Pre-Meeting Post

I got an email from one of our writers, Kerri Dieffenwierth morning, she always finds the most interesting articles and blogs to share with us. 

A wonderful writer on her own, Kerry shares stuff with us which is educational and inspiring. When she shares her writing I see expressions on the listener's faces that say, "I wish I could write like that." 

What she shared with me this morning bears sharing with all of you who are involved in writing a memoir. I especially took note of the part about showing actionable steps to help your reader with their problem. Too often I see memoirs reading like a 'poor me, I suffer' plea for sympathy. 

If you're writing a memoir, give this a read, you might find a few helpful tips from a pro.

 

New post on BREVITY's Nonfiction Blog

Nobody Cares About Your Dead by Allison K Williams    I read a lot of not-yet-published memoirs. As an editor, I'm sometimes the first stop after the first draft: I needed to write about the crazy year I had. Should I keep working on it? Sometimes I'm a last resort: I've queried 100 agents and nobody wants my book. Should I just self-publish? The answer is always another question: What does your book do for the reader? Memoir already lacks suspense. We lose the novelist's standby of "will this character make it?" We know you survived—you wrote a book about it. Most of us are not such brilliant writers that our shining prose fascinates regardless of the subject. Most of us are working hard to raise our storytelling skills to the level of the story's own power, because raw trauma is not enough. But there's a shortcut. Write a book that does something for the reader. Write the book that beautifully expresses the pain of your addiction, or the trauma of your childhood, or the desperation of your divorce, but revise it to directly help the reader. Beyond "my story is universal." Beyond "people need to know this situation exists." Yes, one of the gifts of memoir is showing readers "you're not the only one who felt like this." But unless we are writing National Book Award-level prose, our personal pain is not enough, no matter how honestly we express it. When a promising manuscript veers from story into eulogy, I sometimes howl internally: ...nobody cares about your kid! ...nobody cares about your pet! ...nobody cares about your dead relative! Readers are sympathetic, but sympathy for a stranger's problems doesn't last 285 pages. Transforming your painful (or joyful!) experience into a book that sells means tying your problem directly to the reader's own experience, using your writing skill and personal credentials. This does not mean writing self-help, but showing specific, actionable steps the reader might be inspired to take. What does "do something for the reader" look like in practice? ·         Medical memoir: My dad died and it was horrifying and Mom was no help at all and here's how I navigated a medical system designed to rip us off, and what I learned about myself and about Medicare. Also, I'm hilarious. The reader gets: OMG my parent had funny death stuff too and I felt so bad laughing but it's OK to laugh, and wow, I don't have to pay that bill! ·         Death of a child memoir: My kid died and it was horrifying and here's how I lived in a fantasy world where drug abuse didn't look like my kid, and what I learned. Also, I'm a brilliant writer. I'm not the only one who missed the signs and I don't have to feel dumb and guilty because I see why she did too, and wow! That paragraph puts my grief into words! ·         Death of a pet memoir: My dog died and it was sad and here's what I learned about alternative pet medicine, when to stop medical intervention, and how I knew it was time to let her go. Also, I'm a veterinarian with stories about how others knew when to treat their pet or let them go. I'm not a terrible pet owner for not buying another kidney for Princess, and wow! Now I have specific ways to process my grief without hearing "it's only a dog"! ·         Family memoir: My grandchild is precocious and I taught myself how to talk about climate change and human destructiveness without crushing a child's spirit. Also, I'm an educator and will fill you with hope. I don't have to be a scientist to have an age-appropriate conversation with my six-year-old about human extinction, and wow! I'm a little more hopeful myself! Take a look at your own manuscript: ·         Is the first chapter backstory and exposition because "No one will understand my family if I don't tell our history"? We are not as unique as we think. That's why memoir is "universal." Cut those pages. Get the reader hooked emotionally. Identify your problem that might also be their problem. Fill in backstory later as needed. ·         Got more than two pages in a row about how great someone was, or what living with them was like? A eulogy is not a story. Cut to the best paragraph or the most significant gesture. Show them through actions. Put their greatness in context with your problem. My husband was so thoughtful, when I was widowed I didn't know how to pay the electric bill and here's how I navigated that. Or, My dog was so amazing I had to learn how to grieve an animal when she died and here's what I did. ·         Is how you tell your story inspiring, hopeful, or educational? Not textbook or self-help, but can readers productively channel your experience to walk away as better people? H is for Hawk* teaches readers about falconry and processing grief through new experience. Wild inspires taking a physical journey to purge our past. How to Be Black examines American racism through a personal lens, and the lessons are truly absorbed through comedy. Pour out your love and tragedy and joy in words. Maybe you'll have a 285-page eulogy. Maybe it'll be the first draft of a book you sell. For readers, honoring your dead is not enough. Not your dead mom, your dead kid or your dead dog. Write to honor your love and your kin. Revise to do something for the reader. _________________________________________________________________ Allison K Williams is Brevity's Social Media Editor. Follow her on Instagram for writing advice, travel adventures, and workshop and retreat announcements.

