IN GOOD SPIRITS
Luke, Jason and Kay joined me last night for a spirited Meeting in spite of the pouring rain.
Luke’s good news is that he is being paid to write a short story that is based on a character’s phobia. The story will be included in an anthology. Congratulations!
And Jason’s good news was that Donald Maass invited him to submit his manuscript for “Provoked”, which is the first book in the series. At first Jason didn’t realise that being asked to submit it by email was now the norm for agents at the conference. But after reading the official program, he had an enlightening moment and is now working on his manuscript before sending it in. Again, Congratulations!
Unfortunately, Kay’s laptop died and so her writing is now by hand and of a lesser quantity for the time being. She did share with us the biblical definitions she would use for her book title of “Three White Knights”. Kay said she was now torn between writing the story as an academic piece or as fiction. Fiction would allow her to include more emotions and insights. An academic take would include more research, which she said she was finding difficult. Constantly reading about abuse victims and what they went through was causing too much anguish and depression. I told her she should let go of thinking she has to write this book to help others, because taking on that much pain of others can be too overwhelming, that Kay herself is the important one in this situation. On a lighter note, Kay went on to tell us about time spent on marketing aspects for her new publishing company; such things as stationery, colour scheme, logo and a possible charity for abused children. She said those things were making her happy.
Luke read the beginning of his new short story “A Toast To The Bride”, which is about a man with glossophobia, a fear of public speaking. The first scene of the story shows the man’s morning routine and though it is filled with detail, there was no indication anywhere of the conflict he is facing. I pointed that out and suggested he mention the conflict earlier in the story. A short story is basically a character with a want or need who faces an obstacle, which equals the conflict, and then sees resolution of some kind, positive or negative. Luke did give us a verbal run-down of the story’s main points and it promises to be spellbinding.
Kay gave me back my short story “The Stranger” which I had given her to read and which she said she couldn’t finish because she felt too much pain reading the beginning. I had told her to keep reading because it ended hopefully. Luke kindly read it aloud for all of us and because it included spiritual references and spiritual channelling that I said had really happened, we had a long discussion afterward about various religions and spiritual belief systems. Jason reminded me of a passage in his book where a character says seeking truth is for the young and the old, that those in between are too busy with the demands of daily living. We all admitted to having been seekers of life’s answers at some point.
Charity was unable to join us as her husband was working late. We missed her. And we missed Margaret, wherever she may be. Having fun, we hope.
The next Meeting will be Wednesday, December 7th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. That will be our last meeting for this year, so really hope to see you then!
TONGUE IN CHEEK: Honey was moving stiffly and was rather lethargic one day, so I called him the Walking Dead. He said “Yes, and I’m looking for my soulless mate!”
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Thursday, November 3, 2016
THE REVIEW
AUTUMN RAINS
Four of us still had a Meeting of the Rams last night in spite of the pouring rain. Luke, Charity and Margaret F. all joined me to share our writing and some Halloween chocolate.
We started with a discussion about the Scrivener software for managing writing projects. Charity and Luke are both using it and find it very helpful. You can find a free download of a trial version online, or you can look to buy it on sale. I believe Luke said he was able to buy his for about $20.00.
Going first for a change, I read another ‘Honey’ story, “Five Star Day”. It was about Honey needing to find some purpose after he retired and his traveling to the cabin where fixing a leaky roof and replacing a chimney pipe claimed his attention.
Luke read a scene from his novel “The Heart Of The Earth” in which the character Goren is being tutored by Mose. He is trying to learn how to manipulate tension/energy fields in order to eventually be able to control another being. He was learning through trial and error, sometimes quite humorous. There was interesting interaction between these two characters.
Charity read her re-write of Chapter 1 from “Trixie Trouble”. Trixie, being escorted by Mrs. Fisher, is leaving the site of where her father was hung. As they reach Mrs. Fisher’s place, Trixie meets Donovan, a black boy she immediately dislikes. The two trade verbal insults and then Trixie attacks him. As the two are fighting, the Reverend, Donovan’s white father, separates them. This was a chapter that caught your attention and also shattered stereotypes about late 19th century Texas.
Margaret read a prose poem called “Infrastructure – Inquest Regarding the Death of Ross Allen”. It highlights the heartbreaking consequences of the community and the health care system failing to anticipate and prevent a teenage suicide, based on a true event. We all agreed this is a pertinent piece of writing that needs to be out in the public somewhere. It could be so advantageous for anyone who deals with young people to read.
Margaret Moffatt has an article about Carcross, Yukon in the November issue of Today’s Senior Newsmagazine.
Kay was feeling ill and unable to attend. And Jason said he and his family were just back from Disneyland so he was unable to attend. Hope to see them both next time. And I heard a rumor that Jason might have some news for us from his visit to the Surrey International Writers’ Conference. Can’t wait to hear all about it!
Next Meeting will be Wednesday, November 16th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Look forward to seeing you then.
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
Four of us still had a Meeting of the Rams last night in spite of the pouring rain. Luke, Charity and Margaret F. all joined me to share our writing and some Halloween chocolate.
We started with a discussion about the Scrivener software for managing writing projects. Charity and Luke are both using it and find it very helpful. You can find a free download of a trial version online, or you can look to buy it on sale. I believe Luke said he was able to buy his for about $20.00.
Going first for a change, I read another ‘Honey’ story, “Five Star Day”. It was about Honey needing to find some purpose after he retired and his traveling to the cabin where fixing a leaky roof and replacing a chimney pipe claimed his attention.
Luke read a scene from his novel “The Heart Of The Earth” in which the character Goren is being tutored by Mose. He is trying to learn how to manipulate tension/energy fields in order to eventually be able to control another being. He was learning through trial and error, sometimes quite humorous. There was interesting interaction between these two characters.
Charity read her re-write of Chapter 1 from “Trixie Trouble”. Trixie, being escorted by Mrs. Fisher, is leaving the site of where her father was hung. As they reach Mrs. Fisher’s place, Trixie meets Donovan, a black boy she immediately dislikes. The two trade verbal insults and then Trixie attacks him. As the two are fighting, the Reverend, Donovan’s white father, separates them. This was a chapter that caught your attention and also shattered stereotypes about late 19th century Texas.
Margaret read a prose poem called “Infrastructure – Inquest Regarding the Death of Ross Allen”. It highlights the heartbreaking consequences of the community and the health care system failing to anticipate and prevent a teenage suicide, based on a true event. We all agreed this is a pertinent piece of writing that needs to be out in the public somewhere. It could be so advantageous for anyone who deals with young people to read.
Margaret Moffatt has an article about Carcross, Yukon in the November issue of Today’s Senior Newsmagazine.
Kay was feeling ill and unable to attend. And Jason said he and his family were just back from Disneyland so he was unable to attend. Hope to see them both next time. And I heard a rumor that Jason might have some news for us from his visit to the Surrey International Writers’ Conference. Can’t wait to hear all about it!
