Wednesday November 6, 2013 Meeting

Last week many of us hoped to see Kerri Dieffenwierth so that we'd have an opportunity to congratulate her on her most recent accomplishments. Kerri recently won the 2013 Creative Nonfiction Contests Judge's Selection in Still - the journal for her piece called A New Bitterroot. She was also a finalist for the 2013 VanderMey non-fiction prize in Ruminate Magazine for her submission, Swamp Angel Stomp. Unfortunately, she was unable to be there, but we still cheered her in spirit.

Also, a friendly reminder.... our annual Christmas Party is scheduled for Wednesday, December 18th. Families are welcome. Everyone is encouraged to bring some festive food to share with the group. Any leftovers will be given to our gracious hosts, the Nokomis Fire Department. Also, if you haven't contributed to the room fund, please feel free to hand your donation to George as we'll be presenting it to the fire department on the day of the party.

George Mindling, author of U.S. Air Force Tactical Missiles, was our first reader. He shared with us an old treasure he found while going through some of his old projects and found a piece about a conversation with Shirley MacLaine. In his story he documents a call in to a local radio show where Shirley was the guest. As the call came from his home (and his daughter), he was prompted to record it for posterity purposes. The subject brought up by his daughter on the call was the metaphysical and pets. I don't think it surprised anyone to hear that the subject matter was too complex for a mere call in to the radio show. The cheekily dry humor at a celebrity giving spiritual advice was fabulously spot on.

Next, Kitt Crescendo shared her poem, Brave, about personal strength, compelled by the bullying situation that hit the headlines based on the situation in the Miami Dolphins locker room. The topic sparked a lively discussion surrounding what peoples' perceptions of bullying are as well as how to respond to bullying (and our personal responsibility to be stand up for ourselves).

Pat Patterson followed with a big thank you to the folks who gave him critique on his manuscript. Included on his list were Ernie, Ed, Don, JoAnne, Jack and Peter. He also shared his discovery of a software program called Clear Edits that assisted him with both line and content edits for his WIP. The cost is $80 and comes with email support. Instead of sharing from his manuscript, Pat has boldly branched out with his writing into the world of poetry. He wrote a lovely piece called "To My Grandson" where he answers the boy's question about where the wind comes from. His second poem was simply called "Dan", a loving tribute to the brother he lost and the son he gained who honors his name.

 

Our next reader, George Collias, author of Sandspurs: Limericks by a Native Floridian and Myahmuh: A Novel of Miami, Florida read an excerpt from the latter book. In this part we are introduced to a murderer through the eyes of a dead boy's ghost as he performs his rituals of putting cigarette burns on the body of his victim post mortem. The tone is definitely eerie and leaves us wondering how this horrible criminal will be caught.

Ernie Ovitz follows with some information surrounding how he researched his book and characters. He explained that his best sources of information were on descriptions he found of Armenia and the great persecution in 301 AD that were outside the traditional text books/history books/encyclopedias. He then continued on to Chapter 5 of his WIP in which the ambassador finds out that his wife has been kidnapped and makes plans to give chase to get her back.

Our in house comedian, Ed Ellis, read a short story he wrote entitled "My Feathered Friend." In the story he talks about the ice shanty he and the other half of his "honey do" twins build together. Their whole goal in building this fancy shanty was to drink Wild Turkey and escape their wives and the "honey do" lists that went with them. Once it was complete, their days were filled with the three "F"s. Fishing, Football and Feathers...until the blizzard that came that winter. The cold combined with the turkey caused them to hallucinate bikini clad co-eds out on the ice. As is always the case with an Ed Ellis story, the ending wasn't that simple...or that boring. The punchline came when the "honey do" twins discovered their missed opportunity. They found out that the co-eds weren't hallucinations at all, but participants in a contest held by the local radio station.

The sweetly soft spoken Barbara Frickel took a turn at sharing next. Het two pieces were inspired by her meditations (along with her mother's birthday) and magic pencils (her magical version of colored pencils). Her first piece was a dedication to her mom called "The Color of Comfort". For Barbara, the color umber reminds her of softness and warmth...and her mother. The second was called "My Tree" and was written while at Myakka Lake looking at her tree and meditating. To her, that tree spoke of strength, friendship and a promise of good times. Between the art work and photo and Barbara's sweet words, she warmed our hearts and left us smiling.

Don Westerfield wrote a couple of poems to honor those like him who served our country well as we headed towards the Veterans Day holiday. The two poems were entitled "The American Fighting Man" and "Fields of Stone." Both of his poems were powerful pieces for different reasons, so I selected one to share on the blog.

Fields of Stone



 

Taps ever echo o'er this hallowed place.

Flags adorn where fallen heroes lie in grace.

Here, each dawn reveals an alabaster glow

of white stones in perfect patterns, set

Row on row.

 

They honor those who served this country well,

reminding us why; why each hero fell.

On each stone a name, for Ages to cite;

memories etched in glory on a field of

White on white

 

Letters spell only of who the grave;

Even requiems can't acknowledge all they gave.

Our tears yet flow like the blood most shed

upon foreign shores where they

Bled and bled.

 

Not for self, did they fight and die,

but for country and all; now in peace they lie.

They paid freedom's toll and so here they bide

under silent white sentinels, resting

Side by side.

 

Followed by Don's patriotic and heartfelt words was JoAnne Phillips, author of Adventures of a Sea Hag.

She read from her current work in progress, "Matrix of Life". The chapter she shared with us was called "Legion" and surrounded a special gift that the local chapter of the American Legion and their gift to her grandfather. In honor of all his years of dedication the guys gave him a hunting dog (a beagle) named Legion. As often happens in these more humorous moments in her book, humor and chaos ensued as the "hunting" dog became spoiled and babied under her grandfather's "watchful" eye. Laughter filled our meeting as JoAnne described the day that Legion stole the "turkey-duck-chicken" (the turducken moniker came much later with John Madden and the turkey bowls) her grandmother had prepared for Thanksgiving dinner, managing to eat a large portion before it could be saved.

Suzi Lynch, one of our newer members, decided to be bold and share a trilogy of poems she'd written a few years back for us. "Why I Don't Write or This Will Be On Your Permanent Record" was a powerful piece where she explored her fears of being published and how, in her mind at that moment in time, being unpublished also felt like being protected...from critics, reviewers and from the world at large. Her follow up, "No Love Lost" explored how when dreams come true (in this case, her classroom curriculum), it could be taken and changed and turned into anything...possibly even something completely different from what she'd intended. In her final piece, "A Happy Pregnancy", she discussed the hope, potential and something greater than herself growing within her writing...and that as long as she chose to hold it within and "not deliver" it, her thoughts, her writing was safe. Her three poems were powerful pieces to which every writer, artist or creator can relate. The strength of her voice was beautiful even as it probed insecurities and fears.

Andrew Parker introduced us to his newest WIP, a piece called "Playing Chess at 91." The first character we meet is the protagonist, Simon Shuster. He lives in a rent controlled boardinghouse filled with other senior citizens who do a lot of drugs (which he doesn't partake in) and "brownies" (which he does). They spend the larger part of their days playing chess while under the influence. Their handyman is over 100 and on crack. There are only 2 younger people who live in this house with them. One is in charge of their "nutrition" and the other "therapy." We're still unsure where Andrew's piece is going to take us, but one thing is guaranteed. Laughter and the outrageous will follow. It's one of the joys of hearing Andrew's work.

