on the Air." (3 to 4 minutes is suggested per round). We want funny or family-friendly content.  Sign-up: 2:30. Airs live: 3:04.

After the show a participating visitor who reads may be eligible for a three-minute author interview that is posted on the “Writers on the Air” Facebook page.

Join us at Common Grounds Meeting Hall, 12735 US-41, North Port and relax in our family-friendly BYOB Listening Room, which offers comfortable seating. Find us next door to WKDW 97.5 FM radio station in the Springs Plaza just south of Caddy Carts if heading south from Venice.  The public is WELCOME. Readers need not be published.

For details, contact Linda Schell, Lschell2@verizon.net, 941-223-1262. Please visit our FACEBOOK PAGE: “Writers on the Air.”

January 22, 2020

Welcome back. Our second meeting in 2020 was well attended. Two new attendees joined fifteen regulars this week. JoAnn McGraph and Doaa Talees (excuse me if I misspelled a name) attended their first meeting while Lois Stern returned for her annual escape from the icy winds of Long Island.

This was the last meeting in January, our first meeting in February will take place on our usual first Wednesday of the month, Feb 5th. We’re back on schedule the first and third Wednesday of the month. 

Last meeting, we enjoyed a look as some words not often used in today’s lexicon. While many of us knew their meaning, we seldom, if ever, use the words. This week Scott Anderson heard another word, used by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States while seemingly scolding prosecuting and defense teams giving their opening statements at the Presidential Impeachment Trial, he accused both teams of pettifoggery. Do you know what it means? Dictionary.com defines it as:
1. to bicker or quibble over trifles or unimportant matters.
2. to carry on a petty, shifty, or unethical law business.
3. to practice chicanery of any sort.

Regardless of your political views, the use of a word not often used in twentieth or twenty-first-century speech is interesting and, as writers, we must take note of the language used around us. I do not promote writing with a thesaurus at hand in order to search out uncommon words as you write, but I do promote using the strongest verbs, nouns, adjectives, and adverbs when needed to make your writing stand out. Be careful, use the adjectives and adverbs judiciously, too much can ruin a great story.

Our last meeting saw the group read answers to a challenge; write a story using or about the phrase Stay low, don’t fight, in 35 words or less. The results were varied and interesting. Following the same vein, another challenge was issued; in 35 words or less write a story about Firehouse. The results were remarkable, ranging from wailing sirens to sizzling submarine sandwiches, the super flash fiction entries covered even ships at sea in prose, dialogue, and poetry. We do meet at the Firehouse in Nokomis, Florida and are forever grateful for the use of the hall. As a small token of our appreciation, the group wants all the Firehouse entries emailed to me, rodshs62@hotmail.com for printing and inclusion in a publication to be presented to the Firefighters and Officers of this station. If you’ve written longer stories or even a novel about firefighters and firehouse life, please allow us to share that with these brave men and women who risk life and limb to protect us from disaster. You never know what you’ll get when you challenge a group of writers. The challenge issued for next meeting is somewhat daunting, Summarize the novel, Moby Dick, in a single sentence of 35 words or less.  Ed Ellis has figuratively nailed a $5 bill to the mast for the writer who does it with the shortest sentence.

We moved on to the reading portion of our meeting. Opening with Don Westerfield reading two wonderful poems, First Snow of Winter addresses the wonders seen in the first snowfall of the season. Displeased birds, curious rodents, bare trees giving up the last stubborn leaves, and children’s enchantment are vividly expressed in Don’s expressive work. Inspired by an old man remembered from his past, The Old Bachelor expresses a man’s memories and regrets over a lifetime in which “If only” became his mantra.

Barb Marvin revisited Chapter One of her novel Defenseless. Having rewritten the chapter, she presented it for our assessment. A consensus of “much better” met her reading of a suspense-filled scene in which a mysterious man drives through the darkness of post-midnight toward an ominous mission in rural Sarasota County. Tension builds until culminating in a cliffhanging action which primed the group to hear more. Great job Barb.

A letter to a new student whom Ed Ellis is mentoring delivers a message of inspiration as the next phase of life dawns. In the closing paragraph, sage advice warning not to attempt to work toward success and failure at the same time by narrowing viewpoints is given and we hope heeded.

In a chapter entitled The Patriots, Bill Elam presents an open-ended scene where a group of men gather around a firepit and share experiences. As the old men relive and remember experiences gained in life through war and peace, the young listen hoping to learn about life and the price some may have paid. Where in his story does this belong? Is the old man of his story a teller or a listener in this scene?

Have you ever wondered how hurricanes are formed? If you get a chance to read Bruce Haedrich’s story, The Storm, do so. Depicting a dry swirl of wind in the Sahara as a living being, the story follows it from birth to its final moments and reads as a romantic tale. Struggling to survive in a hostile world, the wind grows, meets and joins a community, falls in love, and mates with elements met on land, in the sky, and on the ocean to form the mature storm marching to its death on another shore. Intriguing, with a sensual bent, the writing is superb and fun to read.

