August 16, 2023

It’s hot and raining, but seven intrepid writers showed up for our meeting tonight. The pre-meeting conversation allowed us to catch up on our latest projects outside of writing. We are a busy lot. Our co-host, Ernie Ovitz, could not attend tonight, and we missed him.

 

Leading off the reading portion of the meeting was Don Westerfield. He read two poems. His style and use of words have always amazed me, and tonight was no exception. Don’s first offering was Dementia, a “poem that hits close to home;

“I thought I saw her again today,

her face admidst the crowd,

a young girl from my yesterday.

She looks as if she’s proud,”

 are the opening lines of a poem that grab your heart. Before reading the second poem, Night Walker, Don explained, “My poems are not from personal experience. They are fiction.” A man wanders at the edge of the deep bay and contemplates his demise. Does he or doesn’t he?

 

Aquatania – The Silent Planet is a new work by Bruce Haedrich. After reading the first portion of the story, Bruce received several suggestions on how to draw in his readers on the first page. Two threads are immediately noted: an aerospace company is embarking on a massive project, and a romance is blooming. I wonder what can go wrong with these situations.

 

As Richard Cope took the floor, we waited to hear his work. What would it be? Prose? Poetry? Or maybe something else, a Screen Play? Three poems, The Eve of 69, let us feel the movement of time as years slipped by in his reading. Then we traveled to Venice, Italy, as he read The Bridge of Sighs. But the magic turned dark as the Devil whispered in the beguiling, Feed My Sheep.

 

It’s always interesting when you find your work in print, especially some older pieces you’d almost forgotten. Dennis Cathcart was given a pair of books, bound editions of the magazine House Plant. In the books, Dennis found work he’d written years earlier. “Sage Advice, Always Tell The Truth” tells of a time when a slight variation in a story caused a considerable misunderstanding. With a new book on the market, that advice is bearing fruit. His detailed stories leave no doubt as to how it happened.

 

Gary Conkol brings us a new story of a person named Ken who is invited to an unknown destination by someone named Al, not Alfred or Alyouish, just Al. Al was a man he’d only met once at a technical conference. Ken couldn’t know details except for a list of items to be packed into a single bag and when he must be ready to go. That information was posted on a website. Would you go? Will Ken go?

 

We have a lot to look forward to at the next meeting. Will we hear some more of these stories? Or will the authors read the same piece with a rewrite in place? It doesn’t matter; we’re here to help each other and always love to hear good writing. So, until next time, KEEP ON READING AND KEEP ON WRITING.

 

August 2nd, 2023

Welcome back. Golly, this summer heat is keeping me indoors. Writers up north spend the winters indoors writing or move south to write in the splendor of our Florida winters. Those of us who live year-round in Florida spend our winters enjoying the great outdoors and writing during the hot summer weather. Well, at least I do. How about you?

Eight of us were available tonight at the Firehouse. To open the meeting, Rod read an article written by Cory Van’t Haaff about writing contests. Included in the report was a warning about “Scams” incorporated in a few of the competitions. While it is normal for fees to enter a piece, it offsets the costs, creates a cash pool for prizes, and provides an honorarium for the judges. Unfortunately, some unethical contests simply pocket the money without judging the entries. “You are a Winner!” says the email, “For only $49.95, you can purchase the anthology in which your story is published.” The truth is every entry is considered a winner, and the scam is to get you to purchase a book at a grossly inflated price. We encourage writers to enter contests, but be sure it is a legitimate competition. Not all contests offer prize money, and many do give you a chance to get your work published. Some offer editing help. Be careful of those who charge outrageous fees for the service. Do your homework, and check with your local writer’s group to see if any of the authors in it have experience with the contest in question. Good Luck!

 

We had plenty of time to listen to four of our writers read their latest work. Ernie Ovitz led off with another chapter of his dystopian short story, The Watchtower, featuring Commander Michael Adam West. Bearding the beast, West enters the new One World Trade Center at the invitation of Lee Ming, the niece of Master Woo, his ally in New York. Ernie’s descriptions of the view and appointments of the building make the reader feel as if they are really present at the site. Tension vibrates throughout the story, but my heart beats faster in this setting as the reading progresses.

 

Don Westerfield took the podium with two poems. Falling Leaves and Flight Of Fancy. Don’s mastery of words is phenomenal. As he reads, the listener feels the emotion of an aging person’s view of life. The analogy of a tree shedding its leaves in autumn burns an image in their mind so natural one can’t help but realize the poet’s thoughts. For those who have flown alone in a small aircraft, especially in the pre-dusk hours of the evening, Don’s description puts us in that little airplane watching a sunset as only seen from that perspective.

Sentenced to Life Without Parole in a Maximum Security Prison, Richard Cope’s antagonist vows to escape. Little does he know that opportunity arrives courtesy of Mother Nature. A storm builds above the mountain and rushes toward the old prison. Winds swirl and spin, developing into a devastating tornado. It crashes onto the granite walls with force strong enough to decapitate buildings and dislodge stones the size of small cars. The once impenetrable walls are breached in minutes, and the inmates see a chance for freedom. Richard’s description of the storm and devastation allows the reader to feel as if they’ve experienced the horrors of such an event.

From the fertile mind of Bruce Hadrich comes a story entitled, The Girl in the Red Shirt. A Vietnam veteran wounded and nursed back to health falls in love with his nurse. Upon return to his home in Chicago, they plan to marry. While walking on a city street, the couple is accosted by members of a biker gang. They intend to rob the couple, but the nurse, Jesse Plotnic, is a beautiful woman wearing a bright red shirt, and the gang members decide to take her for their pleasure. The veteran fights to save her, and the gang leader hits Jesse with a billy club. Jesse is dead. The veteran vows revenge after the police have little evidence to prove the leader, Big John, committed the crime. On a cold rainy night in October, his chance comes. Does he or doesn’t he?

 Each time I leave a meeting, I’m filled with the desire to write even more than I usually am. I often go home, sit at the computer and knock out a few sentences simply because I can’t keep myself from writing something. I am honored to associate with talented people who inspire me. Tonight I’m pleased to receive a copy of Dennis Cathcart’s latest book, Koulèv, Adventures of an American Snake Hunter: Book Two. Thank you, Dennis. I thoroughly enjoyed Book One and look forward to reading more.  

Well, that’s about all for this time. We heard some great work and had excellent feedback from the group for our authors. Stay safe. If you’re in the heat, drink plenty of fluids, and don’t overdo the physical exercise. Above all, read and KEEP ON WRITING!