Next Meeting will be Wednesday, November 16th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Look forward to seeing you then.
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
Friday, October 21, 2016
THE REVIEW
AUTUMN ARRAY OF WRITINGS
The last Meeting on Wednesday night saw six of us here with a variety of genres and discussion topics. Jason, Luke, Kay, Monica, and a new face, Betty Sinclair, joined me and we had a most interesting display of writing topics and talents.
Luke read first, the beginning of the last chapter in his novel about Dalin, the young soldier. We see the army readying to counterattack in case of an ambush that Dalin had warned about. But the ambush doesn’t happen, and Dalin, now an acting captain, seriously questions his own judgement as the army moves into a position they may not be able to escape from. As this scene was mostly internal dialogue, I did suggest bringing it more to life with some sensory details about the battle, and some concern on Dalin’s part for the soldiers who were dying. And it was noted that Luke’s writing has a very distinctive narrative voice.
Kay said she had received some useful feedback from members of the Federation of B.C. Writers on how to proceed with her book about child abuse of young girls by biological parents. She read us Chapter 1, which gave us one daughter’s description of a sexual molestation incident and her altered state of consciousness during the episode. Then the chapter goes on to define that mental state of disassociation in technical terminology. Monica asked if the case study had been reviewed for academic publication, and Kay said no, she had permission from the persons interviewed, and would be self-publishing. Betty then suggested that if the audience would not be academic, that perhaps she should consider using definitions more suitable to the ready understanding of the prospective audience, who would probably be people like foster parents, police, and social workers.
Monica read the introduction of her dissertation on Invisible Chronic Illness, more specifically Lupus in African American women. She states reasons for her study being the difficulty for these women in obtaining diagnosis, and later their struggle to accept a chronic illness and all its physical, social, and economic ramifications. Having lived with the illness herself for many, many years, she felt she was far enough away from the original diagnosis to offer unbiased research.
We asked Betty what she liked to write, and she said she writes literary fiction and has self-published one novel. But she did say she wouldn’t do that again as standard publishing houses have a better handle on marketing than the author usually does. She read to us the first half of a short story she said will be about 5000 words. The story is “Last Bravura”, set in Edinburgh, Scotland. It opens with perhaps the last scene where a young man seems trapped in dire circumstances. The next scene is prior in time and shows Paul (a young man lodging with his friend in a predominantly white neighbourhood) being concerned about a young African girl whose face he keeps seeing in a basement window. He questions her well-being and takes steps to learn more about her. Betty’s storytelling had us all wanting to know what was going to happen.
Jason wanted to practice the pitch he would be giving to an agent at the Surrey International Writers’ Conference this weekend. He sat in front of Kay and proceeded with a very concise description of his series. However, Betty did point out several things she thought agents would specifically want to know, based on her own previous experience at the conference. She said the agents are always looking to the bottom line, money, and therefore want to know how to sell an author’s work to a publisher. Consequently the author should be sure to tell them their genre, their perceived audience, and also what other published author and/or writing, their own work is most similar to in comparison. That way the agent can ascertain the most likely publishers to approach. She also said that if you are going to talk about a series, that it should already be written, not just a proposal. Sounds very logical to me. We hope Jason is successful with his pitch this year.
I read another ‘Honey’ story, this one called “Mechanically Challenged”. It’s about a mechanical breakdown of our vehicle on the way to our cabin at Green Lake and recounts the challenge of getting repairs on a lease vehicle from Surrey when the vehicle is ailing in the Cariboo and the service agency is located in New Brunswick, and the cat and Honey’s beer are both getting overheated.
Charity missed the Meeting as she was preparing for her days of volunteer work at the conference. Kay said Margaret had company and that’s why she was absent. I did hear from Annette that she misses us all terribly, but due to her husband’s ill health she is still kept away with other commitments. We send our best to both Annette and her husband.
The next Meeting will be Wednesday, November 2nd, at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Hope to see you then. I’ll try to save some Halloween candy.
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
The last Meeting on Wednesday night saw six of us here with a variety of genres and discussion topics. Jason, Luke, Kay, Monica, and a new face, Betty Sinclair, joined me and we had a most interesting display of writing topics and talents.
Luke read first, the beginning of the last chapter in his novel about Dalin, the young soldier. We see the army readying to counterattack in case of an ambush that Dalin had warned about. But the ambush doesn’t happen, and Dalin, now an acting captain, seriously questions his own judgement as the army moves into a position they may not be able to escape from. As this scene was mostly internal dialogue, I did suggest bringing it more to life with some sensory details about the battle, and some concern on Dalin’s part for the soldiers who were dying. And it was noted that Luke’s writing has a very distinctive narrative voice.
Kay said she had received some useful feedback from members of the Federation of B.C. Writers on how to proceed with her book about child abuse of young girls by biological parents. She read us Chapter 1, which gave us one daughter’s description of a sexual molestation incident and her altered state of consciousness during the episode. Then the chapter goes on to define that mental state of disassociation in technical terminology. Monica asked if the case study had been reviewed for academic publication, and Kay said no, she had permission from the persons interviewed, and would be self-publishing. Betty then suggested that if the audience would not be academic, that perhaps she should consider using definitions more suitable to the ready understanding of the prospective audience, who would probably be people like foster parents, police, and social workers.
Monica read the introduction of her dissertation on Invisible Chronic Illness, more specifically Lupus in African American women. She states reasons for her study being the difficulty for these women in obtaining diagnosis, and later their struggle to accept a chronic illness and all its physical, social, and economic ramifications. Having lived with the illness herself for many, many years, she felt she was far enough away from the original diagnosis to offer unbiased research.
We asked Betty what she liked to write, and she said she writes literary fiction and has self-published one novel. But she did say she wouldn’t do that again as standard publishing houses have a better handle on marketing than the author usually does. She read to us the first half of a short story she said will be about 5000 words. The story is “Last Bravura”, set in Edinburgh, Scotland. It opens with perhaps the last scene where a young man seems trapped in dire circumstances. The next scene is prior in time and shows Paul (a young man lodging with his friend in a predominantly white neighbourhood) being concerned about a young African girl whose face he keeps seeing in a basement window. He questions her well-being and takes steps to learn more about her. Betty’s storytelling had us all wanting to know what was going to happen.
Jason wanted to practice the pitch he would be giving to an agent at the Surrey International Writers’ Conference this weekend. He sat in front of Kay and proceeded with a very concise description of his series. However, Betty did point out several things she thought agents would specifically want to know, based on her own previous experience at the conference. She said the agents are always looking to the bottom line, money, and therefore want to know how to sell an author’s work to a publisher. Consequently the author should be sure to tell them their genre, their perceived audience, and also what other published author and/or writing, their own work is most similar to in comparison. That way the agent can ascertain the most likely publishers to approach. She also said that if you are going to talk about a series, that it should already be written, not just a proposal. Sounds very logical to me. We hope Jason is successful with his pitch this year.