Our final reader for the night was Jung Suk Yo, back from his recent hiatus from our group. He shared a chapter from his current WIP called "In the Boat" where he described a frightening scene where his protagonist, Bach (a lawyer) is kidnapped by two masked men from his home in Florida where he'd been hiding and brought out to a ship in the Gulf of Mexico. Bound and gagged, he's uncertain if they came for him because the billionaire whose wife he'd been sleeping with found out about their nefarious plan to kill him with an insulin overdose or if it was something else entirely. It definitely left us a bit chilled and nervous about walking out into the dark Florida night to go home.



Wednesday October 16, 2013 Meeting

We had a special guest speaker for our group at our last meeting. Jack Harney, author of The Millstone Prophecy came to share his writing experiences with our group.

Inspired by a documentary called Deliver Us From Evil, Jack felt compelled to draw attention to the very controversial subject of pedophilia in the Catholic church and the steps taken to hide and cover up these crimes against children. Initially intending this to be a non-fiction tale, he began to research the different categories in the non-fiction universe and found that it's very much a niche market. He wanted the message brought to light on a larger scale, and found himself writing his very first suspense fiction novel.

His intent was to follow the traditional route. Get an agent, then pursue traditional publishing. So, he attended writers conferences while he worked on his project and had the opportunity to pitch agents. He quickly found that most were put off by the subject matter. The same was true for publishers (and it took anywhere from 9-12 months to get it to print through this venue). As he continued his pursuit of making this manuscript a reality, he came to the conclusion that he needed to self publish this piece and a great cover.

What he did find was a writing partner. This was the person to run ideas by, read drafts, ask if certain scenarios worked. He also found a few beta readers. With their feedback and his edits and hard work, the book came to fruition. Despite having a printed copy available, he quickly found that 99% of his sales came through Amazon in "digital sales" or ebook format. Since Kindle has created Kindle Direct Publishing, he's seen an upswing in his sales and has officially sold over 31,000 copies of his novel worldwide. Kindle Direct gives you 5 days in a 90 day period to make the book free. He chose to utilize these days for big "reading" days...like holidays, Mothers Day (hey, reality is there are more women readers than men), and Sundays.

After Jack's interesting presentation, we met our newcomers and Rod DiGruttolo facilitated our readings.

Peter Frickel, author of My Frog Sings, Lotha and the Three Crosses and his new blog, ThinkFree, was our first victim reader. He read an article he'd found about Literary v. Pop fiction and studies on the human brain. Apparently, despite the love for Pop fiction, those who "pushed" themselves with Literary works were more likely to score higher on exams, etc, regardless of how much reading the Pop fiction fan might do. It was something to think about. Personally, I still appreciate the escapism that Pop fiction gives me. Next he shared a piece from his current Work In Progress, "Lillies Of the Vlai." In it, he described riding a "ski" in the water that sounded much like a stand up paddle board. In his story, he was able to be at one with nature...and risk a bit of life and limb. It sounded like quite an adventure.

Ernie Ovitz read next, bringing us back to his manuscript, "The Seventh King." In this part we realize that there is a spy in the governor's house, a servant named Cena. As Red Beard plans to steal the governor's wife, he plans to use her to get close. Fortuitous circumstances for him prevent that from happening when he and his band of outlaws run into a small group of riders. Julia, the governor's wife, had been inside the carriage, heading to town to discuss the arrest of the Christian gets kidnapped. Lots of great descriptions were used to draw us into the era. With some minute adjustments on the dialogue, the book will be ready.

Next came the ever entertaining Ed Ellis. This time he chose to share a poem called "The Beacon Of Reality." He called us to use inspiration, to give universal acceptance and encourage broadening of the mind....and back into nature. Turns out, the guy who "wasn't a poet" is finding his poet's soul, after all.

Author of Adventures of a Sea Hag, JoAnne Phillips, participated in the dialogue challenge Rod DiGruttolo rolled out during the beginning of the summer. The piece, "Car Conversation", was a discussion between a mechanic and the "easy mark" he thought he'd scam...until she showed him she knew a thing or two about how the legal system works and what happens to businesses who make a practice of cheating clients. The back pedaling was hilarious. Next, she continued with her current manuscript, "Matrix Of Life." This chapter finds them at the Christmas holiday with both parents unemployed. In an attempt to infuse holiday cheer into their small home, her dad cut a tree from the forest and they decorated it in tin cans and a tree topper her mother made. They also informed her that Santa wouldn't be coming this year because she was more grown up now. She informed them that she felt he'd been a bit premature in making that call. The humor in the face of hardships has been a charming addition to JoAnne's newest work.

Andrew Parker continued with his manuscript, "Drunk and Calling From a Pub In London." He starts the tale off with Jacqueline Aurora's parents handing him a hand gun and encouraging him to "end it" so that all his suffering will be done. Unsure of whether this is the right decision he looks toward his new girlfriend, Jacqueline. She reassures him that this is what he needs. When he pulls the trigger, instead of a bullet, gas is released. He wakes to a monkey with a crush on him and a butler who may not only be a butler. The whole thing was, quite literally, insanely hilarious.

Laura Harrison shared two 20 year old books written by James A. Michener about the art of writing. One is James A. Michener's Writers Handbook and the other, My Lost Mexico. In them he discussed his thoughts on growth, editing, making books, how he organizes his thoughts and how he decides on the order of chapters. It was fascinating to see things from his point of view and view samples of his work while he was creating. What a find that discovery was for Laura!

Wendy Brooks, one of our newer members and an illustrator of children's stories, took her first try at sharing a piece of her writing. She'd been inspired by a story she'd seen on the news of a woman who pushed her brand new husband over a cliff to his death. They'd only known each other for 5 days before marrying. In her piece entitled "There Are No Heroes" she speculates as to what could have driven a young, 22 year old bride to murder her new husband. It was compelling to try to understand and relate to someone so obviously not likeable. The work has potential to be the beginning of a very intriguing story.

Susan Davis shared a short piece by Alice Munro in honor of her Nobel Prize in literature. In her honor, and to introduce her work to those who were not familiar, she shared a part of her short story Gravel, published in the New Yorker. Feel free to click the link and read the rest for yourself. Susan also took on the dialogue challenge and entitled her piece "Cat & Mouse." In her dialogue one person is inviting another to go to a jazz club to enjoy great music. The other person questions if this will be okay with the other party's "other half" and is told yes. She accepts and states that her significant other will be joining them. The first party is taken by surprise..."I never realized you were an 'us'!" Ah, the cheater, trapped. Loved the creativity.

Kitt Crescendo shared an article she wrote for Bring Back Desire called Pleasure Partnerships and Helping Hands...officially introducing us to the racier side of her writing. Although it was non-fiction, it definitely opened some eyes and dropped a few jaws. It's not like she hadn't warned us that her writing delves pretty strongly into the erotic, though.