A Letter Never Sent by Jane Forgey held wonderful thoughts and recapped the history of friendship fostered by what began as a commercial relationship. As the owner of a café, Jane befriended a couple as they became regular customers while vacationing in her area. After years of association they were fast friends and shared tales of travel, experiences, and personal outlook on life. Tragedy struck as the male half of the couple passed away and the reason for vacations died with him. The letter remains unsent, even after many years have passed.

Science Fiction stories and politics are Ian Schagen’s preferred genres. A chapter from Armontiriath, his latest work, sets up a story with unlimited possible outcomes with both subjects taking center stage. As the starship hurtles through space, an insurrection involving passengers and a member of the command staff change the ship's course and mission. Where will it lead, only Ian’s mind will lead us there.

Poet Scott Anderson presented work with both melodic structure and meter combined with a deeply moving subject. Clouds of Separation presents four, four-line stanzas without refrain, which beg to explain one’s faith or questioning of faith. How the simple collection of moisture seems to hang as a curtain separating heaven and earth and represent a barrier across which we struggle to see is expressed so beautifully. Look for Scott’s collection, hopefully soon.

When aboard a vessel at sea or in the inland waterways of a country, hazards abound. Who would expect to be awakened in the darkest hours by the U.S. Coast Guard while anchored in a protected cove? JoAnn Buell and her husband experienced such trauma while sailing up the intercoastal waterway on the Atlantic coast. In A Bad Night, she tells us, that while riding out a bit of inclement weather, it seems they trespassed into the waters of a military facility. Tired, the couple anchored for the night doing their best to find a leeward position seeking protection from wind and rain. The midnight hail of a cutter ordering them to move or face impounding of their boat, brought them from their bed naked as newborn babes and scrambling to find robes. All’s well that ends well, however. This is only one of many stories JoAnn has written as she journaled her way through the voyage. I hope we get to see them all one day.

Closing out the evening, Lois Stern read of her beloved uncle in Unkie and His Tell-tale Trail of Smoke. A frugal but fun-loving man, Unkie was seldom without his pipe. Even as a firefighter, he once failed to extinguish the pipe before putting in his pocket as he clung to the rear step of a fire engine racing to fight a fire. From family gatherings to his final days in an assisted living facility, his pipe was as much a part of him as any body part. The full story can be found in the latest edition of Tales2Inspire.

Well, that’s all for today. Join us one of these evenings at the Nokomis Fire Station. We have fun, you’ll hear some really good stories and meet interesting people. Our second meeting in February will feature a presentation by Ed Ellis, an hour about Models for Publicizing your books. Join us and, until then, KEEP ON WRITING.

Volunteers needed for the 2020 Southwest Florida Writers Conference

Volunteers are needed for the 2020 Southwest Florida Writers Conference
       
     The conference will be held, April 18, at the Port Charlotte Cultural Center in Port Charlotte, 2280 Aaron St, Port Charlotte, FL 33952. www.southwestfloridawritersconference.com


      Not registering for the conference? We could use your services as a volunteer. 
      The doors open for volunteers at 7 am. Check-in begins at 8 am and the first workshops begin at 9 am. 
• - Room monitors - an opportunity to listen to all the workshops held in one of six workshops. Training will be given for room monitors on how to use the AV equipment. 
• - Timekeepers - Keep things moving by keeping the attendees meeting the agents and local faculty on time in one to one sessions. 
• - Check-in desk - check off attendees as they arrive and hand out the swag bags, name tags, and programs
• - Agent transportation - pick up an agent from a local airport and bring them to their hotel. A great way to interact with an agent on a personal level someone attending the conference, or a room monitor. We will have to coordinate the agents' arrival and departure times with their transportation volunteers. They will also need transportation from the hotel to the cultural center. Lots of chat time with a NY agent.
 All volunteers will receive coffee in the morning, lunch and dinner and are welcome to stay and listen to the Keynote speaker as a thank you. contact Joanne Tailele - Joanne.tailele@gmail.com

A Note from Lois Stern

January 16, 2020

I recently sent this to my NY writers' group members and thought it might be helpful to some of the Sarasota group as well: 

How Important are book reviews anyway?

In a recent blog by Jeniffer Thompson, a Personal Branding Expert & Digital Marketing Strategist from San Diego, Ca. she wrote:

Reviews are directly linked to book sales on Amazon because that’s what drives their algorithms. The more reviews you have, the more people will see your book. The more people that see your book, the greater the chances are that someone will buy it, and therefore review it. You see where this is going, right? Due to Amazon’s algorithms, if you have less than 10 good reviews, your book will likely never be seen. 

Two things I know for sure: How important it is to get Amazon posted reviews and how hard it is to get them! So, I am asking you each to join in that effort. 

Here are a couple of ideas you might try to make it easier for potential reviewers. But know in advance there is a caveat to posting reviews. The reviewer must have spent a minimum of $50 on Amazon purchases to qualify. No problem for most of us, so let me move on.