I read another ‘Honey’ story, this one called “Mechanically Challenged”. It’s about a mechanical breakdown of our vehicle on the way to our cabin at Green Lake and recounts the challenge of getting repairs on a lease vehicle from Surrey when the vehicle is ailing in the Cariboo and the service agency is located in New Brunswick, and the cat and Honey’s beer are both getting overheated.
Charity missed the Meeting as she was preparing for her days of volunteer work at the conference. Kay said Margaret had company and that’s why she was absent. I did hear from Annette that she misses us all terribly, but due to her husband’s ill health she is still kept away with other commitments. We send our best to both Annette and her husband.
The next Meeting will be Wednesday, November 2nd, at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Hope to see you then. I’ll try to save some Halloween candy.
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
Thursday, October 6, 2016
THE REVIEW
FALL HARVEST
There was an awesome Meeting of The Rams last night with Kay, Margaret, Charity, Jason, Bryon and Monica joining me for discussions, readings, deep insights, and also lots of laughter.
Charity said she’s been re-writing her YA western, and changed the race of one of her characters, so we had a prolonged discussion on race and racism and how it was manifested in Texas at that time, and how it doesn’t manifest at all in today’s IT milieu, but how maybe it should be analysed in other areas of today’s society.
Kay has started her own publishing company and is now writing an academic book about the sexual abuse of young girls and the trauma they experience. She is also doing a comic strip called “Kanerica” which is a humorous look at her own experiences of living both in Canada and the United States.
Margaret read a short story titled “Anna” about a young girl drawn to a much older man, and he to her. The story takes us through their 17 years together and Anna’s extreme unhappiness at being isolated and kept away from people and communities, often left alone to tend house and children while her husband caroused. It is a sad recount of her isolation and the emotional abuse suffered at the hands of someone she thought she loved, and whom she thought loved her.
Charity read to us one poem entitled “Peace Child”. It made me think of the Flower Children of the 1960s. Her second poem “Come Back Home” she sang to us. It was a melancholic lament of a parent longing for a child to come home again. The song felt rather Celtic and was very beautiful.
Jason read to us two synopses. The first one he read was for the series of books he is writing, and the second synopsis was for the first book in the series, “Provoked”, which is already written and for sale at Amazon. Jason’s been preparing for the Surrey International Writers’ Conference where he hopes to present his work to a possible agent.
I read another ‘Honey’ story, “Cold Turkey”. It’s about planning to use turkey leftovers for an open house on Boxing Day, and the horror of discovering the raccoons had scavenged through all the leftover turkey that was in a cooler on the back porch. After all the turkey talk, Charity said she was going to cook a turkey for Thanksgiving.
Monica said she might bring something to read the next time she attends. Hope we see her again soon.
Jason, Charity, Kay and Margaret are all planning on attending the Surrey International Writers’ Conference later this month.
Margaret Moffatt has an article on the history of Trail, B.C. in the October issue of Today’s Senior Newsmagazine.
Charity said she had a poem accepted for publication in the upcoming poetry anthology by Polar Expressions.
Margaret said that she will be doing a reading on January 30, 2017 at the Vancouver Public Library in their New Voices series of readings. She also said they have several recording studios that are free to use, if writers want to record themselves. They must be pre-booked.
Last Saturday, Luke joined me down at the Lemon Bakery for a writing session. We set up our laptops, side by side, each at our own small table. We kept track of our word counts and I must say that Luke’s writing was more prolific than mine. He was finishing up a novel. I was writing a short story I started that day from a writing prompt I saw on my phone app. And I did partake of coffee and a delicious cheese scone. Anybody want to join me there on this Saturday afternoon, October 8th? Maybe around 1:30? Let me know if you’d like to do that.
Next Meeting will be Wednesday, October 19th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Hope to see you then and in the meantime, enjoy your Thanksgiving. And if you want to bring any Halloween related stories for the next Meeting, by all means, bring on the haunting!
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
There was an awesome Meeting of The Rams last night with Kay, Margaret, Charity, Jason, Bryon and Monica joining me for discussions, readings, deep insights, and also lots of laughter.
Charity said she’s been re-writing her YA western, and changed the race of one of her characters, so we had a prolonged discussion on race and racism and how it was manifested in Texas at that time, and how it doesn’t manifest at all in today’s IT milieu, but how maybe it should be analysed in other areas of today’s society.
Kay has started her own publishing company and is now writing an academic book about the sexual abuse of young girls and the trauma they experience. She is also doing a comic strip called “Kanerica” which is a humorous look at her own experiences of living both in Canada and the United States.
Margaret read a short story titled “Anna” about a young girl drawn to a much older man, and he to her. The story takes us through their 17 years together and Anna’s extreme unhappiness at being isolated and kept away from people and communities, often left alone to tend house and children while her husband caroused. It is a sad recount of her isolation and the emotional abuse suffered at the hands of someone she thought she loved, and whom she thought loved her.
Charity read to us one poem entitled “Peace Child”. It made me think of the Flower Children of the 1960s. Her second poem “Come Back Home” she sang to us. It was a melancholic lament of a parent longing for a child to come home again. The song felt rather Celtic and was very beautiful.
Jason read to us two synopses. The first one he read was for the series of books he is writing, and the second synopsis was for the first book in the series, “Provoked”, which is already written and for sale at Amazon. Jason’s been preparing for the Surrey International Writers’ Conference where he hopes to present his work to a possible agent.
I read another ‘Honey’ story, “Cold Turkey”. It’s about planning to use turkey leftovers for an open house on Boxing Day, and the horror of discovering the raccoons had scavenged through all the leftover turkey that was in a cooler on the back porch. After all the turkey talk, Charity said she was going to cook a turkey for Thanksgiving.
Monica said she might bring something to read the next time she attends. Hope we see her again soon.
Jason, Charity, Kay and Margaret are all planning on attending the Surrey International Writers’ Conference later this month.
Margaret Moffatt has an article on the history of Trail, B.C. in the October issue of Today’s Senior Newsmagazine.
Charity said she had a poem accepted for publication in the upcoming poetry anthology by Polar Expressions.
Margaret said that she will be doing a reading on January 30, 2017 at the Vancouver Public Library in their New Voices series of readings. She also said they have several recording studios that are free to use, if writers want to record themselves. They must be pre-booked.
Last Saturday, Luke joined me down at the Lemon Bakery for a writing session. We set up our laptops, side by side, each at our own small table. We kept track of our word counts and I must say that Luke’s writing was more prolific than mine. He was finishing up a novel. I was writing a short story I started that day from a writing prompt I saw on my phone app. And I did partake of coffee and a delicious cheese scone. Anybody want to join me there on this Saturday afternoon, October 8th? Maybe around 1:30? Let me know if you’d like to do that.
