Sunday, March 9, 2008

THE REVIEW

ANXIOUS FOR SPRING


Bob and Margaret joined me Thursday for a meeting. We are all hoping for a warmer Spring to start happening soon. Maybe the time change will help. At least it will be lighter longer in the evenings for those of us who don’t like driving in the dark.

Bob read more about Trailing and Waters, the manufacturers who were their main competitor in the jewellery business. We learned they seemed to be heavy drinkers and could be seen going out and returning to their premises with a brown paper bag every day.

Margaret showed us a drawing she made of the dog, Barker, who turned out to be a spaniel. The chapter she read was about Barker going to see a pet psychiatrist for excessive barking. The good Doctor blamed Rev. Peasly for the problem because of the name he’d given the dog. But the dog quit barking after having a good chew on the leg of the Doctor’s Chippendale chair.

I had a letter from John Ireland that I read. He and his wife are now back in New Zealand, enjoying their summer weather. They are at Napier, on the east coast of the North Island. John is working at rewriting “Brown Girls” to see if a friend’s publisher might be interested in it, as well as hoping to get hired by the community newspaper. He says a paperback costs $25.00 there. And he says hello to all the Rammers.

I read two versions of my one-page synopsis, first draft and rewrite. I had some good suggestions from Nathaniel and also did research online. But every time I read it I still want to tweek it here and there. Gave it to my husband to read, and he said it moved and conveyed a story line with lots of action, so I guess that’s good, coming from somebody who never reads fiction? However, he did take exception to my starting a sentence with the word “But”, as it is a conjunction and the PEng. in him believes in correct grammar. I ignored him on that comment.

Nathaniel seems to be busy working on his boat and doing repairs on others. Last two entries I read on their blog were about boat repairs. I told him he should be writing a manual on boat repairs. He could probably make a fortune at it.

Amanda is working on formatting her Robot poem and another story for submissions. Last I heard from Carolann was that she and her husband were trying to move from Walnut Grove to Surrey. I haven’t heard from anyone else lately. Any updates out there on writing endeavors you’d like to send me?

Next meeting here at my place on Thursday, March 20th at 7:00 p.m. Hope to see some more of you then, even if you haven’t written anything. Communion of writers is always important. Good luck with your writing.

Lisa