August 19th, 2026

First things first! In last meeting’s blog, I credited Scott Anderson with placing second in a Haiku publication; that was an error. Scott’s teacher in Haiku placed second, although Scott was not on the podium; his work is exceptional.

 

Welcome back. We started our evening off with a discussion of how we use AI. Of the ten members in attendance, all refused to let AI craft wording in their work. Editing programs that flag basic punctuation, spelling, missing, or doubled words are acceptable, but the writers prefer to make flagged corrections as needed.

However, most of our group accepts using AI as a research tool as long as authors provide and check information sources for reliability. Traditional research sites transitioned to AI early on, and most use the AI platform and provide source information. I still remember using an encyclopedia to search for facts. That set of volumes took up most of a bookshelf in my room, weighed well over fifty pounds, and was obsolete before the ink was dry.

                          One of several shelves in a library devoted to the encyclopedia.

Digging through 10, 15, 30 volumes of print to verify a paragraph’s content could be time-consuming and not always accurate because changes that occurred since the latest printing were not included in the older volumes. A set could cost more than $300 in the early 1960s. That’s about $ 3,000 today. What does today’s internet cost? How often is it updated? I leave you to remember, and for those of you too young to remember, LOOK IT UP!

 

Ernie Ovitz led us off in the reading this evening. Ernie shared Chapter 5 of his latest work The Roaring Lion. A café in the financial district of Chicago has a clientele of mixed occupations; commodities traders sit at a table next to construction workers fresh from remodeling the offices in an adjoining building. Suits from the law offices above, and an occasional man or woman off the street simply looking for a cup of coffee fill the tables of Frank’s Place. Frank’s has special rooms upstairs for special clients, like #1, Tony C. Tony Jr. has fallen from his father’s favor, at least in terms of his usefulness. He is a lawyer and functions well as consulari. But he cannot match Frank’s skills when it comes to solving Mob problems. Therefore, Frank is #2.

A Haiku is a poem nurtured by Asian Culture. Each poem has a meaning set down by the author, but the reader translates it into whatever meaning they see and feel in the words. Scott Anderson writes Haiku poems. Each of them carries his view of nature, human nature, and the world around him, but each of us hears the words and forms an opinion of what the author sees. As with most writing, the picture painted by the words is different in each reader’s mind’s eye. That is the beauty of writing.

 

Who else but Don Westerfield can combine his writing skills with extensive experience with warbirds like the venerable P-51 Mustang fighter? Stationed on an atoll in the Pacific during WWII, Lieutenant Benjamin Brown took the opportunity to find out if a monkey could learn to fly a P-51. An Army Air Corps officer compared his pilot’s capabilities to a Simian. This caused some discontent. Lt. Brown became the owner of a pet monkey, named Monk, and he decided to teach the little fellow to fly. There were a few unpleasant moments and a few disciplinary issues, but Benjamin’s Monkey did well, especially on long, boring missions. Then the squadron came across a large number of enemy aircraft. The squadron acquitted itself well. But Lt. Brown’s plane was reported to have taken major damage and was seen going down, trailing a lot of smoke. Thirty minutes after the squadron’s return, a single Mustang approached the airstrip, heavily damaged and smoking badly; it landed wheels up on its belly. The pilot, Lt. Brown, was dead. The only survivor was M…

 

Flash Fiction, short, precise, and a complete story, is not easy to write, especially for a novelist. But then Bruce Haedrich has never looked for the easy way to do his work. His story, The Honest Politician, meets all the criteria. It’s short, around 500 words, and it’s a complete story with a beginning, a middle, and an end. It is fiction, or so it seems. Based on the theory, all politicians lie; a politician runs his campaign on the basis that he may exaggerate, use false facts, and generally not tell the truth, but so what? Everyone else was lying, so he just didn’t answer the question directly. Would it work? I guess you’ll have to wait for Bruce to publish his Flash Fiction compilation to find out.

 

World War I rages on in Europe. French villages become bustling metropolises filled with military vehicles and personnel. James Kelly writes of a young U.S. Army officer in the first-ever U.S. Tank Corps training under George Patton in France. On the rare few hours of free time, the young MacKenzie enjoys a respite in a local Café. There he meets a young woman. Is she a widow? Is she someone of importance in the village? He doesn’t know, but she seems lonely. Look for Jim’s book, Advance the Line, to hit on Amazon.

