Hello again. Due to illness (notably mental overload), I failed to present a blog for the meeting on Feb 5th. I subsequently destroyed my notes in an overzealous purge of desk fodder. Please excuse me; it’s not my first error, nor will it be my last.
FEB. 19, 2025
As usual, I polled what our writers have been doing since the last meeting. Most are continuing on ongoing projects, a couple are taking a break to recharge, and one is having eye surgery and will have to wait a while to read or write. Good Luck. I suggest you try audiobooks until they’re comfortable again; that’s what I did.
Ursula Wong suggested, “If you’re considering entering a contest or contacting a publisher which contacted you, check them out. Writer Beware’s blog covers many scams and links to web pages that do the same. This is not a recommendation, only one of many possibilities to protect writers from scams and illegal promotions.
Our meeting moved on to our reading and helping portion, with Ernie Ovitz sharing his newest project, The Ghost, for our interest. The story follows a modern Mob Family headed by an aging Capo, who has turned the daily operations over to a young heir. Under the guise of a Denver-based hedge fund, the heir is heavily involved with a Chinese underworld gang. Extremely powerful and ruthless, they have lashed out at a perceived wrong by sabotaging the airplane carrying the brother of an ex-US President. The oxygen system in the aircraft failed, killing all aboard. When it flew, unpiloted, into Cuban air space, the Cuban Air Force shot it down. An international commission is now investigating the incident and the Hedge Fund operations.
The Future of History is what Bruce Haedrich entitles his latest work. Spinning off his successful GAIA publication, Bruce looks back over time, comparing the actions of previous civilizations to our present dilemmas. Pointing out the lack of change in Human Nature, Bruce contends we may be committed to making the same mistakes our ancestors made again and again. Although this theme has been touted time after time, Bruce uses snippets of history in stories to illustrate his points. If only a single person changes, it’s a win for mankind.
Bill Elam is a storyteller akin to those who sat around the campfires of yore and spun their tales as the youngsters listened, learned, and understood what must be done to keep their families safe. His sonorous tone and rhythm take us back in our minds to those evenings listening to the stories, oft-repeated, seldom ignored, and always needed to remind us of our history and duties.
That Was Yesterday is a poem by Don Westerfield, our senior statesman among poets. With the appropriate words, Don laments the passing of a partner who spent many days with him. One who “touched his heart in every way, but… that was yesterday.” Songs often hold a place in our lives for as long as we live. Remembrance Song is a poem about one such ballad that always brings forth a singular memory of a single night in one’s past, “I’ll Rember You.”
Gary Conkol is an experienced technical writer who sees writing as a technical skill that can follow a pattern for each story. He views AI (Artificial Intelligence) as a tool rather than a substitute for producing a viable story. Used wisely, AI can enhance a story; if used verbatim, it is seriously flawed. However, using the intent of an AI suggestion may produce a well-thought-out work. Using the format of The Federalist Papers, a collection of essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay under the collective pseudonym “Publius,” to promote the ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1787. Gary suggests that four new essays may be hiding somewhere, The Last American, You Are Not Alone, In Defense of Charity, and We Need More American Citizens. Maybe we could look for Publius 2025?
Patriotism is not exclusive to the United States, as Ursula Wong shows us in her newest novel, Strategic Deception. Grace Urban is an exceptionally talented programmer and writer who develops an app that can potentially destroy the world. To save a close friend and family in Lithuania, she must give her app to a vicious leader of the Russian Mafia, who in turn gives it to an officer in the Russian GRU. Ursula is now working on a second book, The Last Soviet, with a working title. Will Grace, now a CIA operative, be able to stop Russia’s use of her app?
James Kelly’s stories of the Mackenzie family show men and women dedicated to life in and supporting the U.S. Military. Yes, despite a few flaws, they are good and honest. The United States prepared to engage in the conflict as WWI raged in Europe. Johnathon, freshly graduated from the Norwalk Military School, prepares for his role in the fight. He knows he must leave a girl, Lizzy, behind. This dilemma is still faced by lovers and spouses in the military today. How does Johnathon MacKenzie resolve it?
Well, there you have it. We’ve been left with quite a few cliffhangers. We must wait patiently for the next meeting, Wednesday, March 5th, at the Nokomis Firehouse training room. We hope to see y’all there. We start up around 6:30 PM. Until then, read, read, and read some more–and most of all, KEEP ON WRITING.
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