Don't forget, ZOOM meeting Wednesday, June 17th, 6:30. Email Rod or Ernie for invitation.

Testing

I've been working on this blog and made a few changes. Please, let me know what you think of the format.

June 3rd 2020

Another month of 2020 has passed, it seems like we’ve already had two years of this decade and we haven’t completed the first one yet. WOW! Oh well, another ZOOM meeting. Ian suggested we might try MS Teams instead of Zoom for a future meeting, I’m looking into that this week.

It’s nice to see those of you who attend the electronic meetings, but I’m looking forward to the time when we can be in the same room and visit personally. I miss you all.

Scott Anderson announced, he has entered some of his work in a prestigious contest and is vying for the lofty prize of $10,000. He has future entries planned in less lofty contests as well but a win here would be a great ego booster. We all know Scott’s work is exceptional and elicits a skipped heartbeat each time we hear him read. I can only hope the judges in these contests can read poetry with the same passion as Scott writes it. Good Luck Scott!

Scott read seven of his poems, all short but powerful. With each of these; Whisper; Senses; Roots; Dinner Time; Springtime; Waking; and Poems, he put his heart on display in holding love close even though it has passed. Even as I write this, I hear the solitude and feel my heart reaching out remembering my own lost ones.

Ian Schagen is heading back to the UK this week, we’ll miss him, but if he wants to stay up past midnight, he can join us via ZOOM. Attending this meeting before departing, he shared the first chapter of his new non-fiction tome entitled Obrunni. The title is from a dialect in Ghana meaning White Man. The opening chapter is entitled Rejected! One of Ian’s greatest assets is he’s not afraid to talk about his weaknesses. Here, he shows how he and his wife are rejected by the bureaucratic system in the UK because, as he succinctly says, “he was a grumpy old Brit.” As usual, even with the rejection and issues facing the couple, Ian finds humor in the situation and it shows in his writing.

 Joining us on ZOOM for the first time, Letitia ‘Tish’ Mcauley read a letter to her daughter. Tish’s memoir about her addiction to drugs and alcohol often details her strained relationships with family members, including her daughter. The heartfelt letter reaches out asking for forgiveness while not making excuses. I hope she finds some way of working it into her book.

Offering his latest book on Amazon last week for free, James Kelly, got over 300 orders. He continues on new work, a novel with a working title of Manifest Destiney. Moving west after the Civil War, the white man takes over Indian territory. Pushing the natives off their hunting grounds, taking land promised in treaties, and mistreating these proud people in a humiliating manner, the white man rides roughshod over the Great Plains. Fighting nature and enemies much of the way, the route west is fraught with peril. Tonight, we heard Chapter Two. A boy is growing into manhood, learning hard lessons about people, war, living, and surviving.

What with the interruption of reopening our meeting in a different ZOOM venue, we ran out of time on the first one, we moved on to Ernie Ovitz reading his latest situation in which Emperor Constantine faces some dissension created by some Senators unhappy with the Emperor’s choice to allow and subsidize the Christian Religion. Oh, what devious Villians these politicians can be.

Well, the evening seemed to fly by because we did have time to discuss each reading in detail. In these times of pandemic and unrest politically and morally, time seems to drag. Sometimes I think the only thing garnering acceptance in this world is Stupidity. Step back, look at what you have to do, and use common sense. Whatever else you do, KEEP ON WRITING!

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Is this the new normal? Are ZOOM meetings here to stay? Well, probably not, but they will be around a bit longer. The majority of our group is in the age group most vulnerable to COVID-19’s most harmful effects. We do wish to keep all our members safe and healthy. It’s hard enough staying healthy when you’re over 70 under non-COVID conditions. Let’s not take unneeded chances. Thank you all for all you do all year round. Keep us in mind even if you do not choose to join us on ZOOM. I love to get emails from my friends.

