July 17th, 2024

 It’s Florida in July, so it is hot, but that didn’t deter nine writers from attending our meeting, including Barbara Frickel. Welcome Barbara. It’s always good to see you.

Thank goodness for air conditioning. Having grown up in this area, I didn’t used to mind the heat. But now, as I approach the beginning of my eightieth year, the heat takes its toll on my endurance.

As eight of our nine attendees looked to read some of their work, we immediately moved into the reading portion of the meeting, starting with Barbara Frickel, who read an excerpt from Peter’s unfinished work. An aging Legionnaire, who remains unnamed, attends his love, Mammon, as she lies in repose on her deathbed. He knows she is in pain as she slips slowly toward the end of her earthly stay. A silent whisper of his respect escapes his lips as he cajoles himself, “Be brave, like a man.”

 

The history of Rome and those who ruled it is rife with stories of great courage and evil. With so much power and wealth available, corruption was inevitable. Even those who sat in the seat of ultimate power yearned for more. Ernie Ovitz tells us how some of Rome’s vast wealth in the Western Empire came under the protection of a lowly Miller in Gaul. Emperor Constantine’s father-in-law, Maximain a deposed Emperor, attempts to regain his throne and dispatches a nefarious general to Gaul to recover the treasury so that he could solidify the position he’d gained by deception. Where was the wealth of a nation? The general searched the mill to no avail. The loyal Miller had hidden the Empire’s gold well.

 

In Chapter Four of Gnomes, Danny Spurlock tells us of a young gardener named Liam whose garden is being disturbed by Gnomes. Ten-year-old Liam must go to a place of danger for a solution. Behind the pump-house in the park, teenage bullies often hang out and have been known to abuse youngsters who venture into their claimed territory. But Liam must invade the forbidden site to find Rose, a girl believed to know the secret to expelling the unwanted Gnomes from Liam’s garden. Using every ounce of courage he could muster, Liam finds Rose, but Chaz, a notorious bully, is there too. Facing his fear, Liam confronts Chaz and is surprised when Rose rebukes Chaz and comes to Liam’s aid. She also tells him of Pink Flamingos! Stay tuned for more next time.

 

Bruce Haedrich brings us another of his Dan Marin mysteries. After struggling with the opening chapter, Bruce launches into the story as Dan sets out on a mission to find the person or persons responsible for the murder of his wife and children in Washington, D.C. Before he can begin, Dan must take care of the funeral for his family. As they are citizens of Oceana, a country made up of fleets of ships, they have a burial at sea of the cremated remains of Dan’s wife and two children, and Dan plans his subsequent actions.

 

 

Don Westerfield continued his tale of two people thrust into the war in Europe in 1941. The Pilot and Nurse are each married but wish to become lovers. Thwarted in their attempts to be together, they take a trip into the countryside of England. Fate intervenes, and they are recalled to duty before they can take action based on their desires. A transfer, our pilot, is needed in South Africa, but the nurse will remain in London. Will their desires ever find fruition?

 

One of the advantages of our group is that it is made up of eclectic authors. We get to hear great prose interspersed with fantastic poetry. Tanya Young graced us this evening with a poem entitled, The Wild Edge of Things. Tanya reads her work well, and we can hear the excitement and anticipation of her work in her voice. Much of poetry’s enjoyment can come with the delivery. Thank you, Tanya.

 

Military history is James H. Kelly’s forte. Jim is embarking on a fifth story after completing four books, now in print and as ebooks available on Amazon. It is a continuation of the MacKenzie family’s service to their country. A fourth generation of MacKenzies goes to war. This time in Europe during the Great War, WWI. A new weapon for the U.S. Army is coming. New heroes join the fight as the young MacKenzie joins George Patton at the newly formed Tank School as the Yankee Division, the 26^th Division, is formed.

 

Rod read from a new mystery he’s begun. A grave is found in an overgrown garden. The fifty-two-year-old grave of Dolf Duggan, unearthed while expanding a garden, reopens a missing person case. Dolf’s only surviving brother comes to claim the remains. The Sheriff raises doubts about Dolf’s guilt or innocence.