Next Meeting will be Wednesday, October 19th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Hope to see you then and in the meantime, enjoy your Thanksgiving. And if you want to bring any Halloween related stories for the next Meeting, by all means, bring on the haunting!
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
Sunday, September 25, 2016
THE REVIEW
MINI WRITERS’ CONFERENCE
Luke, Jason, Kay and my husband, Bryon (aka Honey), joined me on Wednesday and the Meeting was mostly a discussion on various aspects of writing.
The first topic discussed was tabled by Luke, who wanted to know what we thought about the perceived deliberate intent of various writers to control the fiction that is written, published and distributed. I continued asking questions and discovered that Luke had been running into online writing blogs that were urging others to write only about specific topics in order to influence how society reacts to certain issues. He wondered if there was a conspiracy afoot. Further discussion led to our agreeing that fiction has always been used by authors to present their take, or their questions, on issues that have confronted society through the ages. But as readers, we all felt mature enough to accept or discard whatever did or did not make sense to us. We felt that was true even as we had read as children. So perhaps writers can attempt to influence society, but they don’t have control over what others think.
Jason shared that he had been working with his wife to produce a concise but comprehensive outline for the whole book he has been writing, preparing for submissions I assume. He said his wife is more analytical than he is, and an enormous help in getting this done.
Bryon told us about major projects he had planned for construction and maintenance in pulp mills as an engineer, and how each minor detail could only be predicated in conjunction with all other steps before, during and after that one specific detail. That sounded very much like plotting a novel beforehand.
Kay explained that writing and/or publishing her memoir is on hold as long as the criminal investigation is still ongoing. There was some discussion on that topic and how to handle all the complex emotions that keep exploding in this situation.
I read another ‘Honey’ story, “Win Some, Lose Some”. This was about my frantic attempts to rectify things after I left a kettle burning on the stove overnight. I didn’t want Honey fuming about maybe having to buy a new stove.
Don’t know if anyone else submitted a short story to Polar Expressions this year, but I did receive notice that my submission of “The Unwritten Story” was accepted for publication in their upcoming anthology “Shorelines”.
Charity said she hopes to be back at our next Meeting in October. And Margaret F. said the same when she told me she was off to Arizona on holiday. Monica Buchanan had said she wanted to come to the last Meeting but became ill. And Lorelei said she had a previous commitment.
Margaret Moffatt has an article on the history of the towns named Hazelton in the September issue of Senior’s Today Newsmagazine.
Our next Meeting will be Wednesday, October 5th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Hope to see you then.
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
Luke, Jason, Kay and my husband, Bryon (aka Honey), joined me on Wednesday and the Meeting was mostly a discussion on various aspects of writing.
The first topic discussed was tabled by Luke, who wanted to know what we thought about the perceived deliberate intent of various writers to control the fiction that is written, published and distributed. I continued asking questions and discovered that Luke had been running into online writing blogs that were urging others to write only about specific topics in order to influence how society reacts to certain issues. He wondered if there was a conspiracy afoot. Further discussion led to our agreeing that fiction has always been used by authors to present their take, or their questions, on issues that have confronted society through the ages. But as readers, we all felt mature enough to accept or discard whatever did or did not make sense to us. We felt that was true even as we had read as children. So perhaps writers can attempt to influence society, but they don’t have control over what others think.
Jason shared that he had been working with his wife to produce a concise but comprehensive outline for the whole book he has been writing, preparing for submissions I assume. He said his wife is more analytical than he is, and an enormous help in getting this done.
Bryon told us about major projects he had planned for construction and maintenance in pulp mills as an engineer, and how each minor detail could only be predicated in conjunction with all other steps before, during and after that one specific detail. That sounded very much like plotting a novel beforehand.
Kay explained that writing and/or publishing her memoir is on hold as long as the criminal investigation is still ongoing. There was some discussion on that topic and how to handle all the complex emotions that keep exploding in this situation.
I read another ‘Honey’ story, “Win Some, Lose Some”. This was about my frantic attempts to rectify things after I left a kettle burning on the stove overnight. I didn’t want Honey fuming about maybe having to buy a new stove.
Don’t know if anyone else submitted a short story to Polar Expressions this year, but I did receive notice that my submission of “The Unwritten Story” was accepted for publication in their upcoming anthology “Shorelines”.
Charity said she hopes to be back at our next Meeting in October. And Margaret F. said the same when she told me she was off to Arizona on holiday. Monica Buchanan had said she wanted to come to the last Meeting but became ill. And Lorelei said she had a previous commitment.
Margaret Moffatt has an article on the history of the towns named Hazelton in the September issue of Senior’s Today Newsmagazine.
Our next Meeting will be Wednesday, October 5th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Hope to see you then.
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
Sunday, July 24, 2016
THE REVIEW
AUGUST BREAK
Jason, Luke, Kay and Margaret F. joined me Wednesday to honour our Muse. Charity said her husband was working and she was unable to attend. And Annette said she would still be away.
After voting, it was discovered we had two winners from readings done at the previous Meeting. Both Luke and Margaret had equal votes, so I suggested they both take something from the prize box.
Margaret brought a copy of Geist Magazine, which is provided to members of the Federation of B.C. Writers. She said they are a great organization for writers, and provide a number of excellent workshops that members can attend.
Luke read first, from his novel “Debt Of Blood”. Akoni finds the warrior she was hunting, but it is another woman. Akoni beheads her and then dons the warriors armour in order to take it as proof of her kill. She feels at home in it, as it fits her well, but then she starts hearing the voice of the woman she just killed. Very spooky.
Kay read next, again from her unedited memoir. She tells of police arriving but not believing she was a victim of assault, but the paramedics believed her because of her injuries. Then it sounds as if her parents told the police she was suicidal. The police refuse to arrest her parents. Instead they search Kay’s purse for a weapon, and since they drive her home, she thinks they also searched her car. The whole scene is very disturbing.
Jason said he wouldn’t be reading as he is striving this summer to complete what he wants to showcase and/or submit at the Surrey International Writers’ Conference in October. He wants to move ahead with his book, and not go back and read what was written before. But he did say that now his kids are older, that he is able to steal some creative time without interruptions, during the day, even though the kids are out of school for the summer. That sounds positive. Go, Jason!
Margaret read Ch. 11 from “Babes In The Wood”. This chapter shows her going through the police file on the case. She is temporarily stymied to find the file in reverse chronological order, most recent entries at the beginning. Then she’s horrified to learn that Honeybourn had the bodily remains cremated and scattered in False Creek. Refusing to be sidetracked, she is determined she will read the file and learn as much as she can. I enjoyed this chapter, with Margaret’s own personal reactions to what she reads in the file.
