June 19th, 2024

Having missed the previous meeting, Rod was once again in attendance. The pre-meeting meet and greet was in full swing with three unfamiliar faces among those gathered when he called the meeting to order. Trish Roberts, Tanya Young, and Danny Spurlock joined us tonight. Trish and Tanya had attended a previous meeting some time ago and decided to take part again as they’ve established themselves in our community. Danny joined us for the second time as well, having attended the prior meeting from which Rod was absent. We welcome the trio into the fold.

Rod asked, “How do you set aside time to write? Do you schedule time? Or do you simply grab a few minutes when the rigors of your day allow?

An almost equal number of attendees said they schedule time vs those who write when the can carve out a block of minutes/hours in an otherwise busy day. Our group consists mainly of non-full-time authors who enjoy the craft and are willing to share that enjoyment with others. A few of us may strive to be full time writing pros, but our daily lives will not allow us that pleasure.

Then, after listening to the group detail their writing schedule, Rod asked, “What do you do when your writing is unexpectedly interrupted?”

Looking back on the eleven other faces in the room, the expressions ranged from placid acceptance to hostility. The first verbal response was, “I yell!” After that, a flood of answers flowed forth. Almost everyone decried the interruptions as unwelcome, but a few said it’s part of the process; others agreed with yelling or at least expressing disappointment verbally. Most of us agreed that the reason for interrupting should be of some importance other than for a routine reminder or to do a repetitive chore. Phone calls from a publisher did not count as an interruption, or at least no one mentioned it.

Moving on from the discussion and into the reading portion of the meeting, several readers changed their planned reading material. They read interrupted pieces completed despite the inconvenience.

 

Scott Anderson took the floor with a poem entitled Chest of Drawers. In the hallway of his home stands a chest of drawers, each drawer painted a different color. In his poetic thinking, the colors represent a season in his life—Green, the spring, with burgeoning dreams and goals—Orange, the summers, pleasant, warm, and productive—Yellow, the autumn, maturity and understanding—Gray, the winter, cold and disturbing. Here, he stores the memories of each season.

A traveler for both pleasure and work, Dennis Cathcart has enjoyed seeing a variety of cultures. Tonight, Dennis shared a trip to Ecuador as a younger man in the company of a good friend as they searched for exotic plants. Dennis relates a story of adventure and friendship in A Dead Mule and Naked Ladies. Searching for accommodations for the night near the coast of Ecuador, they enter a small city. In the heart of the business district, they come upon the carcass of a dead mule lying in an intersection. There has been no attempt to remove the animal, nor do preparations appear to be underway. They drive past the fly-infested carcass and continue to a small coastal town. Tired and hungry they procure lodging and enjoy an evening meal. Dennis’ friend is tired and decides to go to bed early but Dennis sets out to explore the little town. He comes upon a carnival near the beach where an attraction catches his eye. As a herpetologist, anything having to do with snakes draws his attention. A poster of a shapely young woman handling a monstrous Boa Constrictor entices him to pay the admission fee to see such a sight. A naked woman is in a cage filled with several Boas as they slither over her body in a dimly lit tent. After a few minutes, she exits the cage, and the show ends. Dennis returns to the hotel, and his traveling companion asks, “What’s going on?” Dennis says, “I’ll tell you in the morning,” and goes to bed. The next day the disappointed companion rues having missed the show, but the carnival has packed up and departed in the night. Look for the rest of the story in Dennis’s next book of adventures. Oh, BTW, the dead mule was still there when they passed through the town on the following day, now bloated and looking as if it might explode at any moment.

 

Instead of reading another chapter of a story, Don Westerfield read two poems finished after an interruption. When Seasons End, tells of the passing of another year in the poet's life and his looking forward to the coming years. Morning In Small Town America is a metered look at the daily life of millions of Americans in small towns across our great nation. The final line of the piece reads “It is good to live here, here in my small town America, and I am content.” Thank you Don.

