WORD ASSOCIATION
Wendy, Jason and Jim joined me last night for a Meeting in spite of the cold weather.
I started by telling the group about further developments in my sale of a ‘Honey’ story to Summit Studios for inclusion in their anthology “Never Light A Match In The Outhouse”. The story was “The Blob At Green Lake”. At first I received an email from the editor mentioning some changes he would like made to clarify things for the reader. One concern he had was my relationship to Bryon. Was he my husband, or a boyfriend, and was his name ‘Bryon’, since I had used that name once in the story? So I did a re-write and addressed all the concerns listed, and even took out the name ‘Bryon’ so he was called ‘Honey’ throughout. Then I had a phone call at 8:00 a.m. one morning. The editor still didn’t like my using the nickname ‘Honey’. He wanted to use ‘Bryon’ throughout. I said I thought it read funnier calling him ‘Honey’. He said he’d been doing this for over twenty years, and he was certain that would just confuse the reader. He’d had one writer call her husband ‘Studley’ and he had nixed that one, too. I sensed his deep aversion to the endearment of ‘Honey’, so I agreed to his making the change throughout the whole story. But I’ve had one other ‘Honey’ story included in an anthology here on the West Coast, without any change of moniker, so it makes me wonder if there is a difference in perceived meanings between regions. Anyhow, I have the right to include the story in my own collection, where it will still be a ‘Honey’ story.
Jason read a scene from his second book, but he wasn’t sure what chapter this would be. In this scene, we see Damianos thrust into an old building that had once been very grand, but was now decaying. He has trouble breathing and is wounded. He had been pulled through the “Book Of The Nornir” to this other reality. Then a frigid waterfall cleansed him of his wounds. As he stood up, roots came up from underneath and started pulling him toward a large hole, and he was screaming “Not again.” There are vivid descriptions in this scene that shows us the plight of Damianos, and you can almost feel sorry for this antagonist.
Jim read us Chapter 37 of Coventry Ghosts, Book II. Sara has popped back into the submarine to meet up with Joel. But she is very upset at the appearance of Launi Bridges, of CSIS, who had been spying on her and could communicate with her telepathically. She starts popping in and out and making the meeting room icy cold. She is asked to direct her anger at Ms. Bridges, and not the rest of them, so she dumps Ms. Bridges in the ocean until she admits to why she had been spying. Then Sara whooshes her back to the meeting, where she falls and cracks her head on the steel deck. Pesky little kitten, for sure. Kids reading this will just love it.
Wendy didn’t read but was very helpful with editing. Lorelei had emailed that she was still fighting the flu. Annette said she had to attend another meeting. Ellie is busy looking at houses on the Island, as she and her husband are planning on moving there in the spring. We will miss her so much! Margaret F. emailed that she and her husband had moved to an apartment in Surrey and she was busy getting settled.
Our next Meeting will be Wednesday, December 4th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Since it will be our last Meeting before the holidays, it will be our Christmas get-together. Feel free to bring any treats you’d like, sweet or savoury, as well as your writing, and we will feed our faces as well as our souls. I’ll try to have my decorating done, and will try to have Honey decorate the ficus tree again. Looking forward to seeing you then! Ho! Ho! Ho!
LISA A. HATTON
Author
Published eBooks available at Kobo Books:
FIRE: http://kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=9780991739615
LOVE FOUND: http://kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=9780991739608
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Thursday, November 7, 2013
THE REVIEW
FORBIDDEN SOCIAL CLUB
Six of us gathered last night completely devoted to the craft of writing. After some general discussion, we thought we would try staying focussed on writing from the beginning of the meeting and leave socializing till the end. This is so we can devote ourselves more assiduously to mastering the technicalities of writing instead of learning more about people, of whom we write. I guess we need more ‘how’ and less ‘why’ in our writing. (This is all reported with tongue in cheek. Please laugh with me.)
Ellie read first, a rewrite of a story she has titled “Date Webs”, and which she has entered in the CBC fiction contest. It is the story of a couple’s first date at a French bistro, where the woman is trying to be seductive. Over dinner there is mutual attraction, but the spell is broken by the appearance of a dead fly on her lip from the wine she was drinking. But even though she’s tipsy, the evening progresses and she wakes up in his arms the next morning.
Jim read Chapter 36 of his Book II of “Coventry Ghosts”. We see Sara and Moog and Shei get into a ghost battle outside CIA headquarters with the Umbra. Then Sara and Shei proceed to the library to finish collecting information on Jason Jones and Yoon Lee Dongpang. Jim thought this chapter was rather long, and we agreed he could split it in two.