 

Maybe it’s the season, or it could be a coincidence, but Dennis Cathcart shared his story, Séamus O’Shea’s Monkey. This is a rare departure into fiction for Dennis. His tales of hunting rare plants and reptiles fill two volumes of true experiences. Tonight, as Dennis read the opening lines, a melancholy but wondrous tale emerged. A magical monkey, a lonely man, and unrequited love lay in the offing. We must wait till the next meeting to discover the end of the tale.

 

Well, we’ve come to the end of another evening filled with stories and discussion. Join us September 5^th for another evening of Writers Helping Writers and hear some fascinating stories. In the meantime: READ, Read, and read some more, then WRITE, Write, and write some more.

 

August 5th, 2026

 

Forgive me, but I couldn't resist:😂

 It was a dark and stormy night; the lightning flashed, and the thunder rolled. Rain pelted the roof of the firehouse, and eight stalwart writers gathered to discuss the perils and positive energy of writing. 

Bob, did I hear that you left your windows open?

Well, we came together as we do the first and third Wednesday of the month to share our work and learn. We started off with a short discussion on Artificial Intelligence. We’re learning more and more about this tool. Several of us are using it as a research option. Those who do use it that way report it as an effective way to dig info out of the internet.

BTW—due to a technical glitch in this old man’s brain, the last blog posting was stuck in a nook or maybe a cranny and never reached its destination. I dug it out and posted it properly. Sorry about that.

* * * 

We entered into the reading portion of our meeting with Ernie Ovitz leading off. Ernie is working on a series of fictional stories that take us into the world of international finance influenced by politics, outlaws, and just plain old greed. His characters range from the righteous, hard-working investigator to the down-and-dirty mob boss who will do anything to get a buck, to a power-hungry politician bent on world domination. Ernie handles it well and gives us an engrossing story that keeps you wanting to read more. Tonight he read from the third book in the series, The Roaring Lion.

Sometimes we just need a break from our everyday lives. This week was Dennis Cathcart’s turn. He and his lovely wife spent a week at the beach, and Dennis, not bothered by the daily chores of home life, took the opportunity to write about an incident his wife, Linda, experienced at the beach. In the past year, the condo has made some changes, along with many needed repairs to the property and buildings. To prevent hurricane-driven water from encroaching upon the property, a large sand dune was constructed between the beach and the buildings. Linda was intent on taking advantage of the beach and set out on a trek with all the necessary materials. Beach chair, folding type, latest book, sun block, and other necessities in a beach bag. Dressed in a swimsuit, sandals, and a sun-shade hat, carrying the beach bag and folding chair, she made her way through the paved parking lot and stepped onto the sandy beach. A few steps more on the soft sand and she began to scale the side of the tall dune. Climbing the mountain of sand laden with all her accouterments became a near Huclean task. Two steps up, slide back one, repeat again and again. But Linda is a trooper; she persevered and finally made it to the top of the dune. Descending was easier; one step and she slid all the way to the bottom. There she was, on the beach of white sand under a midday sun in 95-degree humid weather with no shade except that provided by her hat. Sunscreen may keep you from getting sunburned, but it doesn’t provide cool. How long do you think she lasted? Probably longer than I would have. Tune in next time to hear the end of the story.

Bob Miller brought us something unique in his memoir this week: a chapter entitled Burning the Bridge to This Life. Bob is a believer in Cremation rather than Body Internment. He has written a chapter that is akin to a ‘voice from the grave’ giving us an argument for Cremation vs Internment. Bob says this memoir is for his family to read, not necessarily for general distribution, and he wants to include this to enforce his wishes. Why not?

 

When Scott Anderson entered a Haiku poem in an internationally acclaimed publication contest, he didn’t expect to win but wanted to see how he’d fare. Well, he didn’t win, but he did come in second.

Congratulations Scott!

Reading several of his latest poems, Scott gave us something to think about. I think more of us are coming to appreciate Haiku due to his help. Thank you, Scott.