 

Bruce Haedrich begins a new story by returning to his character, Dan Marin, a private detective with many talents. Reading the rough draft of his first two chapters, The Fugitive drew the attention of almost all of our writers. Suggestions and ideas filled the room, as well as questions as to “What happens next?” when Bruce left us hanging. I smell a rewrite in the making as Bruce clarifies how Dan Marin became an Admiral in the Navy of Oceana, a nation made up of a flotilla of ships. Stay tuned for more.

 

Reading for the first time, Trish Roberts brings us in Without Consent, the story of a high school senior, Mave, who became pregnant during a trip to Ireland. Forced by her mother Mave returns to Ireland to give birth in a Mother/Baby home run by a religious group in Dublin. Years later, after the death of her husband, a NYC Fire Chief, Mave must face the fact she has kept hidden from discovery all these years. Can she muster the courage to do what she must?

 

Reading the opening pages of a new story, Richard Cope tells of a young woman named Sarah Covington, a Musical Prodigy and recovering drug addict now studying in Paris. Sarah meets an older gentleman named Winston at a party. Winston recognizes her from an establishment famous among the circles of addiction and pleasure in London. What are is motives? What will she do?

 

Children’s lit is a tricky genre, but Danny Spurlock’s story Gnomes in the Garden tells the story of a boy who loves to garden but must endure the pranks and outright devilry caused by a pair of Gnomes who don’t want him working in their garden. Danny seems to have a handle on the story. I’m waiting to see what happens next.

 

Tanya Young is a poet. She read her work, Loving to the Sound. As nature’s creations fill her mind with their being, she sets those loving words on paper, instilling an image in the listener’s mind.

 

Mystery and intrigue fill the pages of Ursula Wong’s Strategic Deception. A computer program’s creator regrets selling it to an unscrupulous developer. The agent has used a notorious hacker to change the program from a boon for education and business purposes to a tool for international spycraft and deception. How can she stop him?

 

The evening ended. Smiles on the attendee’s faces seemed to say they enjoyed the meeting and very possibly learned a little something from it. We did hear some really good writing and look forward to seeing the development of each piece. Our next meeting is July 3^rd here at the firehouse. Until then, read as much as you can and KEEP ON WRITING.

May 15th, 2024

 

 Okay, I know I’m publishing this blog at least a week late. Why? I’m a busy person with Great-Grandchildren graduating from different school levels. I don’t want to miss them growing up. Enough said.

The meeting on the fifteenth, with nine writers in attendance, allowed us to hear from a couple of writers before they take off for the summer or at least a few weeks of vacation. Have fun on vacation. Be productive on your summer hiatus and bring back a trunk load of new work. See you in the fall.

To start the meeting, Ernie Ovitz led a short discussion on how we edit our work. ? We’re talking about self-editing, not paying a professional to edit for you. Do you edit as you go, or do you get it written and then edit it. Ernie has been a judge with FWA’s RPLA in the past and shared the Categories and Criteria the judges rank and comment on during the judging phase.

1.      Genre – Be true to the genre, whatever it may be.

2.      Hook – Have intense opening scenes and the first chapter. Define your conflict or setup.

3.      Language and Point of View –  Are you consistent throughout the narrative, sustaining or enhancing the story’s voice apart from using dialogue.

4.      Creativity – Is the story creative in concept, theme, and premise.

5.      Description – How effectively do you illustrate a point, character, or mood. Have you created sensory elements vividly, effectively, and appropriately.

6.      Characters – Are your characters well drawn? Can your readers identify with them? It doesn’t matter if they are likable or hated. Is the character strong?

7.      Dialogue – Is the dialogue balanced with the narration? Is it effective within the story arc? Is there dialogue at all–should there be?

