SPRING’S PROMISE
It was a fun Meeting on Wednesday with the beginning of Spring, and the change to daylight saving time.
Ellie read her poem “March” which gave a detailed sensory account of seeing sharp shins beheading pigeons in March, before the end of winter, when food supplies are short. Her line, “Nature’s life cycle, a deathly ending of winter” we thought was very powerful and we thought it should be the last line of the poem as it emphasized the dark event that had just happened.
Wendy read us a personal piece about her grandmother. She starts by telling of the end of Granny’s life when Wendy was just seventeen, and then goes on to tell how Granny had lived with them and made Wendy and her sister her whole life as she cared for them while their parents were at work. The piece was a loving tribute to her grandmother, intended to be shared with family.
Julie was with us, but didn’t have any new writing to share this time. However, we are always grateful to those who come to listen to the rest of us read our scratchings. It’s always important to support each other that way.
Jim read his latest rejection letter which he received for his submission of the first hundred pages of book one of the “Coventry Ghosts”. The agent was Brown and Miller, and they had done several in-house readings before they said they found the concept intriguing but they still declined to handle it.
Next Jim read to us Chapter 13 of the second book. Jason, the antagonist, has been broken out of jail and is being abducted by the henchman of a criminal mastermind who wants Jason’s skill at usurping ghost essences through his computer to use for nefarious purposes. The abductor and Jason hop a train, and even though Jason has injured his knee, he is still forced to comply with orders to march when they get off the train.
Monica read to us from her second chapter in her self-help book. This reading told of the verbal and emotional abuse she suffered from her father, and how dysfunctional her family was. Instead of crying, she internalized her pain and believed things were her own fault. She tried unsuccessfully to gain her father’s love and acceptance, but also fought with him because she couldn’t accept the hypocrisy of his lifestyle. He had many lovers and boasted openly about it, while her own mother stayed silent. The whole family worked like slaves on the farm. We were spellbound by the telling of the background in this chapter and we all want to hear more.
I read another “Honey” story called “It Was Time” about learning that I needed to take a cane with me when I went on a boat trip with my Honey when we were up at the cabin. I did some research on word lengths for short story collections and hard copy publication seems to be in the 40,000 to 50,000 range unless it’s an anthology, which is quite a bit longer. However, I did learn that short stories are finding a market in self ePublishing and a single story is often listed for $.99. Wouldn’t it be fantastic to see a revival of an interest in short stories? They have been almost invisible since magazines quit printing them because of cost factors.
Jason read Chapter 14 of “Provoked”. This is about Gregg’s brother David. We see him at school, more interested in partying with his friends than in academics even though he’s starting to feel a need to find some purpose to his life. He’s somewhat worried about his brother’s absence from school, but much more interested in an upcoming party. He secures a date with a girl for the party, and then lets two of his friends ply him away from school and the three of them are drinking while cruising in a car. This is a great piece of characterization and an unusual chapter of daily living in the physical world after previous chapters revealing esoteric dangers. The switch back and forth ups the suspense.
If anyone is interested, this is a reminder about the upcoming presentation on e-Publishing being held at the Murrayville Library on April 19th at 7:00 p.m. The speaker will be Russ Crossley, who has books published both in hard copy and ePublished.
Also, on March 31st at 2:00 p.m. at Millner Chapel Hall is the book launch of “Water In The Wilderness” by local author Doris Riedweg.
The next Meeting of The Rams will be Wednesday, April 4th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Hope to see you then.
Lisa
Friday, March 23, 2012
Friday, March 9, 2012
THE REVIEW
JASON AND THE HAREM?
Jim was unable to attend the Meeting Wednesday, so that left Jason as the only man with a roomful of female writers. He didn’t seem to mind, though.
Anne Berrie had dropped off a box of dicta-typing equipment no longer used at her office, free to a good home. She was exhausted so wasn’t able to stay for the Meeting. There were three of us who each took a set of equipment for recording and then playback using a foot pedal. Julie took one set, Monica took another, and so did I. I think “Honey” can use it to record himself playing guitar and singing and then play it back to hear himself. Monica said she has a number of interviews to do and would use it for that purpose. Thanks to Anne for thinking of us.
I read first, another story from the “Honey” series. This one was “The Blob At Green Lake”, telling about our escapade with a king size waterbed mattress we took to Green Lake to use on the water for young people to jump onto. Everybody wanted to know if the story was true and Jason said my stories about Honey are an amazing tribute to him. Don’t know whether I should tell Honey that or not?