Wednesday night we signed on at the usual time of 6:30 PM. Within a few minutes, seven of this hardcore group were engaged in a discussion about our writing habits and sharing little tips and information about what we are doing. We discussed how we could use a feature of ZOOM to share our computer screen with others in the meeting. 

Scott Anderson was the first volunteer to share his cache of poetry and chose an interesting piece to read while we followed along. In my excitement, I forgot to jot down the name of this poem. In any case it was, as are all of Scott’s offerings, thought-provoking, and moving. Comparing the moon’s dark light sides to the happenstance of our everyday lives, he asks unanswered questions and illuminates feelings we often hide in darkness. Look for Scott’s work in various contests and literary publications in the future.

Taking up the gauntlet next, Mary Schaffer displayed a travelogue with photographs and a running narrative about her trip to China in 2010. Accompanying her son and daughter, both familiar with and enamored with Chinese culture, they traveled along highways and back roads through rural China not regularly seen by tourists. On a narrow mountainous stretch of roadway they had a flat tire. Their rookie driver had no idea of how to change the tire nor did the passengers. There, amid an uninhabited wilderness, two things happened. First, a truck towing a large trailer filled with hogs drove past, stopped, and backed up the narrow road with a mountain face on one side and a deep ravine on the other. The driver took the time to change the tire and get them back underway. The second thing occurred while the trucker was changing the tire. From out of the underbrush filled ravine, a man walked across the road, took notice of the activity, and continued to casually trek up the hill. Familiar with China and its people, Mary’s son remarked. “That’s so China.” Thank you, Mary.

Unfortunately one of the failings of ZOOM reared its head here as I suffered a momentary power outage in my neighborhood and I missed some of Ernie Ovitz reading a scene from his historical fiction series highlighting the life of Emperor Constantine of Rome. Preparing for her wedding, a young woman spars with an elder sister about the preparations for the wedding. As both are Christians but are required by law to participate in ceremonies of a pagan nature, they console each other on some points. A well-written scene giving the reader an insight into the relationship of the women with each other. If I messed this up, I apologize I'll take the blame because I didn't have my router hooked to the power back-up. 

A novel about General Winfield Scott Hancock, A Soldier First and Always, is published in two volumes by our own James H. Kelly. Now, he follows it with a new novel in the works as the General’s legacy continues in the West. In the Dakotas and Montana, our military is tasked with containing the Native Americans who are resisting the westward expansion of the nation. The first chapter is a harbinger of action, suspense, and a story that tugs at our hearts. Great stuff, Jim.

Reading the first half of Chapter 6, Rod Digruttolo asked for the listener’s opinion on his character, Donna, a twelve-year-old girl kidnapped and held for ransom. The writer’s intention is to portray Donna as a self-sufficient youngster whose wealthy and well-connected father raises her alone due to the death of her mother a few months prior. It appears some work is needed and will be accomplished. Thanks

Bruce Haedrich and Anne Perry Moore were in attendance but chose not to offer anything to read. 

The evening was a success in my view. ZOOM was generous with the time constraints and we did not have to break away midmeeting and reconnect. Thank you, ZOOM.

If you have comments for the blog and can’t seem to get them to post, please send your comment to me at my email address in the upper right-hand corner. I’m looking forward to seeing you all either by ZOOM or in person, soon. In the meantime, stay safe, stay healthy, and KEEP ON WRITING.

Fun with Books

Fun with Books

credit to IRISH POST via FACEBOOK

You may have to enlarge this to see what's happening with these books, check them out and let me know if you get the message.

Which vs. That

By: Brian A. Klems | August 7, 2012

The battle over whether to use which or that is one many people struggle to get right. It’s a popular grammar question and most folks want a quick rule of thumb so they can get it right. 

Here it is.

---

Q: I’ve been writing for a long time and always assumed which and that were interchangeable, but I’ve recently been told that isn’t the case. How do I make sure I’m using the right word? —Anonymous

The battle over whether to use which or that is one many people struggle to get right. It’s a popular grammar question and most folks want a quick rule of thumb so they can get it right.

Here it is:

If the sentence doesn’t need the clause that the word in question is connecting, use which. If it does, use that. (Pretty easy to remember, isn’t it?) Let me explain with a couple of examples.

Our office, which has two lunchrooms, is located in Cincinnati.
Our office that has two lunchrooms is located in Cincinnati.

These sentences are not the same. The first sentence tells us that you have just one office, and it’s located in Cincinnati. The clause which has two lunchrooms gives us additional information, but it doesn’t change the meaning of the sentence. Remove the clause and the location of our one office would still be clear: Our office is located in Cincinnati.