8.      Plot – How well does the plot sustain the story. Is it paced appropriately? How effective is the story conflict?

9.      Mechanics – Assess the use of grammar, spelling, and syntax. Does it enhance or hinder the work?

1        Overall Impression – How well does the work come off as a whole?

Are you a ‘Pantser’ or a ‘Planner’? Pantsers write by the seat of their pants. Words flow from the brain to fingers to text as we stroke the pen or computer keys without a formal plan. “I’ll fix it later after I get in written,” thinks the Pantser. However, the Planner builds an outline, makes notes, and directs their words onto the page with precise placement. But no matter which method you use, editing is still needed. Without editing, we would be reading a lot of typos, disjointed thoughts, and GIGO, as if there’s not enough of that even with editing.

Those fortunate enough to belong to a writer’s group dedicated to helping our fellow writers have an advantage. We get to hear valuable critiques of what we’ve written before it reaches the public ear. Many of us can take advantage of basic editing skills within the group at affordable rates. Work within those resources available to make your writing better with each sentence.

 

Moving on, Peter McNally brought us an updated chapter of his memoir, Rewired. Three months after a debilitating second stroke, Peter drove into his driveway and collapsed in a writhing ball of pain and confusion. As he endured the cold of a New Jersey November, he found himself alone on the concrete driveway, suffering from a Gran Maul seizure. Will he survive? He doesn’t know what is happening.

 

Don Westerfield is a poet who sometimes turns story-teller by bringing us tales in prose. This week’s offering is one such story. War and Infidelity showcase the instability of relationships during the hectic and uncertainty of worldwide conflict. A couple are separated by the war as World War Two begins. Stationed in England, a young doctor is reunited with a former lover. Both are now married to others. Each couple suffered tragic circumstances as they meet at a social club purely by chance. Stay tuned for an update.

 

Jupiter, the Lord-Star, is what Bruce Haedrich calls his latest work. Ancient astronomers tracked the universe with primitive equipment and ideas oft influenced by religion. It often surprises modern man in their accuracy when plotting the path and existence of heavenly bodies. Bruce points out the similarities of different religions as they describe the creation of the celestial universes. Using information gleaned from the study of ancient writers and modern scientists, Bruce tells us a story universal planets relay to him in the form of a letter. How does the existence of each planet, moon, or star affect celestial neighbors? Look for Bruce’s publication soon.

 

Do you like Spy Novels? I can recommend a good read for you. Look for Novels written by Ursula Wong. Her latest work is under construction and has the title Strategic Deception. This week, Ursula allowed us a glimpse of Chapter 3. Arkady Mass, a software opportunist who procured the services of a programmer/hacker in Minsk to modify a program he believes will make him billions by allowing the user to change video and audio through Artificial Intelligence. With this program, someone can make anybody appear to be saying or doing anything they want them to say or do. But has he made a mistake? Is his confidence misplaced? Can he trust the programmer? Is the criminal he borrowed money from ready to bargain?

 

Gary Conkol is making his first foray into fiction writing. Gary is a talented technical writer who uses his skillset from the technical field to write a science fiction story. An old acquaintance, Al, has invited Ken to a weeklong excursion into the unknown. There, Ken meets Molly, a brilliant engineer/scientist, and they fall in love almost overnight. But the thing is, they are on Mars, transported there by a hyperspeed spacecraft. Where do we go from here? Stay tuned.

 

Poetry is Scott Anderson’s forte. Listening to Water Wings, we see a three-year-old construct a sandcastle, competing with the world’s most elegant structures. Even as his body grows weary and eyes heavy, the structure towers above the sand in unrivaled grandeur.

 

I’m glad you are here. We look forward to seeing you at the next meeting on June 5^th at the Nokomis Firehouse. Read as much as you can, and KEEP ON WRITING. We’ll be back soon.