 

Ursula Wong tells us that her latest book is doing well in the market and another is in the works. The 7^th Mission is coming soon. But tonight she took us away from the Russians and read a standalone short story. A Force of Will is a powerful story of dedication to a difficult task despite the pressures and regrets. It’s doing what you must, even if you don’t want to.

 

Bruce Haedrich has launched an effort to write as much flash fiction as he can in the shortest amount of time he can. Tough job, but he’s producing some really good work, including the story he read tonight, Brown Eyed Girl. Taken from a song by Van Morrison with the same title, this short ‘short story’ is a conversation between two people facing a catastrophic event while discussing what they could wish for if wishes could come true. Bruce brings the story to life and makes us part of his world.

 

Rod Digruttolo takes us back to shortly before the stock market crash of 1929. A discussion between two men about selling off their stock holdings and converting them into liquid assets weighs the pros and cons of such a move. One of the men seems to have information that portends the upcoming crash, while the other wants to ride the wave of high profits and massive dividends. Rod asks the group the question: Does this sound real? The passage is from his book, Disciple of Darkness.

 

Well, I hate to say it, but that’s all I have for this meeting. I’m sure I missed something, but I find it easier to ask for forgiveness than remember everything. So, until next time—please, READ, Read, and read some more, then WRITE, Write, and write some good stuff.

July 15th, 2026

 Good afternoon, evening, or even morning, whatever the case may be. It’s good to know someone is reading this post. This evening, ten of our stalwart crew came together to share ideas and listen to some inspiring words. We opened the discussion with something most of us seem to dread, though we know it’s absolutely necessary and must be done. We talked about “Rewriting.” 

Yeah, I know it’s hard work. You’ve written a masterful story. The words flowed so easily—well, maybe not so easily, but they are beautiful, well-formed, and without a doubt, immortal. There are so many. How can you change them? The members of your writer’s group have listened and approved, given you a few suggestions, and sometimes their suggestions hit on a good idea. Yep, I can make a few of those changes; they were good ideas. Well, the good ones I’ll keep. The first sentence should read… Wait a minute, that change works… It grabs your attention in the first paragraph. Oh, here, we don’t need all these words; strike them out.

Guess what? You’re rewriting, and it’s helping your story on to the next paragraph. Wait, nobody mentioned that. Did I write that? The next thing you know, the 110 thousand words become only 90 thousand of your darling words. Now, is it time for the Editor?

Here in this setting, where you read your work to a group of authors, you expect challenges; you expect critique; but you do not expect rude or unfriendly criticism. Don’t take the critique personally but take it to heart. Your fellow authors want you to create something you can be proud of. Because the readers of the world aren’t as well-versed in the skills needed to write your story, they are who you must satisfy when it comes to who will read your work. All of us can do better. That’s why we rewrite, not just edit. If you discover that the woman you called Joan in chapter one has become Joanne in chapter seven, don’t you think you should fix it before publication? What happens if you are in the third or fourth book of a series? You might have to go back to the first, second or wherever to fix that. Be prepared.

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OKAY! Let’s move on to the reading portion of tonight’s meeting. Nine of the attendees had work to share. Leading off was Ernie Ovitz. Working on the third book in a trilogy, Erine brings us a scene from The Roaring Lion. Money is the theme for the three books of this series. In this installment, a congressman visits a private (I think it’s a charter school) in West Chicago. A change in the availability of government funds leads to funding cuts. Where will the money to keep the school open come from? I mean, after all, this is Chicago.

 

Chapter 7 of The Reluctant Heiress takes us to a rural setting in southern Pennsylvania. There, Roberta Molaro places Jennifer in a situation new to her. She’s dining with a family whom she is meeting for the first time. The McCoy’s are friendly yet mysterious in some ways. The food is excellent, but different from the fare Jennifer is used to. The ingredients were mostly from the farm the McCoys own. During dinner, a phone call brings some bad news. Aunt Mae has died. Aunt Mae is not really an Aunt, but simply a close family friend who was looked upon as an honorary ‘Aunt’ by everyone in the family. All this was explained to Jennifer by an attractive young man, Drew McCoy, who was about the same age as Jennifer.