I read last, two ‘Honey’ stories. The first was “Stop The Sunset”, about Honey draining his car battery testing an electrical camping cooler that he plugged into the lighter without turning on the car. Then he tried recharging the battery with a small solar charger as he needed the car to go buy cigarettes, but the sun was setting. The second story was “Next Sunday”, about Honey wanting to buy a used guitar for $100.00 at Value Village, but also wanting a 30% discount he would get with fifteen happy face stamps on his customer card. However, he only had eight stamps, and had to spend $35.00 more to achieve a $30.00 saving. This is Sunday shopping with Honey.
As I am taking the month of August off, the next scheduled Meeting of The Rams will be Wednesday, September 7th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. I hope the rest of summer is wonderful for everyone, and I will look forward to seeing you again in September! Write on!
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
Jason, Luke, Kay and Margaret F. joined me Wednesday to honour our Muse. Charity said her husband was working and she was unable to attend. And Annette said she would still be away.
After voting, it was discovered we had two winners from readings done at the previous Meeting. Both Luke and Margaret had equal votes, so I suggested they both take something from the prize box.
Margaret brought a copy of Geist Magazine, which is provided to members of the Federation of B.C. Writers. She said they are a great organization for writers, and provide a number of excellent workshops that members can attend.
Luke read first, from his novel “Debt Of Blood”. Akoni finds the warrior she was hunting, but it is another woman. Akoni beheads her and then dons the warriors armour in order to take it as proof of her kill. She feels at home in it, as it fits her well, but then she starts hearing the voice of the woman she just killed. Very spooky.
Kay read next, again from her unedited memoir. She tells of police arriving but not believing she was a victim of assault, but the paramedics believed her because of her injuries. Then it sounds as if her parents told the police she was suicidal. The police refuse to arrest her parents. Instead they search Kay’s purse for a weapon, and since they drive her home, she thinks they also searched her car. The whole scene is very disturbing.
Jason said he wouldn’t be reading as he is striving this summer to complete what he wants to showcase and/or submit at the Surrey International Writers’ Conference in October. He wants to move ahead with his book, and not go back and read what was written before. But he did say that now his kids are older, that he is able to steal some creative time without interruptions, during the day, even though the kids are out of school for the summer. That sounds positive. Go, Jason!
Margaret read Ch. 11 from “Babes In The Wood”. This chapter shows her going through the police file on the case. She is temporarily stymied to find the file in reverse chronological order, most recent entries at the beginning. Then she’s horrified to learn that Honeybourn had the bodily remains cremated and scattered in False Creek. Refusing to be sidetracked, she is determined she will read the file and learn as much as she can. I enjoyed this chapter, with Margaret’s own personal reactions to what she reads in the file.
I read last, two ‘Honey’ stories. The first was “Stop The Sunset”, about Honey draining his car battery testing an electrical camping cooler that he plugged into the lighter without turning on the car. Then he tried recharging the battery with a small solar charger as he needed the car to go buy cigarettes, but the sun was setting. The second story was “Next Sunday”, about Honey wanting to buy a used guitar for $100.00 at Value Village, but also wanting a 30% discount he would get with fifteen happy face stamps on his customer card. However, he only had eight stamps, and had to spend $35.00 more to achieve a $30.00 saving. This is Sunday shopping with Honey.
As I am taking the month of August off, the next scheduled Meeting of The Rams will be Wednesday, September 7th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. I hope the rest of summer is wonderful for everyone, and I will look forward to seeing you again in September! Write on!
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
Friday, July 8, 2016
THE REVIEW
DEDICATED SUMMER WRITERS
Luke, Kay, Jason and Margaret joined me Wednesday for the latest Meeting of The Rams. Charity said she was going away camping.
Our votes were cast and Margaret won for the best piece of writing read at the last Meeting. She said if it wasn’t for this writers’ group, she wouldn’t be pushing herself to write her book. That’s probably true of most of us. We like to share our writing with each other.
Jason said he had re-written the last chapter he had read to us, and now some of those elements are mentioned in the chapter he was reading this time. This chapter shows Kwen alone after Damianos is taken and shackled out in the open elements. In flashback, she is going over the previous encounter with the Nobella and Tiber, where she was unable to persuade them to let Damianos lead them to Isen and Haligern. This was a chapter of introspection, but we mentioned we would like more detail of conversations and actions that were being recounted, rather than generalities. And Margaret and I both miss the dynamics of Damianos’s personality in the story. We have come to look at him as the hero we are rooting for.
Margaret read a chapter from “Babes In The Wood” that was about Vancouver in 1953. This chapter is written in story form, with Detective MacKay the main character. He interacts with a policeman by the name of Lyndsay who is taking him to the bones discovered in Stanley Park. It isn’t till the very end of the chapter that Lyndsay tells him the bones are those of children. Luke thought the chapter would make a wonderful prologue to the book. I asked if Margaret was confident that all she wrote was true to fact and she assured me everything came from personal interviews she had done herself. The chapter was very explicit at detailing the aspects of Vancouver at that period in time.
Kay read the beginning of a personal memoir she is writing called “3 White Knights”. The first chapter is called “Mayday” and introduces the people in a very dysfunctional family and the heartbreaking revelation of family violence, incest and pedophilia. Kay said she is writing the story to enlighten people about the horrors of these crimes and that very seldom is a pedophile charged or held criminally responsible in Canada at the present time. She also said the situation is exacerbated when the family or victims are non-white and/or immigrants. Law enforcement told her as much, that they are very loath to intervene. We admire Kay’s courage to write this story.
Luke read from the next chapter in “Debt Of Blood” about Akoni as she finishes climbing the stairs and then enters the cooler interior of an unused temple in her pursuit of the warrior she wants to capture. This chapter tells of her personal struggle growing up to prove herself worthy of becoming a Paladin. Even though she beat her brother at swordplay, her father was disappointed and said she should be pursuing feminine accomplishments instead. She had applied to become a Paladin once before, but was denied due to her gender. But if she captures the warrior, she thinks she will win acceptance.
I read another ‘Honey’ story, this one “Mr. Sticky”, about running into a product promotion at Sears one day. After bringing home the product, Honey and I tried out its various uses.
Jason and Kay were talking about attending the Surrey International Writers’ Conference in the fall. Jason said most networking is accomplished after the workshops, in the bar. He and Kay were planning to meet in the bar. So I asked why pay for the workshops, why not just go to the bar each evening? And Jason responded that you had to have something current from the workshops to open conversations with. Unfortunately, I’m not very experienced at attending bars and starting conversations.
The next Meeting will be Wednesday, July 20th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Please bring your vote for best piece of writing read at the last Meeting. Looking forward to seeing you then.
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
Luke, Kay, Jason and Margaret joined me Wednesday for the latest Meeting of The Rams. Charity said she was going away camping.
Our votes were cast and Margaret won for the best piece of writing read at the last Meeting. She said if it wasn’t for this writers’ group, she wouldn’t be pushing herself to write her book. That’s probably true of most of us. We like to share our writing with each other.