George Mindling, author of U.S. Air Force Tactical Missiles, ended our evening with a short fiction piece he'd written called "Aufwiedersehen, Kaiserslautern!" In the story we're introduced to a young, drunken military GI stationed in Germany. He's at the bar drinking beers and heads upstairs with one of the local prostitutes after receiving his reenlistment bonus. It was definitely a hilariously salty tale of why it's so important not to get drunk with strangers unless you want to be robbed blind.

Our evening came to a close with a reminder that the next Writers Group Meeting is 11/6/13.

Wednesday October 2, 2013 Meeting

Our usual facilitator, Rod DiGruttolo was feeling under the weather, so he was unable to attend the meeting.

Fortunately, George Mindling, author of US Air Force Tactical Missiles and blog Sleeps Two, as well as our fearless leader was back from vacation and able to step into Rod's shoes for the evening.

It seemed to be the week for returns as our other George, George Collias, author of Myahmuh: A Novel Of Miami Florida and Sandspurs Limericks By a Native Floridian had also returned from his time away. It was good to have them both back.

Don Westerfield kicked off our readings for the evening with an erotic and wildly imaginative tale of aliens walking on the wild side in a jungle called The Alien. In it, Don gave a wink and a nod in our own Ed Ellis' direction as the NASA explorer who was "rescued" and "resuscitated" by the native women.

Our next reader was Jenny Oberg. She bravely shared a piece she'd written in honor of her mother. In it she explored her feelings of loss and the fear of forgetting. Her words were moving and heart felt.

JoAnne Phillips, author of Adventures Of A Sea Hag, shared a piece she'd written called "Potato Chips Are Not Sand Dollars." As she promised not to point fingers at the "not so innocent" party who inspired this piece, she simply described him as 6'4" in height. In the piece she described the language barrier that happens when talking to the scientist/male type as their logic and the average human's seem to be on completely different wave lengths.

It didn't take us much time to figure out who she was writing about because Ed Ellis read next. His piece? "Ruffles & Response." It became clear that at least the first part of the meeting was inspired by this wacky writer. Ed's rebuttal short to Jo Anne's boiled down to this..."Never leave your wife and your girl friend in the same car smoking the same joints." Personally, I still think it's a case of Mars versus Venus.

Susan Davis wrote a piece called "September Ends" inspired by her visit to Boston. She called to mind the beauty of falling leaves and their changing colors. She also read a piece by Pablo Neruda called "Keeping Quiet".

Ernie Ovitz continued with his work in progress called The Seventh King. He read Chapter 5 where he introduced us to the governor's wife, Julia. She was not the traditional "upper class-woman" as she enjoyed doing "menial" tasks usually left to servants...including gardening. In this portion we discover that she appears to have ties to the Christian preacher thrown in prison. We also get more hints about Red Beard, whose son has also been imprisoned.

Kitt Crescendo shared a couple of poems. "Unforgotten" was a piece she'd written in honor of her brother who passed away 30 years ago, but whose birthday is on September 11. The second piece she wrote was in honor of Halloween, a piece called "My Dark Prince".

Ron Babcock, after sharing a cute anecdote about time with his grandchildren, shared a piece called "Me & My Woody." After proclaiming his love for his woody, he began with a piece of very good advice to himself. "Don't share my Woody with more than one lady at a time." In the end, it turned out that he was actually speaking about the antique car, not the piece tucked into his trousers as his piece initially implied.

George Mindling decided to share a poem by Robert W. Service called "The Cremation Of Sam McGee." Turned out he wasn't the only guy in the room with a love for Robert W. Service's work.

Barry Mick continued with his work in progress, Dragonfly. This time we found the protagonist contemplating the wounded dragonfly and its subsequent death. He strongly felt that the dragonfly was a sign, but he wasn't sure what it was trying to tell him.

Cathy Marine, author of No Dead Fish For Ginger, was back with more on her book on the various Rays found in the gulf. Her piece left everyone with questions about the interesting sea animals. Her new book is going to be a wonderful and educational learning tool for today's youth.

Finally, Andrew Parker shared another portion from his newest creation, I'm Drunk and I'm Calling From a Payphone In London. In this particular chapter, our drunken protagonist, George Lissman, meets his new lady love's parents. To say that the story is entertaining and unique is a mild understatement. The whole room rocked with laughter....

The night was a definite success and the readings eclectic. We look forward to our next meeting and to hear from some of our newer members.

Wednesday September 18, 2013 Meeting

Sorry for the delay, everyone. I know we're a meeting behind, but we'll have everything caught up by the end of this week. Life has been a bit hectic as of late...but I figured better late than never!

As usual, Rod DiGruttolo did a great job moderating our meeting.

We were thrilled to welcome back Jim Kelly from his hiatus to the north, so we asked him to kick off our meeting. As usual, he didn't disappoint. First he shared a letter Irv Newman had written to a woman named Gail at the local paper from his home area of Surf City, NJ called The Sandpaper. In this letter he discussed how grateful he was to hospice and that it had extended his life.  Recently they gave his wife the gift of 5 days off by coming to care for him so she could enjoy some free time. He donated his car and some money to Tidewell Hospice to thank them. In fact, as I wrote this blog and linked in Tidewell, I saw that Irv's story is featured on their website. As it's a YouTube Link, I thought you guys might want to see...


Jim ended his time with a poem he wrote while back at his old stomping grounds called "Goin' Home". It clearly depicted change...and how through the years, it's virtually impossible for anything to stay the same. I would have posted the poem, but I didn't get a chance to ask Jim for permission.

Ed Ellis shared a piece called "I Wish" as he celebrated his 50th anniversary from military discharge as well as honored those we lost on 9/11. In his piece he took a somber moment to reflect on war and make a wish for the wisdom of those who came before us. It was heartfelt and definitely a more sensitive side to our smarty pants prankster....but moving.

JoAnne Phillips, author of Adventures of a Sea Hag, read a chapter called "Religion and Communism" from her new work in progress, The Matrix of Life. In this chapter she talked about picking out a Christmas tree, befriending a goat named "Billy" who she treated as her pony and being a time of love and laughter. Her parents reconciled and remarried in the spring, moving them into a one bedroom storefront in town where the store window was painted to prevent people from being able to see inside. This was also when she was first introduced to McCarthyism. It didn't take any stretch of the imagination for anyone in the group to figure out that this spelled trouble for the precocious, young JoAnne....and we were right.

Pat Patterson came up next. Rather than read from his manuscript The Takers, he shared some valuable insights he's gained in his writing journey. He realized that editing is not exactly what he thought it was. Once he completed writing his manuscript, he made the assumption (incorrectly) that he could hire an editor, get the editor to unravel the "tangled ball of yarn" that was his story and fix his errors, then receive his work, ready for publication. Instead, he found that errors are costly and that it's never a good idea to send a first draft off to an editor. The time to submit to an editor is when you've polished it as much as you possibly can and you need some assistance on the finer points. So, he printed off a chapter and handed it to the group with a request for feedback and support.