The second sentence suggests that we have multiple offices, but the office with two lunchrooms is located in Cincinnati. The phrase that has two lunchrooms is known as a restrictive clause because another part of the sentence (our office) depends on it. You can’t remove that clause without changing the meaning of the sentence.

------------------------------------------------------------

I know many of you get tired of hearing me say, "You suffer from the 'that' syndrome." You might also note the use of commas in the sentences above. They are often used to set off a restrictive clause.

In my writing, I suffer from the same malady. Too often 'that' simply jumps onto the page from my fingers without my brain being in gear. Proofing text is the only true way of finding the issue. If you use a word processer or computer, the program you employ probably allows you to search for the word you wish. Find 'that' and read the sentence. If it meets the criteria, leave it alone, if not change it to 'which'. Then do the same for 'which'.

I did this for my latest bit of work, some 50,000 words, and found 39 instances in which I erred.

Good Luck and Keep on Writing!

Answer to the call

   Two days ago I put out a call for writing to post on the blog. I received three immediate replies.

Don Westerfield gave me two entries, both short - flash fiction pieces. He invites critique and suggestions. Read The Affair and The Cafe as follows. Let us see your replies.


Ian Schagen sent a timely piece, In the Time of Coronavirus. Read and enjoy it.

Lois Stern challenges the group with her premature departure for New York. Stay safe, everybody.

THE AFFAIR

Don Westerfield Sr.

No doubt the way it ended was the easiest way for her.
abrupt, unfeeling, without anger, just a message on his phone, it left him wondering, and at a loss as to why, but he guessed at the why, she had no future with him, and she needed a future. He said he understood, but I know he ached at the parting.

The months had drifted, as he had drifted, aimlessly it seemed. I told him affairs are always doomed before they begin, but he didn’t listen. His lasted longer than it should have because he fell in love with her, and he knew better too; this was not his first affair.

She certainly knew how to make him feel young again, she stoked the warm embers inside of him that grew into a fire. Of course, it was an unlikely pairing from the beginning, she was June, he was October, his Autumn years were waning, hers was at her Summer’s peak, 

I wish she had told him the why face to face though, even knowing it would be painful. I want to believe she was only trying to spare him the hurt. That’s when his drinking started, and his life fell apart. They say all things must end in truth, well it wasn’t just the bullet that killed him, I think when she took back her love, she also took back his youth. 

THE CAFÉ

Don Westerfield Sr.

  Her fragrance and the rustle of her dress brings my head up out of the newspaper. Completely forgetting the crossword puzzle I’m working on; I watch her take a seat a few tables away. I guess her to be in her middle to late forties radiating beauty and a self-assurance few women her age would possess. She seems to know she has my attention for her lips break into a slight smile as she gives a furtive glance in my direction.

  I feign attention to my paper as she gives the waitress an order, but I watch her every move, imagining myself sitting across from her. My mind races with anticipation of maybe touching, caressing or even loving her. If only I was bold enough to go over and make my acquaintance.

  Then her gaze lifts and her eyes look directly into mine as if she is reading my thoughts and saying, “come to me.” I push back from the table and rise from my chair, just as a figure comes between us. I see him bend down and kiss her cheek. She eagerly grabs his hand and pulls him to his seat. I quickly lower myself back to my paper and wonder almost out loud what the answer to eighteen down might be.

In The Time of Coronavirus

United in self-isolation
Millions in every nation
Join together in separation.

Those with a conscience, those with a heart
Can help each other, for a start,
To keep people safe by staying apart.

We’re in this together, wherever we are
United aloneness, both near and afar
All of us living on this spinning star.

In the time of the plague, kings and lords hid inside
With others kept out, and many then died
With nowhere to go, and nowhere to hide.

Now things are better: we each have a hole
That we can hide in, keep down the death toll
Waiting in hope for the good times to roll.

And while we’re apart, we’re connecting with others
Family and friends, aunts, sisters and brothers
May even have time to make calls to their mothers!

Ian

Now I thought I'd throw out this challenge to the group. The next Tales2Inspire theme is SAYING GOODBYE. I don't want a bunch of tear-jerking stories - there are many scenarios in life where we say goodbye to one situation or person, and start anew. How many such ideas can the group come up with - individually and collectively. Who knows, some might be so clever that they would like to submit a story for the next edition.

I hope you all remain healthy and that this latest scare is just that, more bark than bite.

