DOG DAYS OF SUMMER?
With temperatures in the 30s last night, there were only four of us here to celebrate the Muse, or lack thereof, whichever applied. Jason, Margaret F. and Ellie joined me in a relaxed evening where we all had something to read. Wendy and Jim were both unable to attend, and I never heard from anyone else.
Margaret F. read first, an entry from Wednesday, August 15th, 2012 in her Journal. It was a long explanation about why she isn’t finding time to write her “Babes In The Woods” book. Her life is very busy with family, friends, part-time work and all the incidents that make her life a very enjoyable one, indeed. So of course there’s no time to write. She’d have to give up something else. She’s convinced herself the best sacrifice would be that of sleep, and that she should rise at 2:00 a.m. to write for several hours before her day begins with another few hours of housework, and morning breakfast with hubby. However, we think maybe the block has been what she perceives is the overwhelming scope of what she wants to write, that it’s hard to imagine ever having enough time for it. The best antidote to that is to quit thinking about the “whole” project and just break it down into small steps that are easy to accomplish, one at a time, in small increments.
Jason read next, Chapter 19 “Pressed”. Gregg and his Great Grandma return to her home and she shows him the Book of the Nornir. Gregg tries to open it but can’t, and the dragon’s head on it moves and tries to bite him. Then Great Grandma tells Gregg that Jody’s father felt responsible for the death of Gregg’s aunt, Sam, and afterward became abusive of those around him. He was the one who injured Jody and caused all the scars on her back when she was a baby. Great Grandma says she has something else to give him, but before she can there is a phone call to say Jody’s Mom has been murdered and at the same time her car comes up the drive, but it’s the man in black who gets out of it. There was lots of explanation of relationship and background in this chapter that starts to make sense of the story and the tension of things still unknown was definitely building.
Ellie read an erotic poem about finding and sleeping with a white bedspread and then its experience during a cycle in the washing machine. Jason couldn’t fathom feeling that way about a cozy cover, but Ellie, Margaret and I all concurred that erotic sensations at our age have different connotations than one might expect.
I read next. First reading was of “The End” a short story I submitted to the Polar Expressions contest. It’s about an exchange of souls in one body, and how the purpose of that has been met and the entity has reached the end of that incarnation.
My second reading was of Chapter 10 in “Nigel Wingate Is Dead”. Nigel arrives at the Lone Butte Hotel looking for Dee. He sits where she can serve him and when she appears at his table he blurts that the cops are still investigating Susie’s death. He says he needs to talk to her. She agrees to meet him in an hour, on her break, and in the meantime he drinks 3 pints of beer. Outside, she asks him why he’s there and he blurts out that she has to marry him so he won’t have to testify against her. Not wanting to go to jail, she agrees. He says he’ll take a room there and they can talk more when she gets off work.
Margaret Moffatt has two articles in the August issue of Today’s Senior Newsmagazine. She is enjoying her new residence in Quesnel and is in touch with a writing group that wants her to come to their next meeting.
Michael Hiebert has asked if he could give a detailed presentation on story structure to a meeting of the Rams as practice for doing it for other groups eventually. This is a topic he has extensive knowledge about. Jason, Ellie and Margaret F. thought that a separately scheduled meeting for that in September would be best as they don’t want to lose any of their reading time from regular meetings. After looking at the calendar, I’ve suggested to Michael either September 12th or 26th as possible dates. So keep those dates in mind until further notice to verify what’s happening.
The next regularly scheduled Meeting will be Wednesday, Sept 5th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Hope to see you then.
Lisa
P.S.
Further to Margaret’s dilemma about finding writing time in her busy life, here is a poem I wrote during a busy time in my life.
MISSING IN ACTION
Round and round
I’ve lost myself
With people here and people there
I love them all
But who am I?
And where am I
And when am I
And how am I
And what am I?
I’ve gathered so much life around
I swamped myself
And can’t be found.
By Lisa A. Hatton
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Saturday, August 4, 2012
THE REVIEW
REUNION
After a two month break from Meetings while I recovered from surgery, it was absolutely wonderful to host another Meeting of The Rams on Wednesday. Ellie, Wendy, Jason, and Margaret F. all joined me that night. Jim was busy with family obligations. Gemma had a family emergency. And Julie’s husband was on vacation and they were going to go away for a few days. Bob Jacoby had phoned me earlier to say he thought I was very brave to start having Meetings again. He thought it was very soon after my surgery. However, I am progressing in recovery though still somewhat less mobile than I was prior to the knife. But pain is minimal during the day and I definitely need something to alleviate the boredom.
I read first. Finally felt like writing again and did another chapter in “Nigel Wingate Is Dead”. This chapter is from Edna’s point of view (Dee Dee’s mother). She is alone in her cabin at night stewing about her daughter who is at work, when Nigel arrives. He tells her there is an on-going investigation into little Susie’s death and that he needs to talk to Dee. Edna is terrified of a criminal investigation and doesn’t want to know what really happened and tell’s Nigel that. He says he needs to talk to Dee and tell her what his lawyer says could happen, and what his lawyer advised them to do.