1. On a time crunch? Aren’t we all! Suggest that potential reviewers read a specific portion of your book to get its flavor. (Maybe 35-50 pages). Honest, you don’t have to read the entire book to get a good feel for it.
2. You might try offering some discussion questions to help target several key points in your book. I have made it super easy for my readers by posting BOOK REVIEW DISCUSSION QUESTIONS at the end of each Tales2Inspire book. (See attached sample)
3. And be sure to offer folks a FREE book in exchange for an honest review (Ask that they post it within 30 days, or they are likely to forget.).

Think about it for a moment. How many books will you review for your fellow authors in 2000?

Lois W. Stern
Creator of Tales2Inspire® - an 'Authors Helping Authors’ Project/Contest

January 8th, 2020

January 8th, 2020

The first meeting of 2020 was well attended, 13 lucky writers including 2 first-time attendees were in attendance. Welcome to Santiago Gallegos and Joann Buell. I hope you enjoyed our meeting and plan to return.

Unfortunately, our co-host and good friend Ernie Ovitz was under the weather and chose not to share his misfortune with us. Get well soon, we miss you.

Rod presented a list of 28 unusual words, more likely known to our older writers than youngsters, they ranged from Bamboozled and Discombobulated to Whatchamacallit and Whippersnapper. If you would like the list, email me at rodshs62@hotmail.com. Be sure to include Writer's Group in the subject line.

A month ago, more like 6 weeks actually, a challenge was issued to the group by Peter Frickel, write a story in 35 words or less using the phrase, Stay Low, Don’t Fight. Eleven writers present took up the gauntlet and several presented multiple entries; all were interesting. From the trenches of WWI to reasoning a will to live in this modern world the mini-stories each struck chords of excitement in the listeners. Great job, so much fun the group asked for more. Scott Anderson suggested, and we accepted the challenge for the next meeting to write a 35-word mini-story about a Firehouse. Good luck. Since we meet in a firehouse, this should be interesting.

We progressed into the reading portion of the meeting after a short discussion concerning a few minor points each of us face when writing. Some good general knowledge.

Bruce Haedrich led us off with a piece of flash fiction entitled The Phone Call. A dialed cell phone with the daughter's correct number input was answered by a familiar voice, not his daughter. The voice belonged to his departed brother who’d passed away some time earlier. The conversation which ensued was both disturbing and enlightening. Less than three minutes were consumed as the brothers talked. A well-educated scientist, his brother explained how the call may have occurred and what might have happened. Bruce was even more befuddled and when the signal weakened and static obliterated his brother’s voice, he was loath to hang up, but hang up he must with questions unanswered and bewilderment compounded. Was this real or a dream? 

When Tish McAuley took the stage, she read a part of her memoir in progress. After moving to Siesta Key, she watched her family fall even deeper into a dysfunctional chasm. Her older brothers began drinking and heavy drug use, emulating their mother. When a local pharmacy was burglarized, her brothers were suspects. The little sister, Tish was often discounted as a pest, but when she led the police to the stolen drugs her brothers knew they must watch out for her. From then on, she was included with a vow of secrecy. They gave her the first beer when she was still a child. Alcohol became her portal of escape from the world into which she was thrust. How did she know things? From where did the knowledge come? Was she crazy? Or, does she have a way of seeing beyond here vision?

Letters, not the things which form words, but tomes filled with information we send to friends and relatives. Peter Frickel loves letters, handwritten and personal. He’s even filling a book with letters from and to friends and acquaintances. Letters are our thoughts, our feelings, nurtured as we would our children, and shared with those whom we love. All writers must have an affinity for letters, past and present.

Bill Elam has returned from his Kentucky home to spend some months with us in the warmth of Florida. A refinement to the opening chapters of his work, I think the working title may be Ripples, follows the consequences of an old couple which might or might not live in Florida. Bill’s story is a bit unique, powerful, and engaging. His characters have no names, often the plot is abstract and allows the reader much leeway in interpreting the story. The old couple lives unremarkable lives except in the eyes and hearts of those whom they befriend. When published, this will be a fantastic read.

Scott Anderson came through with another provocative poem as he presented his, Winds of my Native Land. Homesick for those who shaped his young world and the environment of his past, Scott’s well-crafted words sent a chill up the spines of his listeners. Well done, Scott.

One of our new attendees, Santiago Gallegos, read a piece he’d written for friends who’ve recently purchased their first home in Florida. Prose with a lyrical twist honored the Sunshine Girls. Well written and on point, the piece shows a romantic soul directing the words of this author.

Ending the readings, Susan Haley read a poem written a few years back which still carries resonance with Susan today. Resiliency depicts Susan’s will to survive and bounce back from adversity. How would we survive if not resilient?

It was a great evening and, even though we are off schedule this month, well attended. For those of you who couldn’t make it this time, we hope to see you on January 22nd at the Nokomis Firehouse. Until then, KEEP ON WRITING.