Hugs,

Lois

3/26/20 Update, Staying Isolated

I'm staying away from people and working on my latest endeavor. I may actually have time to get something done now that I've been furloughed from my job. Betsy is doing her best to keep me busy but I've managed to find some hiding places in a two-bedroom villa with garage, believe it or not.

I have a wonderful spouse and her sense of humor keeps me on my toes. Yesterday she asked me if I was tired of being "cooped up". I shrugged, and she said, "I feel like we're "incooperated", now I think that's a new word for temporary incorporation into our "quarinternment" vocabulary.

Hey, I'd like to hear from you guys, you've got my email, rodshs62@hotmail.com for those to don't, so send me something you're working on even if it's just a paragraph or sentence you may be struggling with. If I can't help, maybe someone in the group can. Let me know if you want help and I'll post the problem and ask for the group's help.

I miss you guys! 
Keep on Writing

Meeting Changes

Due to recent events, I cannot attend a meeting this week. I recommend we cancel the meeting until we know more about this bug. 

Check this blog for meeting schedules in future weeks. Stay safe and don't take unneeded chances.

March 4th, 2020

Starting off the meeting a few minutes early gave us an opportunity to discuss a subject I find fascinating, Plot Driven or Character Driven stories. Sparks fly when authors begin to discuss subjects close to their heart. Both camps expressed viewpoints and there were those of us who weren’t sure which style we encompass. I find myself a little confused. A recent article from the NY BOOK EDITORS blog. 

Character-Driven Vs. Plot Driven: Which is Best, defines the hallmarks of a plot-driven story in this way:

When you focus on plot, you focus on events.

Plot-driven stories are often exciting and fast paced. They compel the reader to turn the page to find out how the characters will escape, evade, prevail, or overcome.

As an author of a plot-driven story, you have to meticulously tie together plot points to create a cohesive story. You naturally focus on ideas instead of people and their motivations.

In your story, you force your characters to make quick decisions that move the plot forwards. As a result, character development is secondary to plot development.

A Character-Driven Story is defined in the same article as:

A character-driven story is one focused on studying the characters that make up your story. Character-driven stories can deal with inner transformation or the relationships between the characters.

Whereas plot-driven stories focus on a set of choices that a character must make, a character-driven story focuses on how the character arrives at a particular choice. When you zoom into the internal conflicts, you tend to focus less on the external conflicts. The plot in a character-driven story is usually simple and often hyper-focused on the internal or interpersonal struggle of the character(s).

In a character-driven story, the plot is used to develop the character.

Many readers love character-driven stories because the author tends to put a premium on developing realistic, flawed, and human characters. Readers can see themselves or someone they love in these characters and, as a result, connect emotionally.

Can your story change from chapter to chapter? I think it may, depending on what type of story you’re writing. We’re talking about fiction here, non-fiction, poetry, memoir, and other genres have limiting factors built in. A good writer must build believable characters and sustain a storyline to keep the reader interested, who wants to read a story with shallow characters and no rhyme or reason to its flow. If your character takes on a life in your imagination and directs the flow of the story, is that a character-driven story? Can a character drive a chapter while the storyline, plot, drive others? Think about it, find examples to support your arguments and bring them to the next meeting. Bring examples of your work in which you use either or both elements. Let’s have fun with this.

Well, what else? Oh, I almost forgot, we had two visitors at this meeting. Joann Buell’s sister, Helen Harvey is visiting from the Finger-Lakes are of New York, she sat in on the meeting as an observer. We hope she comes back again even if it’s during a subsequent visit. Also, Jean Young, author of Quicksilver Summer, joined us as she is vacationing here from Newfoundland, Canada. Jean tells us the writers in her home group have published an anthology of their work and it has sold well. Her book, Quicksilver Summer, has been used through the provinces in schools as a tool to help readers with limited reading skills learn to read better. Using simpler language and basic writing techniques, she makes reading and understanding easier. What is your target audience? Thank you for attending, Jean if you’re in the area, we welcome you anytime.

Diving into our reading segment, Ed Ellis unlimbered a poem I think is one of best he’s written. Entitled Quantum Reality, this piece takes on a subject confusing to a vast majority of the rest of us. Quantum Physics, just the name conjures up pictures of atoms and exploding stars in my mind, is explained in this poem, as only a poet/physicist can derive. Passages like,

“Created by vibrating molecule bonds

Playing the music of odor

We listen to the quantum guitars

Of Chemistry”

create a picture in my mind and clarifies a fuzzy and distorted image that has long eluded me. More Ed!