Margaret F. told us she had done extensive research into the unsolved murder of two children whose remains were found in Stanley Park. In “Babes In The Woods” Margaret read to us the beginning of a true crime story she is writing on the topic. The story starts telling us about the bodies being found by a parks worker in 1953, and then continues by questioning why the murders were never solved. It’s a very well written beginning to a piece of investigative journalism. And Margaret thanked me for calling a Meeting because it gave her a deadline to write for and broke through the block she’d been experiencing in writing this beginning chapter. Deadlines are good. They keep us on track.
Jason read to us Ch. 18, Revelation, from his novel. We see Jody tied face-down to a cot in a tent when Leigia approaches and torments her. She wants to know where Jody came from as she suspects she is an angoros and not a human. But the angoros were supposed to have vanished from the earth. To test her theory, Leigia keeps repeating a chant that is supposed to assault the angoros’ hearing and cause their ears to bleed. Jody hides her reaction though is tortured by the chants. After Leigie leaves, confused by Jody’s lack of response to her torture, Jody notices the blood on her pillow and turns it over to hide it. This chapter has a lot of suspense in it and furthers the storyline for us.
Wendy read us two poems. The first was for children, called “Dudley The Mouse”. A young mouse wants to be accepted and writes to Santa asking to be made cuddly and loveable. But he is visited by an angel instead and told to like himself as he is.
The second poem was “Menu Memories”, and was a look at Wendy’s reaction to food as a child and the many things she didn’t like, especially mashed potatoes and canned peas and organ meats. Boy, could I relate to that poem!
Ellie read a piece of prose poetry about the Kwamais, which she is entering in the writing contest about that part of South Surrey. It is a very sensual article describing that area, which Ellie knows well. She has kayaked around that point and flown over it many times. Good luck in the contest, Ellie.
The next Meeting will be Wednesday, August 15th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Hope to see you then. The hot temperatures outside right now are a good excuse to stay in the shade and write!
Lisa
After a two month break from Meetings while I recovered from surgery, it was absolutely wonderful to host another Meeting of The Rams on Wednesday. Ellie, Wendy, Jason, and Margaret F. all joined me that night. Jim was busy with family obligations. Gemma had a family emergency. And Julie’s husband was on vacation and they were going to go away for a few days. Bob Jacoby had phoned me earlier to say he thought I was very brave to start having Meetings again. He thought it was very soon after my surgery. However, I am progressing in recovery though still somewhat less mobile than I was prior to the knife. But pain is minimal during the day and I definitely need something to alleviate the boredom.
I read first. Finally felt like writing again and did another chapter in “Nigel Wingate Is Dead”. This chapter is from Edna’s point of view (Dee Dee’s mother). She is alone in her cabin at night stewing about her daughter who is at work, when Nigel arrives. He tells her there is an on-going investigation into little Susie’s death and that he needs to talk to Dee. Edna is terrified of a criminal investigation and doesn’t want to know what really happened and tell’s Nigel that. He says he needs to talk to Dee and tell her what his lawyer says could happen, and what his lawyer advised them to do.
Margaret F. told us she had done extensive research into the unsolved murder of two children whose remains were found in Stanley Park. In “Babes In The Woods” Margaret read to us the beginning of a true crime story she is writing on the topic. The story starts telling us about the bodies being found by a parks worker in 1953, and then continues by questioning why the murders were never solved. It’s a very well written beginning to a piece of investigative journalism. And Margaret thanked me for calling a Meeting because it gave her a deadline to write for and broke through the block she’d been experiencing in writing this beginning chapter. Deadlines are good. They keep us on track.
Jason read to us Ch. 18, Revelation, from his novel. We see Jody tied face-down to a cot in a tent when Leigia approaches and torments her. She wants to know where Jody came from as she suspects she is an angoros and not a human. But the angoros were supposed to have vanished from the earth. To test her theory, Leigia keeps repeating a chant that is supposed to assault the angoros’ hearing and cause their ears to bleed. Jody hides her reaction though is tortured by the chants. After Leigie leaves, confused by Jody’s lack of response to her torture, Jody notices the blood on her pillow and turns it over to hide it. This chapter has a lot of suspense in it and furthers the storyline for us.
Wendy read us two poems. The first was for children, called “Dudley The Mouse”. A young mouse wants to be accepted and writes to Santa asking to be made cuddly and loveable. But he is visited by an angel instead and told to like himself as he is.
The second poem was “Menu Memories”, and was a look at Wendy’s reaction to food as a child and the many things she didn’t like, especially mashed potatoes and canned peas and organ meats. Boy, could I relate to that poem!
Ellie read a piece of prose poetry about the Kwamais, which she is entering in the writing contest about that part of South Surrey. It is a very sensual article describing that area, which Ellie knows well. She has kayaked around that point and flown over it many times. Good luck in the contest, Ellie.
The next Meeting will be Wednesday, August 15th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Hope to see you then. The hot temperatures outside right now are a good excuse to stay in the shade and write!
Lisa
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