Ellie read from her young adult novel she has started, “Close To The Wind”. We see fifteen year old Jordie, with his dog and his Mom, going out to the oceanside to watch a ferocious storm. In sync with the anger of the storm, he’s raging at his missing father and dour prospects for the summer to come. There was a lot of poetic description of the storm from Jordie’s viewpoint, and some of us did tell Ellie that a teenaged boy probably wouldn’t attribute that much headspace to the sensual witnessing of the storm, that he would be more apt to express his anger in some form of physical action. So then Ellie was torn between re-writing to change Jordie’s experience in the storm, or make Jordie a female who would be more inclined to notice the storm that way, or change the beginning to someone else’s point of view entirely. And as is my habit, I chipped in that Ellie should pick one tense, past or present, and not switch back and forth. But we’re all rooting for Ellie as we know the story has a terrific plot-line that adventurous teens would really enjoy.
Monica read to us a speech she has written to deliver at a Toastmasters’ meeting on Tuesday. She stood before us and read “Sick And Tired Of Being Sick And Tired”, where she told us about the debilitating effects of Lupus and how it can obliterate the desire to participate in even the mundane of daily living. It is a case of the body attacking itself, with recurring flares and remissions, and is found more in women than in men. With an emotional call to help with fundraising, Monica challenged her listeners by saying that they all know someone with Lupus, because she is someone who has it.
Wendy read Chapter 2 of her story, “A New Dawning”. She tells of middle-aged Sarah working part-time at a drugstore managed by her best friend. Diagnosed with breast cancer, her marriage ended; no career, only a part-time job, living on alimony, she breaks down and tells her friend, Anna, even though she hasn’t told any of her own family. Anna wants to treat her to a vacation before she has surgery, but Sarah resists. After visiting her doctor and knowing surgery is scheduled in two weeks, she decides to go on vacation by herself, which is a big decision for someone not used to taking control in her life.
Before Jason read, he pointed out to me he has numbered his pages and included the name of the novel at the top, and at the beginning of each chapter has noted the title and number of same. Then he read Chapter 13, “Meaning”, from his novel “Provoked”. Gregg and his Great Grandma arrive home from the cemetery where she found him naked in the grave. She questions him about what happened and who was there, and he questions her about what it all means. He is desperate to find Jodie. He tells Great Grandma that the man in black was after the Book of the Nornir, and she then tells Gregg she has something to show him at her house. Even though events have been strange and dangerous, we still see the humour and endearing humanity of the characters in this scene.
Lastly, I was able to read the next two chapters in Margaret Moffatt’s “Coffin And Dye”. In “Sunday”, we see Coffin unhappily sitting on a bench at St. Willen’s church in the early hours of Sunday morning. He is supposed to dig up the crypt to see if he can find out who is buried there. The cleaning chap sits down beside him and tells him the crypt is empty as the body that was supposed to be buried there had disappeared on a scow that floated out to sea instead of arriving there at the church. Then the cleaning chap says the name of the missing corpse was Thomas Turnkey. The man then leaves, walking right through the closed door of the church.
In “Arthur Sees Dr. Noah”, Tootsie and Trish take the dog, Arthur, to the pet psychiatrist, wanting a remedy for the dog’s foul flatulence. They think it’s caused by Arthur having chewed on an ancient skull. But Dr. Noah says it’s the women’s fault in how they named the dog. He says the dog is a female and should never have been called “Arthur”. Since Arthur wouldn’t let them check his/her nether regions, they decide to take the dog to Donny Coffin, sure that he would know.
Anne Berrie said her son was asking when “Coffin And Dye” would be available in book form. He so enjoyed “Blow Up The Castle” he wants the next set of Margaret’s stories to read. Nice that Margaret has a fan base!
Next Meeting will be Wednesday, March 21st at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. The time will have changed to daylight saving, and we should all be ready for Spring that day. Look forward to seeing you then!
Lisa
Jim was unable to attend the Meeting Wednesday, so that left Jason as the only man with a roomful of female writers. He didn’t seem to mind, though.
Anne Berrie had dropped off a box of dicta-typing equipment no longer used at her office, free to a good home. She was exhausted so wasn’t able to stay for the Meeting. There were three of us who each took a set of equipment for recording and then playback using a foot pedal. Julie took one set, Monica took another, and so did I. I think “Honey” can use it to record himself playing guitar and singing and then play it back to hear himself. Monica said she has a number of interviews to do and would use it for that purpose. Thanks to Anne for thinking of us.