Don Westerfield went back to his poetry roots with two pieces. One was called ODE to SEA GRASS which was a lovely piece that brought us back to nature and our small part in it. The other one got folks talking, so I thought I'd share it here. (We also learned the difference between an elegy and a eulogy. ;-))

then will the trees sing

wandered long

have i these mortal woods

down worn trails of tears and laughter

step by searching step i trod

pathways that split and split again

those chosen roads of faulted time

soon to forget my passage

but if ever the soul survives

the strife of its mere existence

these woods will always know the truth

as the breath of life expends

when evening is nigh

then will the trees sing

my elegy

Kitt Crescendo finally shared the beginning to one of her works in progress, Three For All. She needed to read it out loud in front of an audience to hear some spots that might be a bit rough. She was able to pick a couple of errors out for herself, and with the help of the team, also caught a couple of repetitive words. Someone also commented that there seemed to be a lot of body parts slipping on each other thanks to the suntan oil. We weren't sure whether or not that was necessarily a bad thing as she is writing an erotic piece.

Asha Anderson came one last time before she headed off to Asia for a year. She and her lovely poetry will be missed, but we have high hopes that once she returns from her adventures abroad, that she will come find us again. In a writing class back in Ashland, OR 1988, she was challenged to write a piece with a specific subject in mind. This is the poem I elected to post because the playful whimsy drew me in...and I could almost hear a Scottish or Irish accent reading the piece.

YELLOW SHOES

When I had feet me shoes were yellow
ah yellow as pollen they were
as bright as lemons
bright as me lad's smile
bold as his laugh
an oh how I danced in me shoes
all night
a swarm a bees drunk from the flowers
sportin their yellow pants an boots
knew not as many turns as me lad an me
not have as many

an when in the slow river a bare foot
we went a wadin me lad an me
an bare we were from toe to head
a hand an hand
me yellow shoes were glad to wait
all hodge podge with his
for shoes has no need a feet
though feet has a need a them
but now   old as I be   I has no need a shoes
not yellow   not brown
but glad I am   glad as I was when I was a lass
for I got me a lad   an I rather him than me feet.

Ernie Ovitz went next, sharing more from his work The Seventh King. In this chapter, Theodorus is thrown into jail for his beliefs in Christianity. He attempts to continue sharing his message only to realize he's not alone in his cell and that the other guy, hidden by shadows, is a bit scary. Ernie left us wondering as to the identity of the mystery man and how he ties to the unrest that seems to be steadily increasing with every chapter.

Jenny Oberg, inspired by the work of Deepak Choprah, wrote a piece of nature poetry that sparked some spunky debate amongst her listeners. Jenny wrote her piece about majestic creatures from awed eyes, pointing out how although many of them appear the same, they're all different. Some of the listeners find beauty in the Darwinistic tendencies of animals and the very literal and real battles that occur in nature. Others felt just as passionately that they'd rather see it from a starry-eyed, idealistic vision of grace and majesty.

Barry Mick took our feedback from the previous meeting and touched up his work in progress, roughly titled "Dragonfly".  The general feedback was that the flow of the story now had a nice, smooth rhythm. We look forward to hearing more about his dragonfly...as the feeling that it is symbolic for something much deeper comes through loud and clear.

Beth Rice, Author of I'm Adopted, I'm Special along with her blog, Animal Tales, read a very powerful chapter she called "Job Hunt" from her work in progress, Pawprints Are Forever. In it, we find the heroine at a plant nursery, reminiscing about joyful times spent there with  her family and quickly realize that it had been her family's business. Heartbroken, they are closing the doors for the last time. In their line of work, it was virtually impossible to compete with the big business companies. It's also the first time she sees her husband, the man who has always been her rock, completely devastated. As she'd been discussing creating a hook and positioning of her book, we firmly felt that THIS should be her beginning...and a very strong hook. This part definitely left many of us emotionally impacted and devastated on the protagonist's behalf.

One of our newer members, Patrick Hurley, finally decided to be bold and stepped forward to read a character sketch he'd written about a female character from the island of Petite Marie known only as Patrice. Beautiful and a bit mercenary, she'll do whatever it takes to avoid becoming an average local. She wants power and wealth and she's willing to do whatever it takes to get there...including a bit of drug trafficking. This character definitely has a lot of potential. We can't wait to see how she is weaved into the plot he's creating in his head.

Andrew Parker ended our meeting in his inimitable fashion, by introducing us to his newest work in progress that he is tentatively calling I'm Drunk and I'm Calling From A Payphone In London. The unique creation occurred when he'd passingly mentioned it in a profile he'd created for himself, causing a reader to email him asking where he could purchase this book as it sounded very interesting. True to Andrew's personality, he decided to make the story a reality. In the first chapter we're introduced to a drunk homeless man named George Lissman who'd fallen on hard times after his inability to quit alcohol caused him to lose his job as a conductor for an orchestra. Every night he sits in a bar where he drinks, then drunk dials random phone numbers. On this particular night, someone answered... Her name is Jacqueline Aurora. Let's just say that hilarity ensued. Once Andrew finished reading, everyone was leaving with either a belly ache or wiping away tears.

Thanks again to everyone for their wonderful contributions!

Event Calendar - New Feature!

I'm adding a new section called Event Calendar, located on the right side of the blog page.  The listings will be the writing and book events that are of interest to not just our group, but to all writers in our area.  Give it a try and let me know what you think.  If you have an event to add, send it to me via the contact link on this blog page

George

ENGLEWOOD BOOK FESTIVAL 2014

We wanted to let you know we are in the planning stages of our annual book festival. We wish to thank all of you who have participated in the past for helping us make them so successful. Last year we had over 65 authors who attended and sold their books.

5TH ANNUAL DEARBORN STREET BOOK FESTIVAL

Will be held Saturday, February 15, 10 am to 3 pm

in Pioneer Park on W. Dearborn Street, Englewood.

The fee will be $25 per space.

We will once again be sponsoring a writing contest named

“Write-On-Englewood”. It is a short story and poetry competition. No more than 250 words for a poem, no less than 500 words for a short story, no more that 800. There is no theme and we ask for unpublished work. A $5. entry fee is requested for each entry and you may submit as many entries as you like.

There will be cash prizes, so start writing.

There is nothing for you to do now but to mark your calendar. Closer to the Festival we will send out more information. Looking forward to seeing you all in February.

Diana Harris

diharris@comcast.net

phone (941) 474-4837

Wednesday September 4, 2013 Meeting

Our meeting commenced promptly at 6:30. Rod DiGruttolo, our moderator for the evening, introduced Peter Frickel to the group, though he needed no introduction with us.

Author of Lotha and the Three Crosses and My Frog Sings along with his blog, iThink, his pieces are looked forward to for their imagery (never mind his gorgeous South African lilt).

As per last meeting's announcements, Peter kicked off our discussion regarding sentence, paragraph and page construction. He kicked it off by letting us imagine Pooh and Peter in conversation where Pooh says, "Tell me where the sentence lives.."

And then he laid out his challenge.
"What makes a sentence? Do you know the different kinds of sentences?"

As he spent the evening breaking down the various forms of sentences and their purposes...and how the right combination can create magic on a page, he pointed out a simple yet valuable fact.

"We talk too much, listen too little."

He encouraged us to find ways to inspire the senses. Music to inspire, Books of colors, images...senses.

