April 1. 2026

Welcome back. We open the meeting on April 1, 2026, with a promise not to pull off any April Fool’s pranks.

 

Do you use dashes in your writing? There are three popular dashes, em(—), en(–), and hyphen (-). Several articles mentioned that many publishers/editors discourage the use of em dashes in popular writing. They are a legitimate type of punctuation. The em dash is the width of an M in type and is often used to set off additional information. For example:

·         The grocery store—known for its great bakery—was very busy. 

 

The em dash can also be used for an abrupt change in thought or an interruption.

·         I was halfway to the store—but I realized I’d forgotten my wallet.

An em dash can introduce a Summary or an Explanation.

·         We had one goal in mind—making enough money to pay for the car.

In dialogue, it can indicate an interruption.

·         “It was just a—” “No, let me finish!”

Easy ways to insert an em dash in MS Word are: two hyphens without a space --. In some versions, this will work, but not always. Press the Ctrl and Alt keys at the same time as you press the minus key (Ctrl+Alt+- = —.) You can also use the Insert tab and choose the em dash symbol, but for me, this is too time-consuming and difficult to find the proper symbol.

There are other ways to accomplish the scenarios listed above, but you are the author; use whatever method you think is best suited to the work you are doing. Note that the em dash does not have a space before or after it. That is not always the case with the en dash.

The en dash is the width of an N in type and is often used to set off a range in numbers, dates, or times.

·         “Please attend the meeting scheduled for 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM.”

·         “We will discuss pages 19 – 22 in the operations manual.”

·         “The Miami–New York flight has been delayed.”

·         “The Father–Son dinner has been canceled.”

If you are using a Compound Modifier with one of the elements being a compound adjective as a multi-word phrase, use an en dash.

·         The post–graduation party is in Victor’s Hall.

Note the space before and after the en dash in the time and date scenarios (numerical), while there is no space in the text.

In many cases, a hyphen can be used without many readers noticing. Use the hyphen when using compound words or multi-word phrases. Don’t be afraid of the hyphen; it’s a handy tool, a punctuation mark used to join words or parts of words. Be careful, it is not interchangeable with the em dash or en dash.

Have I confused you enough? I think so. Let’s move on to the meeting notes about the readings.

Ernie Ovitz led off the reading session with an excerpt from his latest story, The Crucible. The patriarch of the Chicago mob died at his Florida home. The upper echelon of the organization came to Sarasota for the wake, funeral, and send-off dinner. Ernie gave us an insight into what such a gathering and its almost unlimited financial resources can provide. The alcohol and food were top-of-the-line vintage and prepared by world-class Michelin-starred chefs. Agosto Santino, called El Patrino by his associates, had been the pattern for a typical mob boss. Cruel, bloodthirsty, and unforgiving in his younger days, he changed in his declining years. Using funds generated by nefarious means, he set up a financial program specifically designed to legitimize the questionable funding and use the profits to provide a retirement for his soldiers in the organization. The fund had grown to an enormous amount and was still growing. The fund and its administration were handed over to Leonardo Santino, Agosto’s nephew, the head of a group of Hedge Funds based in Colorado. The problem? Leonardo didn’t want to have dealings with his uncle’s old associates. How’s that going to work out? Look for the book on Amazon soon.

 

When Don Westerfield took possession of the lectern, we knew we were in for a poetry lesson. Having visited the historic battlefield in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Don sat down and wrote his verse entitled “Forgotten.” The forlorn message, read with the twang of a real country boy, stirs emotions, allowing us to hear the wind passing over the now-quiet battlefield, to feel the pain of the fallen, and to understand the loneliness of the unknown left behind. In his second verse under the title of “Old Chum.” Don speaks to an old friend from his youthful self. His words bring forth memories of yesteryear for me; for some, the word may apply only days or hours hence. The last line bears an apology for tears wept upon the “Chum’s” stone.

 

Have you ever dreamed of space travel? Remember those books and television shows that show the wonders of other planets. Well, Gary Conkol is midway through a story of space travel that takes us to Mars. A group of visionaries and brilliant scientists developed space travel so sophisticated that they can reach Mars in mere minutes instead of weeks and have established a colony on the red planet. There, they discover pictures of what may be ancient Martians; they look very much like earthlings, except for their eyes. Their eyes closely resemble…

 

Nadia’s story continues. Bruce Haedrich brings Chris and Nadia back to Chris’s home in Florida. They arrive late at night; Chris is glad he doesn’t have to face Nancy until the next day. Finally, at six o’clock that evening, Chris and Nadia met Nancy for dinner. It was awkward, even though Nancy and Nadia hugged, and Chris gave Nancy a kiss. When asked about the future, Nadia says, “We plan to settle somewhere in the States, far away from a major city.” Nancy sets a trap, “Who’s we?” she asks Nadia. In a private conversation the next morning, Nancy plants a sliver of doubt in Chris’s mind about Nadia being humanized. Is there trouble brewing in paradise?

 

Bob Miller, like most of us, husbands and wives, feels an obligation to attend his wife’s class reunion. In this case, they travel from their home in Michigan to Sidney, Montana, for the big event. Bob, being Bob, decides he’ll take the name tag of an alum they know won’t be in attendance. The highlights of the trip are the rodeo and Bob being crowned the alum who changed the most in appearance. Oh, by the way, Bob, I was looking at the Montana Police Blotter this weekend. There’s a warrant out for someone who looks a lot like you.

 

It’s 1918 in France as James H. Kelly begins to read from Chapter 17 of Advance the Line. A thunderous volley of artillery exploding rips Lieutenant Madkenzie from his half-sleep. The barrage continues walking its way down the trench line of the 102^nd Infantry. The concussions hammered the line. The hands on his watch glowed in the darkness, showing 4:00 AM. Shaken awake, but alert and ready, the men scanned the no-man’s-land for movement. The machine gun posts were silent, men straining their eyes to pierce the darkness. “JETZT!” came the command in German, meaning NOW.

The evening ended with Rod Digruttolo reading an excerpt from Chapter 47 of his latest work, The Garden’s Secret. Dale Anderson is a Special Investigator for the Sheriff’s Department of Clay County, Georgia. He is investigating a 50-plus-year-old murder case in which four young girls were raped and murdered. Dale reports to the Sheriff about his latest findings. A murder in Tennessee, suspected to be committed by the same killer, is proven to be the work of a deranged man who committed suicide shortly after the murder. The chapter moves the story along, keeping the mystery alive.

 

THAT’S ALL, FOLKS, at least for this writing. We hope to see y’all at the next meeting, April 15^th. at the Firehouse in Nokomis. Until then, READ, Read, and read some more. Then WRITE, Write, and write some more great stories.