Jason said he had re-written the last chapter he had read to us, and now some of those elements are mentioned in the chapter he was reading this time. This chapter shows Kwen alone after Damianos is taken and shackled out in the open elements. In flashback, she is going over the previous encounter with the Nobella and Tiber, where she was unable to persuade them to let Damianos lead them to Isen and Haligern. This was a chapter of introspection, but we mentioned we would like more detail of conversations and actions that were being recounted, rather than generalities. And Margaret and I both miss the dynamics of Damianos’s personality in the story. We have come to look at him as the hero we are rooting for.
Margaret read a chapter from “Babes In The Wood” that was about Vancouver in 1953. This chapter is written in story form, with Detective MacKay the main character. He interacts with a policeman by the name of Lyndsay who is taking him to the bones discovered in Stanley Park. It isn’t till the very end of the chapter that Lyndsay tells him the bones are those of children. Luke thought the chapter would make a wonderful prologue to the book. I asked if Margaret was confident that all she wrote was true to fact and she assured me everything came from personal interviews she had done herself. The chapter was very explicit at detailing the aspects of Vancouver at that period in time.
Kay read the beginning of a personal memoir she is writing called “3 White Knights”. The first chapter is called “Mayday” and introduces the people in a very dysfunctional family and the heartbreaking revelation of family violence, incest and pedophilia. Kay said she is writing the story to enlighten people about the horrors of these crimes and that very seldom is a pedophile charged or held criminally responsible in Canada at the present time. She also said the situation is exacerbated when the family or victims are non-white and/or immigrants. Law enforcement told her as much, that they are very loath to intervene. We admire Kay’s courage to write this story.
Luke read from the next chapter in “Debt Of Blood” about Akoni as she finishes climbing the stairs and then enters the cooler interior of an unused temple in her pursuit of the warrior she wants to capture. This chapter tells of her personal struggle growing up to prove herself worthy of becoming a Paladin. Even though she beat her brother at swordplay, her father was disappointed and said she should be pursuing feminine accomplishments instead. She had applied to become a Paladin once before, but was denied due to her gender. But if she captures the warrior, she thinks she will win acceptance.
I read another ‘Honey’ story, this one “Mr. Sticky”, about running into a product promotion at Sears one day. After bringing home the product, Honey and I tried out its various uses.
Jason and Kay were talking about attending the Surrey International Writers’ Conference in the fall. Jason said most networking is accomplished after the workshops, in the bar. He and Kay were planning to meet in the bar. So I asked why pay for the workshops, why not just go to the bar each evening? And Jason responded that you had to have something current from the workshops to open conversations with. Unfortunately, I’m not very experienced at attending bars and starting conversations.
The next Meeting will be Wednesday, July 20th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Please bring your vote for best piece of writing read at the last Meeting. Looking forward to seeing you then.
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
Friday, June 17, 2016
THE REVIEW
MIXED GENRES
Wednesday’s Meeting saw a mixture of genres on display. There was Charity’s young adult western, Margaret’s crime memoir, my senior’s memoir as a ‘Honey’ story, Jason’s fantasy, and Luke’s fantasy. The fantasies probably have sub-genres, but this writer doesn’t know what they are.
Luke won the prize for best piece of writing from the previous week.
Margaret said she had attended a writers’ conference at Crescent Beach put on by the Federation of B.C. Writers. She said she was surprised at all the specific writing techniques that were discussed compared to other conferences that have dealt only in generalities that aren’t very helpful to someone wanting to hone their craft. Margaret said she would let us all know the next time one of their conferences is offered.
Luke read first, the beginning of another fantasy called “Debt Of Blood”. This shows the young female character Akoni sweating in a suit of armor as she tries climbing a massive staircase on a hot day. She is tracking a dreaded warrior whom she wants to apprehend in order to be accepted by her father and brother in their league of paladins. This beginning was very attention grabbing and is a good start for his novel.
Charity read next from “Trixie Trouble”. She has lost a lot of money she doesn’t have and downs some brandy to give her courage. When Brett Marley tells her he’ll make her a woman and she’s his girl, she knocks him over and then also escapes from two other men trying to grab her. She leaves the bard as a fire starts, and steals a horse, trying to leave town. But the horse throws her and then the figure of Donovan, the preacher’s son, appears and starts cursing her. This was a chapter full of action and it was fun just listening to it.
Jason read the next chapter from his novel. The Nobella hold Kwen accountable for the loss of four Herodun and discount her attempt to spare Damianos from the torture they plan for him. She is torn between wanting to save Damianos and wanting to adhere to the teachings of her tribe. When she does question the Nobella, she is warned her fate could be the same as her grandfather’s, who was killed as a traitor. She is told to keep Damianos alive during the torture, and to tell them any secrets revealed. The tension was building in this chapter.
Margaret read Chapter 10 from “Babes In The Wood”. Finally Detective Ingram gives her the number for Sgt. Honeyburn, in charge of unsolved cases. She seeks her husband’s advice on how to ask Honeyburn to see the murder file for the Babes. He tells her not to ask directly, but to stroke the man’s ego by asking to interview him instead. She meets him in the fall, after five years of questioning, and is very nervous. Consequently she is very inept as an interviewer and Honeyburn just gives her the file to read. This chapter was full of personal insight into Margaret and her marriage and her struggle with Asperger’s. It was very brave writing about her vulnerabilities, and this personal account riveted our attention.
Lastly, I read a ‘Honey’ story called “Nostalgia”. It’s about the two of us spending one New Year’s Eve listening to old records and recalling our favourites through the years, as well as favourites of older generations. The story ended with me going to bed before midnight. Luke and Charity both said they could sense the seniors in this story. Margaret asked me to specify more songs from the different albums mentioned. And Charity said contrary to my assumption about her generation, she did, indeed, own a record player.
Kay said she couldn’t attend on Wednesday as she was going away. And Annette said something came up at the last minute that prevented her from attending. We missed them both.
We had some discussion about taking a summer break, and decided we will still have the two meetings in July, but will break during August.
So, the next Meeting will be Wednesday, July 6th, at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Look forward to seeing you then, and please bring your vote for best piece of writing presented at the last Meeting. And Happy Canada Day in the meantime!
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
Wednesday’s Meeting saw a mixture of genres on display. There was Charity’s young adult western, Margaret’s crime memoir, my senior’s memoir as a ‘Honey’ story, Jason’s fantasy, and Luke’s fantasy. The fantasies probably have sub-genres, but this writer doesn’t know what they are.
Luke won the prize for best piece of writing from the previous week.
Margaret said she had attended a writers’ conference at Crescent Beach put on by the Federation of B.C. Writers. She said she was surprised at all the specific writing techniques that were discussed compared to other conferences that have dealt only in generalities that aren’t very helpful to someone wanting to hone their craft. Margaret said she would let us all know the next time one of their conferences is offered.