 

Bob Miller is writing his memoir and shares Chapter 17 with us this evening. Joining The Navy at 17—What Could Go Wrong? For a youngster setting off in the world is hard enough at the tender age of 17, but to join the Navy straight out of High School can be a bit enlightening. Expecting to sail the high seas, visit new places, and meet new people are great expectations. Boot camp was not in those expectations. Bob did not anticipate becoming a professional toilet scrubber, nor did he think yelling was an effective way to convey ideas, or that sweating was something you did while running at a trot for mile after mile in the hot sun, not playing baseball or football. Oh, and the language. Words never used in public or around the fair sex became part of normal conversation. Cussing like a Sailor was something he now understood where the saying originated. 

 

Dennis Cathcart brought us an update to his original essay, Time Traveler, for our enjoyment. Time travel does exist; we simply ignore it as we look at the ancient trees, plants, and flowers that have survived floods, droughts, and upheavals for time immortal. Dennis sees these things as he travels the world’s exotic locales such as the rocky highlands of Brazil, the windswept cliffs of New Zealand, and many other places where he seeks the rare and unmatched beauty of flora and fauna worldwide. Thank you, Dennis, for giving us a unique look at these wondrous living species as they have existed over time. 

Scott Anderson is experimenting with Hikau and learning about the many ways of expressing thoughts about different phases of life and things around us. Tonight he brought us seven unique offerings of a personal nature. Poets look at life and divine images not all of us can grasp. To look at a memory we cannot see, they show us a feeling put into words. Even the manner in which the words are accented can change the meaning of a poem. Scott masterfully writes and reads his work so that, to this writer, it seems like a video. 

Another masterful poet is our own Don Westerfield. Don’s work often takes us back in time, for those of us who are now senior citizens like himself. As he reads his poems, a scene forms in our minds, and our hearts beat to the cadence of memories. The Sinner tells of the sinful things we’ve done in the past, mostly those we might regret and have no way of correcting. In today’s realm, the Sonnet is almost forgotten. But Don returns to an earlier time as he reads Blue Sonnet, a true Sonnet expressing the happiness that often dwells in poetry and replaces misery.

 Hearing Ursula Wong read a piece I shall call Return to Scrabble Hill because I failed to catch the title, she does an excellent job of showing the readers the actions of a robust party of simple people of the land. The piece had a wholesome feel of rural America, possibly in New England, as evidenced by a lobster pot and regional language, but could as well have taken place in an unlimited number of places. It was a well-written piece that conjured the nuances of friendship, sexual tension, and even a competitive undertone one might feel at such a gathering. Great job, Ursula.

 

 Bruce Haedrich has completed the initial work on his novel, Nadia, and has moved on to a project of writing Flash Fiction. Tonight he brings us, Nancy, a brief but poignant story of a young woman who wanted to bear a child but couldn’t for years. But, as a result of a miracle, according to Nancy, she finally bore a daughter. Nancy’s brother was suspicious of Nancy’s steadfast belief in God and scoffed at it. When Nancy reported noticing a loose seatbelt on the baby’s car seat, she stopped to fix it. To her surprise, there was no problem. Oh well, better safe than sorry, she thought and continued on her journey. A pickup truck ran a stop sign and broadsided her. Because the seatbelts were fastened, both Nancy and the baby survived without major injury. Her brother still did not change his tune, If you hadn’t stopped to fix a seatbelt, you wouldn’t have been at that intersection at the wrong time.

James H. Kelly tells us of the War to End all Wars, WWI, in his tale of the Mackenzie clan, Advance the Line. Young Lieutenant Mackenzie volunteers for the newly formed Tank Corps under then Major George Patton. New weapons will bring about new ways to fight. Learning about the machine and its abilities is the first priority in this chapter. The massive machines are not invincible, but they provide much greater protection for the soldier than infantry does. Or that is what young Mackenzie tells his lover in letters home.

Well, there you have it. We’ve completed another meeting and enjoyed hearing some fine writing. We did our jobs by critiquing our fellow writers and learning something with each session. We’ll be back at the firehouse onAugust 5^th, at 6:30 PM. We hope you can join us and share ideas and stories with us. Until then, READ, Read, and read some more, then WRITE, Write, and KEEP ON WRITING.