May 1st, 2024

I took a little break over the past month and a half. I guess it was time for a tune-up. My doctors did a little re-plumbing of my ticker. Sitting in front of a computer and tapping on keys while scarfing down fast food is not conducive to keeping a human heart from clogging up. I calculated that having time to rest and recuperate would allow me to do a lot of reading and writing. Oops, that didn’t happen. The hospital is not a place to relax. They’d wake me up at three o’clock in the morning to be sure I was sleeping; then again, at four, they’d wake me to take my vital readings. Yep, I was still alive. Five A.M. was when I had to stick a sharp probe into my finger so they could check my blood sugar. Medications followed around Six, and breakfast came at about Seven. After that, it got busy until the visitors arrived, as I was still choking down the minuscule lunch of tasteless glop on dark brown bread that was supposedly chicken salad. How can glop be so dry? I guess dry glop is healthy.

Anyway, as the visitors finished lifting my spirits, they said their heartfelt goodbyes and set off to do whatever they had abandoned to make me feel better. Leaning back in the physiologically correct recliner I assigned during my waking hours, a uniformed waiter arrived bearing a tray of food I had no recollection of ordering around the lunch hour. That’s okay because I didn’t recognize it as anything I would usually have eaten.

Oh, well. My wife usually visited around dinnertime, and I was glad for that. I missed her. She is a retired nurse, and I needed her old-fashioned bedside manner. You know, “Quitcherbitchn n’ be quiet you're drive'n the nurses up here crazy. It ain’t their job to cater to your every whim.” That would permanently settle me down for the night. That is after two more vital sign checks and another blood test or two before the shift change at eleven.

I survived, and I’m back. Well, I was five minutes late because a motorist made a right turn on red and slammed into my van. But that’s another story.

 

Without an agenda for the meeting, and our co-host was nursing a bad cold he did not wish to share with the group, we went directly to the meeting’s reading portion.

 

Bruce Haedrich opened the readings with what he proposed to be Chapter Four of his extended version of Gaia. Gaia introduces us to the giant planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. After the reading, a discussion ensued. Several members suggested changes and adjustments that might allow the Gas Giants story to be a stand-alone book. Bruce acknowledged that he considered that and was still open to taking that course. Regardless of how he chooses, we know the story will be fascinating.

When Slade Culp took the floor, he explained that his piece was independent writing without named characters that explored the philological relationship between the pair rather than telling a story—Slade’s insight into what is happening borders on invoking a personal feeling in the reader. Readers might adopt a physiological symbiont with a loosely defined character in this piece. It may require some refining, but it works as a stand-alone essay.

 Reading a piece he refined and edited, Gary Conkol brought the opening to his sci-fi story, Join Us, Chapter 1–Invitation, A Mysterious Courier, Remembering Al, The Glass Bead. A courier delivers an Invitation from an acquaintance from years past named Al to join him and several others on a mysterious journey to an undisclosed destination for a week, all expenses paid. Included in the envelope was a glass bead once launched aboard a space probe, never again to return to Earth. How did Al come to have this bead?

 Richard Cope is a fan of Andy Rooney, a former commentator on the television show 60 Minutes. Richard humorously recalled our television reception efforts before we had cable, from the use of tinfoil on rabbit ears to the twisting and turning of tall antennas outside the house. Richard took us back to the days of television reception and the attempt to view a picture free of electrical ‘snow.’

 Strategic Deception is the title of Ursula Wong’s latest book. Ursula gave us Chapter 2 to read and make suggestions on. An adventure thriller, Ursula leads us into Lithuania with this character, Anna, as her native Russia tries to force its rule on the Ukrainian people. How does the story unfold? Having heard some of Chapter 1 and having the privilege of listening to and reading Chapter 2, I am hooked and look forward to reading the finished work.

 After reading two of his poems, Don Westerfield allowed us to sail with him on a moonlit night as he rode the waves and wind. We went Sailing To The Moon, which rested upon the ocean’s dark water. After reaching the moon, we embarked on a journey down The River Of Time again, recalling the joys and disappointments of a life lived to its fullest.

 

I’m happy to be back with our group and hope to see all of you at our next meeting on May 15^th here at the firehouse. Until then, read, Read, and READ some more. Then, Keep on Writing.