Luke read first, the beginning of another fantasy called “Debt Of Blood”. This shows the young female character Akoni sweating in a suit of armor as she tries climbing a massive staircase on a hot day. She is tracking a dreaded warrior whom she wants to apprehend in order to be accepted by her father and brother in their league of paladins. This beginning was very attention grabbing and is a good start for his novel.
Charity read next from “Trixie Trouble”. She has lost a lot of money she doesn’t have and downs some brandy to give her courage. When Brett Marley tells her he’ll make her a woman and she’s his girl, she knocks him over and then also escapes from two other men trying to grab her. She leaves the bard as a fire starts, and steals a horse, trying to leave town. But the horse throws her and then the figure of Donovan, the preacher’s son, appears and starts cursing her. This was a chapter full of action and it was fun just listening to it.
Jason read the next chapter from his novel. The Nobella hold Kwen accountable for the loss of four Herodun and discount her attempt to spare Damianos from the torture they plan for him. She is torn between wanting to save Damianos and wanting to adhere to the teachings of her tribe. When she does question the Nobella, she is warned her fate could be the same as her grandfather’s, who was killed as a traitor. She is told to keep Damianos alive during the torture, and to tell them any secrets revealed. The tension was building in this chapter.
Margaret read Chapter 10 from “Babes In The Wood”. Finally Detective Ingram gives her the number for Sgt. Honeyburn, in charge of unsolved cases. She seeks her husband’s advice on how to ask Honeyburn to see the murder file for the Babes. He tells her not to ask directly, but to stroke the man’s ego by asking to interview him instead. She meets him in the fall, after five years of questioning, and is very nervous. Consequently she is very inept as an interviewer and Honeyburn just gives her the file to read. This chapter was full of personal insight into Margaret and her marriage and her struggle with Asperger’s. It was very brave writing about her vulnerabilities, and this personal account riveted our attention.
Lastly, I read a ‘Honey’ story called “Nostalgia”. It’s about the two of us spending one New Year’s Eve listening to old records and recalling our favourites through the years, as well as favourites of older generations. The story ended with me going to bed before midnight. Luke and Charity both said they could sense the seniors in this story. Margaret asked me to specify more songs from the different albums mentioned. And Charity said contrary to my assumption about her generation, she did, indeed, own a record player.
Kay said she couldn’t attend on Wednesday as she was going away. And Annette said something came up at the last minute that prevented her from attending. We missed them both.
We had some discussion about taking a summer break, and decided we will still have the two meetings in July, but will break during August.
So, the next Meeting will be Wednesday, July 6th, at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Look forward to seeing you then, and please bring your vote for best piece of writing presented at the last Meeting. And Happy Canada Day in the meantime!
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
Saturday, June 4, 2016
THE REVIEW
SUMMER’S COMING
There was a lively Meeting here on Wednesday when Jason, Annette, Luke, Kay and Margaret F. joined me in honour of our Muse.
We started by voting for the best presentation from the last Meeting, and Annette won and chose a book from our prize box. A couple of people asked if they can contribute anything to the box, and of course I said yes, donations are welcome.
Annette read first, another story she wrote for her Bardic circle called “Protect Your Sons and Daughters”. It exhorts those listening to make sure their offspring are not enticed by the Selkie fold who would lure them into love and lust, and then forsake them. This spoke of mythical tales from out of the past.
Luke read the next scene in his novel which shows Dalin explaining to the General and the gathered command about the hole in their plans. He tells them they would be attacked from above, out of the rocks, if they try to move through a narrow gap. He says their army would be split in two with no way to regroup. The General agrees there is a problem and they need to make changes immediately. This chapter held our attention and we definitely want to know what ensues.
Kay gave us the plot outline for her play, which she was calling “Northwest Of Sixty”. In a culture that does not allow divorce, the wife will be tried for adultery. Through the introduction of characters, the wife’s trial, and the reaction of the general public, Kay hopes to portray society’s biases and bigotry that are never acknowledged publicly. We had lots of fun discussing this topic and look forward to hearing the play.
Margaret read Chapter 9 from “Babes In The Wood” where Margaret wants info directly from the police on this case, but doesn’t know how to proceed. Then her husband, Chris, meets a cop who offers to put her in touch with the cop in charge of cold cases, but that cop is unable to make the arranged appointment. Months go by where she researches Clifford Olsen who lured his victims by offering them work, and left their bodies in wooded areas similar to the victims in Stanley Park. Then one day her husband comes home and gives her the private number of Detective Ingram. I enjoyed the personal aspects of this chapter where she described the climate of Vancouver, and the interactions she had with her husband. Jason was strongly encouraging Margaret to intersperse her recounting of her research with various fictional stories of how the murders might have happened.
Jason read his next chapter, a riveting account of Damianos reviving and raging that he knows what’s happening, and he seems to be talking to an unseen presence. He tells Kwen he can find the secret in the jungle before her people do, and before the dragon comes to consume them all. It was good to see Damianos regain his driving force even while amid these giants.
I read last, a ‘Honey’ story called “It’s Honey’s Fault”. This is where I blame Honey because I didn’t get any writing done over one Christmas season due to a number of episodes dealing with errant electronics such as a VCR/DVD player, Bryon’s computer, a new robotic vacuum, an MP3 player and stereo system, and our TV. And all this during Christmas and then while a new kitchen countertop was being installed. But in the end I did admit life with Honey was more compelling than a blank page sometimes.
The next Meeting will be Wednesday, June 15th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Please bring your vote for the best presentation from this last meeting. And we should discuss whether or not we want to take a break of some kind over the summer months this year. I look forward to seeing you on the 15th.
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
There was a lively Meeting here on Wednesday when Jason, Annette, Luke, Kay and Margaret F. joined me in honour of our Muse.
We started by voting for the best presentation from the last Meeting, and Annette won and chose a book from our prize box. A couple of people asked if they can contribute anything to the box, and of course I said yes, donations are welcome.
Annette read first, another story she wrote for her Bardic circle called “Protect Your Sons and Daughters”. It exhorts those listening to make sure their offspring are not enticed by the Selkie fold who would lure them into love and lust, and then forsake them. This spoke of mythical tales from out of the past.
Luke read the next scene in his novel which shows Dalin explaining to the General and the gathered command about the hole in their plans. He tells them they would be attacked from above, out of the rocks, if they try to move through a narrow gap. He says their army would be split in two with no way to regroup. The General agrees there is a problem and they need to make changes immediately. This chapter held our attention and we definitely want to know what ensues.
Kay gave us the plot outline for her play, which she was calling “Northwest Of Sixty”. In a culture that does not allow divorce, the wife will be tried for adultery. Through the introduction of characters, the wife’s trial, and the reaction of the general public, Kay hopes to portray society’s biases and bigotry that are never acknowledged publicly. We had lots of fun discussing this topic and look forward to hearing the play.