Letters! Are letters a dying art form? Peter Frickel writes a collection of letters, real or fictional, hard to tell. Interesting, almost spell casting, for sure. He gives us a glimpse into the lives of people across the world and in all walks of life through these letters. A Legionnaire in the deserts of North Africa, an Attorney on vacation in the Pyrenees Mountains, writing letters home or to lovers. Each tome gives us an insight into the lives, loves, and fears of someone we don’t know. Also, the story of a river ending its journey upon entering the ocean as seen through the eyes of a youngster or is it a memory of a native home long ago, but never forgotten.

A THRACIAN CATFIGHT in the fourth century. Ernie Ovitz takes us to the year 311 as the emperor Maxentius plots to declare war on his brother-in-law Constantine. Gathering his allies and supporters in a vacation palace, a pair of female gladiators square off in a struggle to the bitter end as entertainment for the bloodthirsty spectators. Descriptive language and passionate composition bring reality to the page. A few suggestions cannot help but enhance the story. Great job Ernie.

Creation and Media Gone Wild are subjects for Scott Anderson’s poetry. In a haiku we’re left with a mystery about creation, are we suspended by a thin thread? What happens if the thread is dropped? When the media gets hold of a story, in this case, the Corona Virus, is the hype more important than the story, will the hype cause more harm than the disease? What a powerful tool words are, and in the hands of a master they can wreak havoc.

Bill Elam has a story with no names, only characters who draw you into the moment. This chapter breaks the no-name rule as Sam makes an appearance. Based on an actual case, Sam’s attorney takes a homeless vagrant’s case to the Supreme Court of the United States of America and changes the law forever. Yes, Bill, this man deserves his name.

How many people have met a two-faced monster in their lives? Rip Converse writes of an ambitious and innocent 15-year-old girl named Gabby. Her first crush, a boy who treats her well and seems to be a true gentleman changes when the evil flame of lust burns hot in his loins. He attacks with rape on his mind, physically abusive and intent on getting what he wants, Gabby must fight him with tooth and nail. A barely remembered tactic comes to mind as he holds her captive in his barn. Does she prevail? What next? Look for Rip’s newest book to find out.

Returning to the Poet’s Corner, we hear from Don Westerfield as he brings us two great pieces. Sailing to the Moon takes us on a magical nocturnal voyage. Lyrical and enchanting, this piece leaves us dreaming of calm waters and soothing moonlight. In a salute to his late father, My Father’s Vagabond Life, chronicles the life of a man whose flaws are overshadowed by his devotion to family. Times were hard in days gone by. Great story in verse, Don.

Embarking on a gargantuan task, Bruce Haedrich attempts to look at creation from the earth’s point of view. Giaia Earth, the Living Planet is the first of at least four installments. Having already taken on the formation of a hurricane from a wisp of a breeze in Africa, to the formation of the Great Plains in previous writings, he is stalking the universe. Amusing in some passages, frightening in others, his story is informative and spellbinding.

Manifest Destiny took Americans west. James Kelly tells us of their lust for land and riches which disposed native tribes from their land and drove some to near extinction. Lack of foresight and greed cost many their lives and livelihood. Here, on the frontier wagon trains formed and settlers abandon unessential belongings before setting out for the unknown. A young man views the process and looks toward his future.

Starship Diana has traveled across galaxies, suffered a mutiny, and was damaged by a collision with a meteor. Now her Captain faces the impossible task of landing the 3-kilometer-long-craft, which was never designed to be a landing craft, on a planet taken over by the rebels who mutinied. Ian Schagen’s stellar imagination presents many scenarios. How will this happen? Who will survive? Stay tuned and look for this and other Schagen books.

Who would think our founder and poet, Susan Haley, would ever write for a news outlet? Well, she did. She wrote an article depicting confusion in the media. Interruptions in interviews, misquoting and avoiding direct responses to questions. Does all this sound familiar? In the midst of another election cycle, we are bombarded with this stuff every day, night and day. When did she write this article? In 2008. It wasn’t new then and is still pertinent today as it was since the beginning of time.

Well, that pretty much sums it up for this meeting. I may have missed something, but I’m not perfect. Until the next time, March 18^th, KEEP ON WRITING.

BOOK SIGNING OPPORTUNITY

Book signing opportunity: Local indie authors are encouraged to participate in Authors in the Park, spotlighting local authors, Thursday, March 12,  11 am – 2 pm, Phillippi Estate Park, Sarasota. Authors of all genres are welcome and encouraged to take part in this book signing event spotlighting local authors. We will heavily promote the event through traditional and social media, with flyers, and through other channels throughout the community to encourage members of the community to come out and support us.