March 6th, 2024

 

Hello again. Eight of our regulars, plus a first-time attendee, gathered on a damp evening to explore the mysteries of writing. We welcome Nancy Old to our fold and hope she enjoys our group. Nancy is writing a memoir to share with her grandchildren. A noble undertaking.

Last week, an automatic update to my Microsoft program changed the default font. It now appears to be Aptos (Body) instead of my old tried and true Times New Roman. The blog program does not yet support the new font so, this is still the New Times Roman. I'm not sure yet, but I might change back. I’ve submitted my work for publication in Garamond. It works well and is very readable. Of course, the font size is adjustable in all fonts. I have a problem with my vision and tend to use a larger font, 12 or 14, on my computer, but adjust it to fit the book page size for publishing. As I write this, I notice the spacing between letters is more conducive to reading than with Garamond. I like that the letters are less complicated in their formation. Think about this for a while, give me your opinion at the meeting on March 20^th.

 

We started the meeting by discussing how we chose names for our characters. Is it random? Maybe names from the past in our lives? How about old family names? That’s just a few ways mentioned. Have you ever checked, on the internet or any other way, if your character’s name appeared in another author’s work as a main character or with a minor mention? Do you really want your character to be named James Bond? Okay, maybe his mother was a big Ian Flemming fan. I suggest you read an article by Kathryn Goldman of the Creative Law Center in July of 2021 entitled – Are Fictional Characters Protected Under Copyright Law? She references a case before the federal court in Maryland concerning Tom Clancy’s character, Jack Ryan. The court ruled, and I have a copy of the four-page summary. I need a lawyer to explain it, but I think I’ll not name a character, James Bond or Jack Ryan.

 

Moving on to the reading portion of tonight’s meeting: 

 

Don Westerfield brought us a short story that he’d entered into a contest sponsored by a local newspaper. Although he did not win, he did receive an honorable mention. The Chapel Door is an intriguing story of a man, down on his luck and depressed, who meets a young boy on a bridge over a fast-flowing stream. As he tries to build the courage to jump into the rolling waters below, the boy asks, “Not gonna jump, are ya?” His interaction with the small boy leads him to a Chapel Door and inside a grieving woman. Look for Don’s story in one of his books soon.

 

Bruce Haedrich must have put on his ‘Pondering Cap’ as he brought us a list of thoughts voiced by many great thinkers. From the Butterfly Effect to thoughts by Nadeem Aslam, Elizabeth A. Johnson, and Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Bruce ponders the interconnection of events. His own anthology, The Girl in the Red Shirt, explores the theory as the actions in the stories interconnect throughout.

 

Taking the floor for the first time in her first meeting, Nancy Old brought us a story intended for her memoir, Backyard Memories. In a rural setting outside Nashville, Tennessee, life was simple. Raising food for the family was part of life, but some of the necessary actions might seem cruel to a small child. When killing a chicken for dinner meant wringing the fowl’s neck or chopping the head off with a hatchet seemed cruel to a five-year-old Nancy, she learned life is not always playtime and good things. Sometimes, good things start off not so wonderful. Nancy is a good writer. Her work will be fun to read with practice and fine-tuning.

 

Bill Elam is writing a book in which his characters have no names. They are identified. One character is The Old Man, and his wife is She. Others are called The Artist, The Musician, and The Mechanic. Such descriptions serve to identify the characters without giving them names. Bill is a skilled writer and can do this well. His stories are explicit and leave no doubt in the reader’s mind about who or what is going on.

 

Ernie Ovitz read from our friend and esteemed writer, Peter Frickel’s book, My Frog Sings, to close out the readings. Peter’s mastery of English and the timing of his prose makes his work shout even as it sings. Ernie did a beautiful job of reading, and it allowed me to hear once again the sonorous tone and flow of Peter’s voice, even though it was only in my memory.

 

We look forward to our next meeting at the Nokomis Firehouse on March 20^th and hope you can join us there. Until then, KEEP ON WRITING.