We all came away enjoying the different outlooks and points of view that Peter offered into the way we hone our craft to constantly, consistently improve.

Our readings were kicked off by Susan Davis whose travelling gypsy spirit guided her to read from 100 Love Sonnets by Pablo Neruda. She chose to read #6. The pure beauty and passion made it easy to understand why she was inspired to share. Even more interesting was her story to go along with the poetry...when she told us of her tour of Neruda's home and the amazing view from his bedroom. The breathless natural beauty from his window combined with being in the great writer's home left her in awe.

Next, Ed Ellis read his very entertaining piece entitled "Awkward Encounter". It was a story of life after high school which included hanging out with Steve, his sidekick, cruising for chicks at "Bob's Big Boy" and some Mary Jane. Let's just say that after a bit of partying, one of the characters was uncertain if his trip to Disneyland was a dream or an actual occurrence. Yes, this piece had the whole group rolling with laughter at the characters' antics, the anticipation and the punch line.

Pat Patterson took on Rod's dialogue challenge. He called his piece "Two Old 1963 High School Class Buddies On The Telephone". In his piece we got the opportunity to hear two old friends wax nostalgic on the past and play catch up on life in general...and how their views of events had changed through the years.

Jeff Cochran read two pieces. The first was his dialogue challenge from Rod. He attributed his inspiration to Kitt's dialogue challenge from the prior meeting...and it didn't take any time at all to figure out why. With sentences like "Just slide it in" "Move it around a bit" and "I don't think that's going to fit", it was obvious that the dialogue included a lot of fun, tongue-in-cheek innuendo. What was it really about? A shoe sale, of course! His next piece was a poem he entitled "Seasons" that he'd written to celebrate an artist friend, Holly Lovely. His verses painted picturesque scenes and enabled the listener to feel each season...and appreciate how much he treasured his friend.

Our newcomer, Barry Mick, shared his piece called "Dragonfly". Although there was a literal dragonfly in his story, it became evident quickly that there was deep symbolism in that dragonfly. This is just the beginning of what we sense will be a very powerful story of love, loss and family. We can't wait to see where Barry takes his story.

Don Westerfield shared a short story he called "My Family Tree". He was researching a tale about his family tree and the family scandal that caused his grandpa to leave Kentucky and move to Indiana. To learn more about the roots of the tree in Kentucky, he headed back to where it all began and found his only remaining relative in town was the drunk guy he met on the corner. As he asked some former neighbors about what happened to his family, he was told..."Son, when you go digging for your roots, all you usually end up with is a can of worms." Yes, there was much laughter and applause that followed this entertaining short piece.

Ernie Ovitz continued with Chapter 2 if his WIP, "The Seventh King". In this part we're beginning to get a feel for the political savvy of Constantine, the Tribune, as he deals with General Decimus and his interview, hoping to learn more about the Emperor. In this part we also begin to get a better feel for Red Beard and why he's targeting them.

JoAnne Phillips, author of Adventures Of A Sea Hag continued with her current WIP, "The Matrix Of Life" with her next chapter entitled "Goodbye Mushy". In this chapter she talked about she and her mother living with her grandma who suffered from bipolar disorder, though it wasn't yet a diagnosis. There wasn't a dry eye in the house as she bravely shared the story about the puppy, Mushy, her mother's ex-boyfriend gave her and how she held it in her arms as she watched it die a horrible death at her grandmother's hand. The lethargy and inability to communicate and respond broke our hearts for her...and we were so relieved when she was placed back into the care of her grandparents on her father's side as she began her slow battle back toward healing. JoAnne's story has it's ups and downs, but the one constant is this... We're cheering for her!

Linda Shell was back with her YA Adventure about Gracie the dwarf kangaroo in "Come Along With Me". She had the group snorting with laughter at her clever turn of phrase, "Buster's last stand" as she told about the chicken who ran around with it's head cut off...spraying grandma's white, newly washed sheets that were hanging on the line with his blood. Guess that's what she gets for deciding to make him dinner. We're definitely looking forward to seeing where Gracie's adventure leads next.

Next came another excerpt from author of I'm Adopted, I'm Special and The Animal Tales blog, Beth Rice's newest WIP "Pawprints Are Forever". The next installment was called "Dr Anthony Vinelli". He wasn't the suave, handsome doc, but rather the smart, capable doc with the fabulous petside manner...who the techs didn't like much, but then...he made them work. He was also an avian specialist which meant he got to handle then snakes and their temperamental owners. He was also the resident "Friends" trivia guru and the favorite doctor for the protagonist. At this point, he was just introduced into the story along with a couple of patients who he's helped along the way, but we all sense that there's much more to their story and are looking forward to hearing it told.

As we closed out the night, we circled back to Peter. He shared with us a piece he'd written about a river called "There Runs A River". Although it was ultimately about the river, it was about so much more. It was symbolic of time and how, like a river, they both change everything as they move. He also shared some of his own poetry. With his permission, here's his piece.

The Pathway

The single line pathway
Moved humans
Carrying empty pails of sorrowed hunger
And despair they should never have owned.

Some brought extended bellies
Swollen lips and cleaved tongues,
Others empty eyes,
Faces cracked
Scabbed skin
Where tears had dried.

And the dogs
That came on burnt paws,
Pulled tails across stones,
Whimpered for those they left to die.

We walked
Slowly
Into miles,
To the horizon,
To a town.

Some groaned
Stopped and dropped
With voices that gurgled
Between cracked lips
Before they died.

For each that crumpled
I bent down
Besides
With a prayer.
Pressed eye lids
Closed
With whites covered
Each rested
In their own dark
Our misery unwanted.

By the edge of the town
With thinned ranks
We stood still,
To feel the pain
To let it run away.
To remember friends and family
Who like fallen sign posts
Now mark our way.

Lying lost upon acarpous soil
They tell others
Who seek shelter,
"It doesn't hurt anymore."

As always, Sarasota Writers Group had a great night of eclectic reading and look forward to our next meeting on 9/18/2013.



NaNoWriMo Write-a-thon Group Critique and Open Mic

Dear Sarasota Writers Group      
I am contacting you on behalf of the Manatee County Public Library to tell you about our upcoming events that may be of interest to members of the Sarasota Writers Group. Beginning this November, the library will be hosting a series of events for National Novel Writing Month. Here at the Central Library we will be hosting a writers’ workshop seminar that we’ve called the Write-a-thon and Group Critique (if enough people stay to have their work read and critiqued, it may become a Group Critique-a-thon). We are doing this on November 4^th in an effort to get people motivated to have fun writing and encourage them to try to write a novel before the end of the month. After the month wraps up and participants have hopefully realized their potential, we will have an open mic reading night. Those that care to join us on December 2^nd will be able to read a selection from their NaNoWriMo masterpiece to friends and family and mostly strangers. Also, there will be refreshments.