The cost is only $30 per space and may be shared by two authors. Authors need to bring their own tables and chairs; tents are welcome but must be securely anchored. Set-up begins at 9 am and authors are asked to be set up and ready to greet guests by 10 am.

Tunes, Trucks, and Treasures (formerly the Brown Bag Concert Series) features food trucks and a different musical act each Thursday in February and March. Authors are welcome to participate any Thursday. Sophisticated Swing will perform on March 12. All proceeds benefit the restoration of the Keith Farmhouse on the Phillippi Estate property. Tunes, Trucks & Treasures is presented by Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources.

AUTHORS MUST BE REGISTERED BY MARCH 1ST
For more information and a Registration Form please contact Ramona Fields at ramonalovesdogs@verizon.net or 941-544-7549

February 19th, 2020

This week’s meeting gave us an opportunity to learn about Marketable Writing as presented by Ed Ellis. With questions and comments from the listeners, Ed took us on a journey through his Writing for Marketable Writers. From explaining the difference between a model and a plan to reaching our desired outcome. Although not all listeners agreed on all points, they did see options presented they’ve not always considered. Informative and thought-provoking, the presentation opened avenues for thought and options unfamiliar to all of us. Ed has put his presentation in pdf format and offers it to anyone who would like a copy. Email Ed or Rod, emails are listed to the right side of this post, with a subject line of Marketable Writing and we will send you a copy.

Thank you, Ed.

With time remaining in the evening, we opened the floor for reading. First up was Don Westerfield. Usually, Don brings us poetry, but occasionally he comes up with an entertaining piece of prose in his unique style. Always welcomed by the listeners, we look forward to Don’s work and settle in knowing we will enjoy what’s about to come; he didn’t disappoint us this week. Entitled, The Alien, Don entered the realm of humor and science-fiction in one fell swoop. Somewhere in a jungle of undisclosed location, a young woman suffers the loss of her husband to be. His untimely death leaves her distressed and sure she will never become a lover or mother; she will never know the joys of womanhood. Her fears are accentuated by the crashing arrival of a spherical object crashing through the canopy of the jungle and coming to rest a short distance from her mourning hut. The interaction of the young woman with an alien being is remarkable as she has little or no fear of the unknown due to her circumstances. The ending comes in an unexpected and awakening conclusion. Don’s next book may well contain this story and is worth waiting for.

Another sci-fi writer took the stage as Ian Schagen read a continuation of his tale of a starship’s journey across the galaxy. After being hijacked by a violent splinter group of colonists who’d signed on to establish colonies on previously uninhabited planets, the starship captain is awakened from wrongly enforced hyper-sleep by a minor malfunction alarm. Discovering he’d been forced into hibernation only a few light-weeks earlier, he turns the behemoth starship around and returns to the planet whereupon the rebels have established a fortified colony. Accomplishing the impossible, he guides the monstrous ship through the atmosphere and uses the atomic hyper-drive engines to attack the rebel outposts. Are his efforts successful? I guess you’ll have to wait until this tome is complete and published. Look for it in the future.

We returned to Castro’s Cuba with Jeff Kutcher as he read more about his friend, Amauri. Baseball is popular in Cuba, and games are commonplace. Amauri and his brother compete in one such game but must cut their time short as they must meet with their father. As they walk to the meeting, Amauri’s brother confides as to how he would someday like to live in the United States. The revelation is shared by the brothers but would not be popular with their father, a General in Castro’s army. Cuba has always been a tourist destination for Europeans especially those from Spain. In this episode, a pair of Spanish tourists are duped and robbed by an acquaintance of Amauri and his brother.  How does that sit with the brothers? We wait for the next installment.

We meet again on March 4th and look forward to seeing you once again for discussion and reading your work for critique or help. The readers for this meeting will be led off by Bruce Haedrich and Sue Haley, both choose to defer their turn this week so others would be able to read. Until the 4th, KEEP ON WRITING, and we hope to see you at the Firehouse.

February 5th, 2020

Another beautiful evening in Nokomis, Florida and a great meeting at the firehouse with the Sarasota Writer’s Group. The evening started off with a book giveaway; Bruce Haedrich brought in four copies each of his Dan Marin Mystery books and invited all of us to take those we wished to read for free. His only prerequisite was we write a review of the books we take to read. I hope to read a lot of great reviews.