 

Well, that's about it for this session, but remember, Read, read, read, and KEEP ON WRITING.

July 3rd, 2024

 It was a damp evening on our nation’s birthday eve, but seven stalwart writers met at the firehouse. Because there were only seven attendees, we had time to discuss what and how we do things in our writing lives. Rod brought up a situation in which a person with whom he’s had correspondence asked him for a critique of a story recently written.

How do you critique writing?

1. When you know the writer?

2. When the person writing the piece is unknown to you?

3. When the writer is a member of your Writer’s Group?

As we pondered these questions, one word emerged as the cornerstone of our critique process: HONESTY. It's the key to our approach, whether we're critiquing a friend, a stranger, or a fellow writer in our group.

Whether the writer is a friend, stranger, or business acquaintance, critique should be honest but tactful. Don’t be rude. Always consider the purpose of the piece and what the writer is attempting to do with it. Each of us has our writing style and must be considerate of others in forming a critique. Peter Frickel once said, “No matter how you say it, a critique is critical.”  It is best to point out apparent errors of any ilk, grammar, spelling, and the like, but challenging the expressed ideas is unnecessary. Sure, if the ideas are not transparent or factually incorrect, note that and suggest a change. But, before recommending a change, ensure what you are suggesting is factually correct and not simply an opinion expressed by yourself or even an expert in the field. Make sure it is a proven fact! Remember, you are making suggestions, not rewriting another’s work. The writer may ignore your suggestions; they are the author.

As we navigate the challenging terrain of critique, we approach the reading portion of our evening. Here, we listen and critique, recognizing that each critique is a chance to learn and grow in our craft.

Starting the evening, Dennis Cathcart read us an appropriate piece entitled The Cone of Uncertainty. This time of year, along the coast of the United States, we live with the possibility of experiencing a hurricane. Predicting the path of these storms has improved over the years, but it’s still not an exact science. With each storm, an area in advance of the swirling winds widens from the point precisely positioning the storm’s center, or eye as it’s known, to where the eye will pass. The further out, the wider the predicted path becomes. It forms a cone-shaped area depicting the eye’s path, the cone of uncertainty. We live in that area much of the time during the storm season. As the storm nears and the cone contracts, we prepare. Often, storms move, and our preparations prove unneeded as in Dennis’ case on several occasions, but it was still expensive. Dennis expresses his feelings well in the last two sentences, “Maybe it’s from spending my life in Florida, in and out of the danger zone of hurricanes, or perhaps from a lifetime of travels and adventures to places few have known? No, I’ll take living ‘in the cone’ any day.

 

Gnomes is the title of Danny Spurlock’s youth-oriented story. Searching for anyone who has experience or knows about gnomes, our young gardener speaks to people in the neighborhood who might help him rid, or at least make peace, with a pair of gnomes who mess with his garden and gardening tools. He’s directed to speak with a girl who often hangs out behind the pump house in the park, an area known to harbor tough teens usually looking for trouble. Passing through an opening in the surrounding fence, a feeling of dread envelopes him.

 

It’s WWII, and Don Westerfield’s story of two young Americans stationed in England continues. Able to wangle a weekend off, the pilot and a beautiful nurse, both married to others still back in the States, set off exploring the countryside of England outside London. They spend a night in an inn. She is reluctant to enter into an affair, but nothing happens. But, the next day, they visit the surrounding area and return to the inn, planning on consummating their relationship. However, the innkeeper delivers a message to the pilot. It's an order to return to base at once.

 

Returning to the Dan Marin series of mysteries, Bruce Haedrich brings us a new tale. Bruce struggles with the opening chapter as he introduces a terrible moment in Dan Marin’s life. The Fugitive tells of Marin’s quest to find out who caused the death of his wife and children and bring them to justice. How will he finally get the opening paragraph to set the stage and provide a reason to keep reading?

 

Well, that sets the stage for our next meeting, which will be held on July 17th at the fire hall, as usual. Until you join us again, Keep On Writing.