NaNoWriMo Write-a-thon and Group Critique
Central Library, Monday, November 4, 5:30-7:30 PM

NaNoWriMo Open Mic Reading
Central Library, Monday, December 2, 6:30 PM
I would ask you to pass this on to the writers’ group (and consider it yourself). Please feel free to contact me for more information or to answer questions about these and other upcoming writers’ events.
Thank you for your time.
Best,
Danny

Danny Bradley, Librarian I - Adult Services Division
Neighborhood Services Department || Manatee County Public Library System
Central Library || 1301 Barcarrota Boulevard West || Bradenton, Florida 34205
ph: 941-748-5555 x6313 || fax: 941-749-7155
daniel.bradley@mymanatee.orgwww.mymanatee.org/library

Invitation to submit to Saw Palm

Dear Florida Writer's Association,

My name is Mike Ruso and I am the managing editor for Saw Palm: Florida Literature & Art, a literary magazine published annually by the University of South Florida. I am writing to let the members of Florida Writer's Association know that Saw Palm is currently accepting submissions of fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry and we would love to receive submissions from you. Would you please forward this email to all FWA members?


Saw Palm is a literary magazine devoted exclusively to creative work from and about Florida. For more information, please see our website: www.sawpalm.org. We are accepting submissions through Oct. 1st via our online submission manager at http://www.sawpalm.org/submit.html.


We look forward to reading your work!

Most sincerely,
Mike Ruso
Managing Editor, Saw Palm
www.sawpalm.org

Wednesday August 21, 2013 Meeting

Our meeting started at approximately 6:30 with 20 attendees and 12 readers. Rod DiGruttolo moderated the meeting and kicked things off.

First announcement is that Peter Frickel will be teaching a course in sentence, paragraph and page construction at our next meeting on September 4th.

Kitt Crescendo had recently returned from the convention Authors After Dark. She brought back some swag to give to the group and shared her thoughts on the event. She found the event to be very interesting and the authors in the various forums she attended to be personable, open and willing to talk about anything. As time allows, she'll be adding more about the authors and events to her blog.

Jack Wetherson kicked off our readings with a football story based inside a correctional facility he humorously referred to as "a gated facility". Although there was initially some confusion as to whether the game was being played by inmates a la The Longest Yard, we found this not to be the case. In the end, this was a tongue in cheek story about bad calls and "paying your dues".

Barbara Frickel, usually leaving the reading to Peter, surprised the group by stepping front and center. She'd taken Rod up on his dialogue challenge several weeks ago and wrote a piece about a lost wallet. Her dialogue was as sweet as she was, showing that people still do the right thing. The finder contacted the owner of the wallet and returned it.

Ed Ellis also took on the dialogue challenge. It was a married couple on a trip to the driver's cousin's house. As almost always with Ed's work, there was a punchline...in this case, it was all about "back seat driving". He also shared a piece he'd written called "Honeymoon Surprise" that dealt with "mixed matches". You know, big guy, tiny girl. The punch line this time left everyone laughing as the question of "who wears the pants" was answered definitively.

Jeff Cochran read another excerpt from his time travel manuscript. This chapter was titled "On The Road In Pennsylvania". In this portion the protagonist has been having a recurrent nightmare about being chased. He misses his life and the future he left behind. As he reflects on the might have beens, however, he realizes that if he hadn't gone back into the past, he might not have his love, Rebecca. Yes, the ladies in the group sighed over the romantic notion, especially from the male perspective.

Don Westerfield, never one to leave us bored, decided to change things up on us. It had been a while since he's shared poetry, so he went back to it, sharing two poems, "Spinster Mary" about a lady, a World War II bride to be that never was and "The Egotistical Poet". With his permission, here's one of his poems:

Spinster Mary

There; down a crooked road,

across a bridge; her house.

Brick, mortar and hopes

built upon un-kept promises.

 

Within dwelt great beauty;

not of youth, but of years.

It radiated outward; encompassing

all who entered without pity.

 

She moved kindly about;

sadness hidden only from a few.

Abiding alone in remembrance of

a shadow love; now gone.

 

In vain she waited for happiness

to unlock the portals of her desire;

leaving only kisses of memory

to treasure until end of days.

 

With comforting faith did she linger,

until her Sun had set. There, down

a crooked road, across a bridge;

her house, unlit and forgotten.

 

 

Asha Anderson, another of our lovely poet wordsmiths shared several poems that left everyone impressed with not only her reading style, but content. With her permission, I'll share one of her readings called "Los Viajeros". This is a poem she wrote to aid her as she was learning the Spanish language.

 

Los Viajeros

 

La ruta es larga.

El dia es corto.

La noche es

ruidosa y calor.

Estoy afuera

con la luna.

La ruta es angosta.

El cielo es ancho.

 

Translation:

 

The Travelers

 

The road is long.

The day is short.

The night is

noisy and hot.

I am outside

with the moon.

The road is narrow.

The sky is wide.

 

(Guatemala, 2007)

 

Jenny Oberg decided to take on Rod's narration challenge. In this, two people are discussing imagination and the mind being free. The conversation starter asks the question "If you could go anywhere, where would you go?" She's speaking of fantasy but unfortunately the other party is not such a daydreamer and is tied to the "here and now", which drives the conversation into an entertaining circle....as is often the case for those of us who are dreamers when we encounter the practical people. Every person in the room was nodding as writers tend to live in that "other" world.

 

Kitt Crescendo also decided to go with Rod's challenge. Her dialogue was between a female employee at a cell phone store and a customer with a water damaged phone. With little bits of innuendo flying when the phone wouldn't stop vibrating and the smart alleck back and forth between the two characters, the group was entertained. She also shared her poem called "Mystique". When she was finished reading, the ladies in the room had two words for her. "Thank You." She has it on her blog if you click her name, but decided to share it here, as well.

 

Mystique

 

“The Weaker Sex”
is what we’re called.
Generations
of velvet encased
iron core,
who have held
and nurtured
in body and heart-
souls,
Sons who become
fathers,
daughters to
mothers.
We’ve stood firm,
guardians of the castle
charged with
sacred duty
to mold, guide and nurture,
teach and love.
Dry tears,
kiss away wounds
spiritual and physical.
Healing powers-
steeped in
understanding,
forgiveness and patience.
We hold on if we can,
let go when we must.
kindness, empathy
and knowledge.
Strength is required
to be
“The softer side.”

 

Susan Davis read an excerpt from a compilation book of women's writings written by Lucy Jane Bledsoe called "Two In The Wild". It encapsulated a woman's escape by bicycle across the Mohave desert when a mother and daughter headed out on a trip of their own encountered her. They discovered that the woman was, in fact, escaping an abusive situation...yet the protagonist to the story spoke of envy because this woman had the guts to get on her bike and blindly change her circumstances. She was ill prepared for the trip, but she had determination and a sense of purpose.

 

Peter Frickel, author of My Frog Sings and Lotha and the Three Crosses along with his blog "iThink" shared an article clipping from the Sarasota Herald Tribune called "Advice For A Writer In Sarasota". Besides discussing the importance of predators v. editors, it touted the importance of researching writers groups before joining and touted the importance of a facilitator with "credentials who is knowledgeable and supportive". Rod was very tongue in cheek when he "apologized". Everyone else laughed. He then read a portion of a Hemmingway book with a quote about writing and encouraged us to join him in his journey to improved writing next week.