We welcomed Keri Dieffenwierth back after an absence as she healed from a surfing accident, we missed her. Jim Kelly was in attendance; he was honored by the Suncoast Writer’s Guild in Englewood for his work with students in the local school system. Jim has introduced elementary school students to poetry for several years now and many have shown a true gift for it. Congratulations, Jim, great work!

With 22 in attendance and 12 writers wishing to share work with us, we moved directly to the reading portion of the meeting. Peter Frickel opened the session with a piece he calls The Vixen Pub. A man remembers the time he spent with an old flame as they are reunited. This reunion has a surprising twist as the evening wears on. His old love is not as she once seemed. Look for this piece on Peter’s web page or on Amazon in the future.

After his book giveaway, Bruce Haedrich shared an original piece documenting 175 Million years of change by giving a personality to The North American Plain. Speaking as the plain, Bruce takes us through the millennia as seen by the virtual eyes of what is now a large section of North America. Unique and informative, his piece might be the best simplification of tectonic plate movement I’ve ever heard.

A change of pace in Scott Anderson’s work is seen in his 3 poems presented here. First; Pride and Gluttony depicted the sins of a proud glutton as his confession unfolds. Second; Envy and Greed come to the fore in a second confession and the reader can feel compassion for the unforgiven. Third; Lust rears its ugly head as base instinct rules in the life of one seeking forgiveness.

Who knows what will come out of Ed Ellis’s mind when he takes up the pen? A true story with a well-learned lesson enthralled us as Ed and a buddy take a ride on their brand-new Harleys into the California mountains. All goes well on the way up the mountain, after a stop for refreshment the return trip gets exciting when his buddy misjudges a turn and crashes. Thrown from the bike, he lands upon a rattlesnake. The upset snake shows its displeasure by burying its fangs in the biker’s leg. Ed was adamant it was the leg, not his ass that was bitten. If it was the ass, it would have been ‘TOO BAD.’ Ed uses poor judgment in sucking blood and venom out of his friend’s leg when the paramedic mentions how cavities in one’s teeth would be the same as being bit. Both men spent time in the hospital receiving antivenom.

Chapter 6 of Barb Marvin’s mystery novel, her fifth or sixth book, follows an unnamed character out Fruitville Road in Sarasota. Development springs up in an area he chose to hide secrets, anger rises as he flees the area set on getting retribution for losing his valued secret place.

Everyman, Don Westerfield’s poem about the average person’s life hits a nerve for every person who hears it. Poignant, none escape the insight of this poet. My Poem as a Painting, his second offering, puts words in a new light with a comparison of art forms. Great work, Don, can’t wait for more from you.

What was it like to be a slave on a slave ship? Jim Kelly gives us a possibility in his poem Darkness. Listen carefully and you can taste the fear, shiver with cold nights, sweat in stagnant heat, and breath secondhand air as the imprisoned cargo is swept away to the unknown.

Castro’s Cuba is home to a growing lad. Jeff Kutcher tells of Amauri nearing the age of 15. He has an appointment with his father to discuss his future. An older brother has a job and lives an independent life, what does the future hold for Amauri? Sleep eludes him as scenarios fill his young mind on the night before the meeting.

Tales2Inspire is a creation of Lois Stern. Lois read a winning tale from her latest edition entitled The Swan by Linda Bond. Linda read us the rough draft before leaving the area last year. A kitchen remodel job causes excess anxiety in a woman who seeks to find calm in watching the swan on a lake behind her home. Well written and deserving of publication, this story shows how the simplest things can bring calm to a hectic life.

Already hard at work after publishing his two-volume work about the Distinguished Career of Winfield Scott Hancock, James Kelly has begun another saga, this time it takes place after the civil war. Entitled, McKenzie’s Plan, it follows the life of a career officer and his family.

Another chapter in Jane Forgey’s Life Altered memoir brings a story of an early snowfall resulting in a rare snow day off from school in November. Fun for kids, but what about Mama and Daddy? Keep it coming Jane, most enjoyable.

Moving away from his Si-Fi genre, Ian Schagen brought us a poem entitled Life Drawing. An art class is presented with a nude model posing for their assignment. Once the artwork is complete there are as many interpretations of shape and scale as there are students. Perception is studied in this wonderful offering. Great job Ian, looking forward to more from you.

That’s about all for this week, folks. Remember, Ed Ellis will present his program MODELS FOR MARKETABLE WRITING at our next meeting, February 19th. Ed says it’s about an hour or so, depending on how long the question and answer portion takes. Until then, KEEP ON WRITING!