I read first, another story from the “Honey” series. This one was “The Blob At Green Lake”, telling about our escapade with a king size waterbed mattress we took to Green Lake to use on the water for young people to jump onto. Everybody wanted to know if the story was true and Jason said my stories about Honey are an amazing tribute to him. Don’t know whether I should tell Honey that or not?
Ellie read from her young adult novel she has started, “Close To The Wind”. We see fifteen year old Jordie, with his dog and his Mom, going out to the oceanside to watch a ferocious storm. In sync with the anger of the storm, he’s raging at his missing father and dour prospects for the summer to come. There was a lot of poetic description of the storm from Jordie’s viewpoint, and some of us did tell Ellie that a teenaged boy probably wouldn’t attribute that much headspace to the sensual witnessing of the storm, that he would be more apt to express his anger in some form of physical action. So then Ellie was torn between re-writing to change Jordie’s experience in the storm, or make Jordie a female who would be more inclined to notice the storm that way, or change the beginning to someone else’s point of view entirely. And as is my habit, I chipped in that Ellie should pick one tense, past or present, and not switch back and forth. But we’re all rooting for Ellie as we know the story has a terrific plot-line that adventurous teens would really enjoy.
Monica read to us a speech she has written to deliver at a Toastmasters’ meeting on Tuesday. She stood before us and read “Sick And Tired Of Being Sick And Tired”, where she told us about the debilitating effects of Lupus and how it can obliterate the desire to participate in even the mundane of daily living. It is a case of the body attacking itself, with recurring flares and remissions, and is found more in women than in men. With an emotional call to help with fundraising, Monica challenged her listeners by saying that they all know someone with Lupus, because she is someone who has it.
Wendy read Chapter 2 of her story, “A New Dawning”. She tells of middle-aged Sarah working part-time at a drugstore managed by her best friend. Diagnosed with breast cancer, her marriage ended; no career, only a part-time job, living on alimony, she breaks down and tells her friend, Anna, even though she hasn’t told any of her own family. Anna wants to treat her to a vacation before she has surgery, but Sarah resists. After visiting her doctor and knowing surgery is scheduled in two weeks, she decides to go on vacation by herself, which is a big decision for someone not used to taking control in her life.
Before Jason read, he pointed out to me he has numbered his pages and included the name of the novel at the top, and at the beginning of each chapter has noted the title and number of same. Then he read Chapter 13, “Meaning”, from his novel “Provoked”. Gregg and his Great Grandma arrive home from the cemetery where she found him naked in the grave. She questions him about what happened and who was there, and he questions her about what it all means. He is desperate to find Jodie. He tells Great Grandma that the man in black was after the Book of the Nornir, and she then tells Gregg she has something to show him at her house. Even though events have been strange and dangerous, we still see the humour and endearing humanity of the characters in this scene.
Lastly, I was able to read the next two chapters in Margaret Moffatt’s “Coffin And Dye”. In “Sunday”, we see Coffin unhappily sitting on a bench at St. Willen’s church in the early hours of Sunday morning. He is supposed to dig up the crypt to see if he can find out who is buried there. The cleaning chap sits down beside him and tells him the crypt is empty as the body that was supposed to be buried there had disappeared on a scow that floated out to sea instead of arriving there at the church. Then the cleaning chap says the name of the missing corpse was Thomas Turnkey. The man then leaves, walking right through the closed door of the church.
In “Arthur Sees Dr. Noah”, Tootsie and Trish take the dog, Arthur, to the pet psychiatrist, wanting a remedy for the dog’s foul flatulence. They think it’s caused by Arthur having chewed on an ancient skull. But Dr. Noah says it’s the women’s fault in how they named the dog. He says the dog is a female and should never have been called “Arthur”. Since Arthur wouldn’t let them check his/her nether regions, they decide to take the dog to Donny Coffin, sure that he would know.
Anne Berrie said her son was asking when “Coffin And Dye” would be available in book form. He so enjoyed “Blow Up The Castle” he wants the next set of Margaret’s stories to read. Nice that Margaret has a fan base!
Next Meeting will be Wednesday, March 21st at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. The time will have changed to daylight saving, and we should all be ready for Spring that day. Look forward to seeing you then!
Lisa
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