 

 

Beth Rice, author of I'm Adopted, I'm Special and The Animal Tales blog continued reading from her manuscript called "Pawprints Are Forever" with a chapter called "Oh, Beans!" In this story, at the end of the day, a customer brings his dog, Beans in for laxatives claiming that he suffers from constipation. The owner is insistent that all Beans needs are laxatives and requires no tests as they would be costly and he's sure of the diagnosis. The protagonist approaches the doctor who is not thrilled to have this last minute walk-in. As he's ranting, he uses the term "for shits and grins" a phrase the protagonist had never heard before. As she's sidetracked with her internal dialogue surrounding the phrase, she misses the vet's order. Not only is Beth's reading coming along, but her knack for humor and the absurd are shining through.

 

 

Last, but certainly not least, was author JoAnne Phillips, author of Adventures of a Sea Hag. Continuing from her current manuscript, "Matrix Of Life", she read a chapter called "Getting Even". In this portion, the 5 year old protagonist has developed a fondness for the bats that would soar out of the loft in the evening. Determined to catch one, she asks her grandfather for advice....which included a hat and bacon. After several days of not catching the bats she discovers, thanks to an exasperated Grams that Gramps has been having fun at her expense. Determined to get even she waits till they're at a store and claims he's a stranger...which nearly causes him to be arrested for kidnapping. As fun and witty as JoAnne's excerpt was, everyone felt the need to tell her how much she's improved in her writing which made her day.

 

Our next meeting will be held on September 4th and begins promptly at 6:30.

 



 

 



Wednesday August 7, 2013 Meeting

As always, Rod DiGruttolo kicked off our meeting with a warm welcome and opened the room for announcements.

Ed Ellis announced that the Englewood Authors and Venice Writers group will be blending together. Meetings will be held every second Wednesday of the month at Jacaranda Trace. Details can be found HERE. Their next meeting will include a class on memoir writing.

Kerri Dieffenwierth also encouraged our group to check out The Hermitage Artist Retreat where she volunteers. They recently had a beach reading on Manasota Key, and will have a pioneer days open house on September 1st. For details, click the link above.

Rod also kicked off the readings for the evening by reading a short story written by Kitt Crescendo called A Final Goodbye. It had been written on Memorial Day to honor our fallen soldiers and their families. It touched JoAnne Phillips' big heart.

Next, Rod gave us a special treat and read chapter 7 from his manuscript "Disciple Of Darkness". It was a twist from Rod's usual playful work. This delved into the darkness of the racial issues in the south. The focus was on a young boy witnessing the torture and death of two black household servants at the hands of his father and the KKK. The reading was riveting and harrowing at the same time. We look forward to hearing more of this dark tale.

Rod followed it up with a more lighthearted read from his 250 word "all dialogue" challenge. His was entitled "Lost". There was a lot of laughter as the characters argued over directions and street names...probably because we've all been there.

Ernie Ovitz took a departure from "Seventh King" to share his 250 word challenge with us. His dialogue brought onto a Naval carrier ship and an accident with a plane. It left us breathless with excitement. He followed it up with a playful poem with a simple message..."stupid is as stupid does".

Laura Harrison also shared her 250 word challenge called "Overheard From The Laundry Room". In her dialogue we were given a taste of why it's so important to treat others the way you'd want to be treated as well as why a person might put a ceiling fan in the laundry room. It also called to light how certain words, over time, have changed meanings.

Newcomer Joseph Pappy introduced himself and his book "The Decline And Fall Of The US Empire". As English is his third language, he's looking for an editing partner to assist with his most recent manuscript regarding womens issues and the negative impact caused by religious beliefs in various countries. If you are interested, please contact him directly.

Jenny Oberg wrote a piece on ghosts inspired by George and Ilsa Mindling's visit to St Augustine. Basically she spoke to the feeling that "we are not alone" and the impression that loved ones have a way of coming to us to give us comfort and touch us when we need it.

Ed Ellis wrote a non-fiction piece called "No Boundaries" where he discussed the mind, time and consciousness as it pertains to thermodynamics. His inner scientist definitely showed through on this particular piece.

Jeff Cochran shared a chapter from his manuscript called "Entering The Tavern" which found his protagonist time travelling through a portal from the 70's into the 18th century. He managed to catch the uneasy feeling and fear of changing the past in this chapter as his character searched for a young lady we simply know as "Rebecca".

JoAnne Phillips, author of "Adventures of a Sea Hag" continued reading from her manuscript called "Matrix Of Life". In this piece, the grandparents have moved away from Pennsylvania to a "haunted house" in New Jersey. That summer, during her first visit to her grandparents' new home, she had her first encounter with ghosts. This was definitely a bittersweet point in the protagonist's life as her grandparents were the constant in her very volatile life. When her reading was finished we had only one question... Does she really see dead people?

Don Westerfield showed of his cheeky humor as he read a short piece called "Humanities 101" about his first college course after leaving the military. The humanities professor was sexy, but definitely with a liberal bend. She invited an "up and coming" young poet to share his work with the class. The piece was called "Looking At The World Through A Glass Asshole". The piece was unique and full of cursing leaving half the class shocked while the other half cheered. As he read the story to our group we roared with laughter all silently thanking our lucky stars that this "poet" didn't put Don off writing poetry forever.

Beth Rice, author of "I'm Adopted, I'm Special" and blogger of Animal Tales Blog continued with a chapter from her manuscript "Pawprints Are Forever" called "Mean Girl". Here she introduces us to one of the most rude, obnoxious bullies...who also happened to be a co-worker. At the end of her reading, many of us felt someone should have reported this woman to HR or something. The woman's hatefulness came through, and we all hoped she would get her comeuppance...and soon!

Ron Babcock wrote a piece called "Sunflower Escape" where he took us through how truly long a couple of hundred feet can seem when you're at war. The protagonist was trying to get across a field of sunflowers with enemy closing in behind him and a sprained right leg. He ended it with a play on how the "chicken crossed the road" and sending a light chuckle through the crowd.

Kerri Deiffenwierth rounded out the night by reminding us of the importance of reading as writers. She also talked about writing what you love and how much more powerful your words can be when you love what you're writing. She concluded by reading an excerpt from "The Heart Of The Monster" by David James Duncan and Rick Bass and how their love for the Pacific Northwest shines through in their descriptions.

Surprisingly, Peter Frickel, author of My Frog Sings and Lotha and the Three Crosses along with the blog "I Think" chose to be a listener and conversation moderator this evening. We look forward to hearing more about his current work in progress about travelling the breadth and width of Africa.

Somehow, even without George, it felt like he had an impact on our meeting. There was an awful lot of ghost type stories that night...as if, somehow, his St Augustine visit (a ghostie town, to be sure) somehow found it's way into our readings. ;-)

Our next meeting is tonight, August 21st. We look forward to seeing you all there!

Second Annual Sarasota Book Fair

Art Center Sarasota will be the venue for the Second Annual Sarasota Book Fair on October 5^th from 10 – 3.

The event is being organized with the help of ABCBooks4Children, Inc.  and we hope it will be a great event.

I have attached the information here for you.