Annette read to us the continuation of her story “A Taste Of Wormwood”. We see Alyssa 8 years later, obviously still alive, but living secretively under an assumed name in a bachelor suite. She’s hiding from George, who had hired the hit man to kill her when she dumped him as a boyfriend. One evening she sees someone suspicious outside on the street who is then killed by a man she recognises as George. Terrified he will find her, the runs and then we see her living in a shelter in a new town, with a new name, going for a job interview. This is a captivating mystery and we all want to know more of past circumstances as well as what will happen next.
Jason read Chapter 2 in the sequel to “Provoked”. We see Jody tormented by dreams of the past as well as the painful scars on her back. She lives with her adoptive father, who is very concerned about her well-being, and afraid she could become very depressed and suicidal. He wants her to out to dinner with him for her birthday, but she refuses. He’s jealous though that she’s going out on a lunchtime picnic with Gregg. He agrees they can stay home and order pizza, but only if she promises their time together won’t be interrupted by Gregg.
I read next, my re-write of “The Making Of A Soldier”, which I will enter in the CBC non-fiction contest. This had been on hold with The Legion Magazine for two years. They had hoped to be able to publish it, but since it was a little out of the ordinary for them, they finally admitted they couldn’t find the space for it.
I shared with those present my list of books on writing that I possess. I did an inventory and have about 78 books, and said I was willing to lend them out to anyone interested.
Wendy was present last night, but didn’t read. However, her insights into the social aspect of meetings was valued. Lorelie emailed to say she wasn’t well enough to attend last night.
Next Meeting will be Wednesday, November 20th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Looking forward to seeing you then.
LISA A. HATTON
Author
Published eBooks available at Kobo Books:
FIRE:
http://kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=9780991739615
LOVE FOUND:
http://kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=9780991739608
Six of us gathered last night completely devoted to the craft of writing. After some general discussion, we thought we would try staying focussed on writing from the beginning of the meeting and leave socializing till the end. This is so we can devote ourselves more assiduously to mastering the technicalities of writing instead of learning more about people, of whom we write. I guess we need more ‘how’ and less ‘why’ in our writing. (This is all reported with tongue in cheek. Please laugh with me.)
Ellie read first, a rewrite of a story she has titled “Date Webs”, and which she has entered in the CBC fiction contest. It is the story of a couple’s first date at a French bistro, where the woman is trying to be seductive. Over dinner there is mutual attraction, but the spell is broken by the appearance of a dead fly on her lip from the wine she was drinking. But even though she’s tipsy, the evening progresses and she wakes up in his arms the next morning.
Jim read Chapter 36 of his Book II of “Coventry Ghosts”. We see Sara and Moog and Shei get into a ghost battle outside CIA headquarters with the Umbra. Then Sara and Shei proceed to the library to finish collecting information on Jason Jones and Yoon Lee Dongpang. Jim thought this chapter was rather long, and we agreed he could split it in two.
Annette read to us the continuation of her story “A Taste Of Wormwood”. We see Alyssa 8 years later, obviously still alive, but living secretively under an assumed name in a bachelor suite. She’s hiding from George, who had hired the hit man to kill her when she dumped him as a boyfriend. One evening she sees someone suspicious outside on the street who is then killed by a man she recognises as George. Terrified he will find her, the runs and then we see her living in a shelter in a new town, with a new name, going for a job interview. This is a captivating mystery and we all want to know more of past circumstances as well as what will happen next.
Jason read Chapter 2 in the sequel to “Provoked”. We see Jody tormented by dreams of the past as well as the painful scars on her back. She lives with her adoptive father, who is very concerned about her well-being, and afraid she could become very depressed and suicidal. He wants her to out to dinner with him for her birthday, but she refuses. He’s jealous though that she’s going out on a lunchtime picnic with Gregg. He agrees they can stay home and order pizza, but only if she promises their time together won’t be interrupted by Gregg.
I read next, my re-write of “The Making Of A Soldier”, which I will enter in the CBC non-fiction contest. This had been on hold with The Legion Magazine for two years. They had hoped to be able to publish it, but since it was a little out of the ordinary for them, they finally admitted they couldn’t find the space for it.
I shared with those present my list of books on writing that I possess. I did an inventory and have about 78 books, and said I was willing to lend them out to anyone interested.
Wendy was present last night, but didn’t read. However, her insights into the social aspect of meetings was valued. Lorelie emailed to say she wasn’t well enough to attend last night.
Next Meeting will be Wednesday, November 20th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Looking forward to seeing you then.
LISA A. HATTON
Author
Published eBooks available at Kobo Books:
FIRE:
http://kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=9780991739615
LOVE FOUND:
http://kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=9780991739608
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