          Brenda Spalding

www.brendaspalding@abcbooks4children.com

www.brendamspalding.com

www.ABCBooks4Children.com             

Artisans of Books for Children

Communications Director

Wednesday 7/17/2013

We kicked off our Wednesday meeting with 18 attendees and 13 readers. With George Mindling on vacation, the role of scribe was handed off to me, Kat Levato. Rod DiGruttolo, our fantastic facilitator, did a great job of keeping us moving and on point. He also laid out a challenge/project for the group. Write out a meaningful dialogue only story of 250 words or more! Folks are welcome to read them as they tackle this challenge.

Kitt Crescendo kicked off the evening with a new poem entitled "Passion's Flame" which spurned on a discussion revolving around love and passion and what inspires her.

Next, Peter Frickel read a chapter called "Big Fish" from his newest work project, a series about his travels of the breadth and width of Africa. In this piece he brought to light the battle between man and nature...more specifically, himself and a very large fish. As always, his words painted images in our minds. He drew us in, causing us to wonder about this battle from the fish's point of view. Was the fish seeking freedom or escape?

Jeff Cochran shared two pieces. The first was based on a writing project to evoke strong emotions called "Special Time". The surprise twist at the end definitely left people spooked and gasping in shock. His second reading was a continuation from his work in progress. The chapter called "Courtship" brought us back in time to when arranged marriages were the norm and young ladies were left to worry about the man their father would choose for them.

Ernie Ovitz continued with another excerpt from his manuscript, Seventh King. His research and flair for description had folks feeling hungry and wishing for a bit of venison and fresh bread!

Robert Taylor came back up from the Punta Gorda writers group and shared with us that his memoir, Hardship Post has been published! Congratulations to him! As he shared with us the first chapter, it was clear why he'd won the 2012 Royal Palm Literary award for unpublished memoir.

Pat Patterson read his epilogue. He's looking for critiques as he feels it's missing a little bit of oomph.

Don Westerfield read his most recent short story entitled "Conversation With Charlie". As is always the case with Don's work, it was heartfelt and had a few folks in the room grabbing for tissues as he shared a conversation between a man at the end of his life, talking to his best friend and his wife, both who have already gone.

Ed Ellis has been working on a non-fiction piece for a workshop entitled "The Seven Principles Of Practice". His piece had comments flowing about his knack for "intelligent" humor and discussing whether he should open with a quote on practice or stick to his own words. He, too, is looking for critique.

JoAnn Phillips shared two pieces. The first was a poem called "Faberge Egg". This poem was a bit of a shift from her normally humorous work as it focused on children and how devastating it is when they're only seen as a "thing" rather than the gifts to the world that they truly are. The next piece was a chapter from her book "Matrix of Life". This portion was mostly regarding her grandfather and how he related to the tragedy of Hiroshima....from the perspective of her 5 year old eyes. It was both painful and moving.

Susan Davis has made her triumphant return from her bike trip from Maine to Nova Scotia! We got to welcome her back and hear a bit about her travel adventure. The piece she shared with us was entitled "So Many Men, So Little Time". Sounds like a racy romance, doesn't it? Not only did she have us feeling muscle aches and pains from the steep hills she biked, she made us feel the rain pelting on her face and her meeting with the owner of a restaurant/hotel and the titillation of the potential love story between their waitress and the owner left untold as they headed back out for the open road.

Asha Anderson shared a booklet she made for the group containing several of her wonderfully descriptive poems. They left the group feeling uplifted and inspired.

Taking us back in time with her, Jenny Oberg shared with us how our senses can draw forth memories. On her way home from the last writers group she smelled the distinct odor of the Brazilian peppertree...and how it led her back to her childhood visits to Florida from Chicago. It definitely had a sweet, nostalgic vibe of youth.

Finishing off the night was Ron Badcock and a piece called "Yankee Station" set in Vietnam. Told as if by autobiography, he shared why volunteering once for a mission is plenty when you're at war.

We wrapped up on time and will reconvene on August 7th! Thanks again to those who participated.

Wednesday, July 3rd, 2013

We kicked off our Wednesday meeting with 17 attendees, 8 of whom were FWA members. After the initial welcoming and introduction of first time guest Jeff Cochran, Rod DiGruttolo read the thank you letter from Mark S. O'Connor, Commissioner of the Nokomis Fire Department for our contribution to their fireman's fund.

With only seven readers, we got to spend more time discussing issues and style before kicking off with Beth Rice, who read more of her developing story, “Paw Prints Are Forever.” Good feedback about incorporating more dialog with the descriptive narrative, Beth's story is developing nicely.

Ernie Ovitz read a short story, “Lost and Found,” which turned out to be the first of two fly fishing oriented pieces. Ernie's reflective piece about self-discovery and manhood was well received. Jenny Oberg read her tender “Beating Heart of a Flower,” and had everyone's attention. Jenny is developing a very nice, unique style. George Collias read a verse from songwriter Don MacLean, then read a series of his ingenious limericks, all based on Florida humor!

Cecile Bell Kennedy read a piece she rewrote just before the meeting called “A Paranoid Mother's Guide to Insanity.” A personal tragedy in a narrative vein, Cecile interjected dialog as an opening and it worked well. Kerri Dieffenwierth followed with a reading from “A River Runs Through It,” by Norman Maclean. Oddly enough, Kerri's preselected reading was a beautifully described piece on fly-fishing.

Joanne Phillips stunned everyone with a poignant, tender story of a young girl's violation told in both first person and third person narrative called “Hardship.” An interesting switch from Joanne's sharp wit and often bawdy humor. Andrew Parker read next from his “Reality Gone Wrong,” with a section called “Homeless Man.” Andrew continues to show his command of manipulating a plot and characters that continues to astound listeners. Andrew will soon publish his material, we'll keep everyone posted.

George Mindling read a piece from his first published newspaper article in the 1999 Waterline called “Bringing Baby Home,” a jaundiced view of a four day boat trip across Florida.

We wrapped up on time and said our goodbyes until the next meeting, July 17^th!

Writing Workshop

From Ken Pelham:

I'll be doing a writing workshop on Wednesday, July 24th, at the Mid-County Library in Port Charlotte. I thought you might pass the word along to members of your FWA writers group. It'll be in the evening, but it's not quite clear yet if it'll be at 6:00 or 6:30. The library staff will post it officially this coming week. The presentation is free of charge. It's a thing I put together for my FWA group here in Maitland, and I'd love to open it to others.

The presentation is "Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Writing in the Fictional Point of View." As the title implies it's about the basics and the finer points of writing consistently from characters' points of view. Nonfiction writers will find it helpful also, as the "nonfiction novel" is common and popular these days. This is one of the biggest generators of rejection slips and something that new writers need help with.

Thanks!

Ken Pelham
www.kenpelham.com

[Note: A little bit about Ken.  His debut thriller, BRIGANDS KEY, was published in hardcover last year. It won first place in the Royal Palm Literary Award in the Unpublished Thriller category in 2009.  His followup, PLACE OF FEAR, won the Royal Palm last year, and he hopes to have that novel out this year.

What's taken Ken years to learn on his own about writing in consistent point-of-view, He wishes he'd learned 20 years ago. He hopes he can pass on a little of what he's picked up to help other writers shorten the process.  Don't miss his presentation!  George]