Margaret read Chapter 9 from “Babes In The Wood” where Margaret wants info directly from the police on this case, but doesn’t know how to proceed. Then her husband, Chris, meets a cop who offers to put her in touch with the cop in charge of cold cases, but that cop is unable to make the arranged appointment. Months go by where she researches Clifford Olsen who lured his victims by offering them work, and left their bodies in wooded areas similar to the victims in Stanley Park. Then one day her husband comes home and gives her the private number of Detective Ingram. I enjoyed the personal aspects of this chapter where she described the climate of Vancouver, and the interactions she had with her husband. Jason was strongly encouraging Margaret to intersperse her recounting of her research with various fictional stories of how the murders might have happened.
Jason read his next chapter, a riveting account of Damianos reviving and raging that he knows what’s happening, and he seems to be talking to an unseen presence. He tells Kwen he can find the secret in the jungle before her people do, and before the dragon comes to consume them all. It was good to see Damianos regain his driving force even while amid these giants.
I read last, a ‘Honey’ story called “It’s Honey’s Fault”. This is where I blame Honey because I didn’t get any writing done over one Christmas season due to a number of episodes dealing with errant electronics such as a VCR/DVD player, Bryon’s computer, a new robotic vacuum, an MP3 player and stereo system, and our TV. And all this during Christmas and then while a new kitchen countertop was being installed. But in the end I did admit life with Honey was more compelling than a blank page sometimes.
The next Meeting will be Wednesday, June 15th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Please bring your vote for the best presentation from this last meeting. And we should discuss whether or not we want to take a break of some kind over the summer months this year. I look forward to seeing you on the 15th.
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
Friday, May 20, 2016
THE REVIEW
ACCUSABLY, ANACHRONISTIC, AND TWO SCHEMING UNCLES BOATING TO THE BEAT
As you can see, Wednesday’s Meeting was full of tongue twisting pronunciations of words and phrases. Lots of fun with Jason, Luke, Charity, Annette, and new member, Kay Jordan, joining me here.
Charity read first, the next chapter in “Trixie Trouble”. We see Gravedigger and Donovan square off to fight. After a faulty start, Donovan comes back to win the match and Trixie is faced with losing a lot of money she didn’t have. This was a great chapter documenting the fight, very vivid.
Dressed in costume that she wears for SCA, the Society for Creative Anachronism, Annette stood up to deliver a tale about three different stories of how the Selkie Folk came to be. Then she sang us a ballad, The Skye Boat Song. This was an amazing performance and we didn’t even have to pay for front row seats! Bravo, Annette, Bravo!
I read the next story, “It Was Time” from my Honey collection. This was about an outing with Honey up at Green Lake that had me struggling from the lakeshore up a winding track on a steep hillside in pursuit of the Lodge at Little Horse, and the subsequent stop of my trek at a cattle guard I couldn’t cross with my wobbly legs and two branches used as walking sticks. That was when I decided to take my cane with me whenever I went out with Honey.
Charity asked if I had submitted the story I read last time to Polar Expressions yet. I spent some time re-writing the ending and the story is ready to submit, but I still have to write a short author’s bio to go with the submission, as required. The deadline isn’t until July anyhow, if anyone else wants to submit a short story of 750 words or less.
Jason read his next chapter that shows us the appearance of the Nobella, Kwen’s and Tiber’s spiritual leaders. One of them, Bealunwit, knows who Damianos is, and it appears they are enemies. He threatens Damianos with a knife. Meanwhile, Tiber takes the mythical coin and hides it, though Kwen saw him do it. The plot thickens. And it was Jason who used the word ‘accusably’, which I erroneously questioned. It’s a synonym for ‘guiltily’.
Luke read the next scene where Dalin is waiting for the return of Sgt. Torch. While waiting, he runs the troops through battle training. When Torch returns, the Commander and Captain are with her and ask Dalin how he came to know so much about their strategy because there seems to be a leak of info as the enemy always seems to pre-empt their movements. They ask him where the hole in their strategy seems to be.
Kay told us she is working on a humorous skit where a wife is admitting her guilt to a crime of infidelity, which happened to be her eating her husband’s dessert. Kay said she likes comedy and wants to write in that genre.
At the end of the Meeting, I confessed I had been playing on my computer with a plot generator app. I filled in a detailed questionnaire, clicked the button, and the app spewed out a short story, which I read to the group. It was very nonsensical and had us all laughing. The things we will do to postpone our own writing! But maybe I can get a story of my own out of the two scheming uncles boating to the beat?
Margaret F. emailed me to say she was away in Tofino this week. Hope she’s having fun.
The next Meeting will be Wednesday, June 1st at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. I look forward to seeing you then.
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
As you can see, Wednesday’s Meeting was full of tongue twisting pronunciations of words and phrases. Lots of fun with Jason, Luke, Charity, Annette, and new member, Kay Jordan, joining me here.
Charity read first, the next chapter in “Trixie Trouble”. We see Gravedigger and Donovan square off to fight. After a faulty start, Donovan comes back to win the match and Trixie is faced with losing a lot of money she didn’t have. This was a great chapter documenting the fight, very vivid.
Dressed in costume that she wears for SCA, the Society for Creative Anachronism, Annette stood up to deliver a tale about three different stories of how the Selkie Folk came to be. Then she sang us a ballad, The Skye Boat Song. This was an amazing performance and we didn’t even have to pay for front row seats! Bravo, Annette, Bravo!
I read the next story, “It Was Time” from my Honey collection. This was about an outing with Honey up at Green Lake that had me struggling from the lakeshore up a winding track on a steep hillside in pursuit of the Lodge at Little Horse, and the subsequent stop of my trek at a cattle guard I couldn’t cross with my wobbly legs and two branches used as walking sticks. That was when I decided to take my cane with me whenever I went out with Honey.
Charity asked if I had submitted the story I read last time to Polar Expressions yet. I spent some time re-writing the ending and the story is ready to submit, but I still have to write a short author’s bio to go with the submission, as required. The deadline isn’t until July anyhow, if anyone else wants to submit a short story of 750 words or less.
Jason read his next chapter that shows us the appearance of the Nobella, Kwen’s and Tiber’s spiritual leaders. One of them, Bealunwit, knows who Damianos is, and it appears they are enemies. He threatens Damianos with a knife. Meanwhile, Tiber takes the mythical coin and hides it, though Kwen saw him do it. The plot thickens. And it was Jason who used the word ‘accusably’, which I erroneously questioned. It’s a synonym for ‘guiltily’.
Luke read the next scene where Dalin is waiting for the return of Sgt. Torch. While waiting, he runs the troops through battle training. When Torch returns, the Commander and Captain are with her and ask Dalin how he came to know so much about their strategy because there seems to be a leak of info as the enemy always seems to pre-empt their movements. They ask him where the hole in their strategy seems to be.
Kay told us she is working on a humorous skit where a wife is admitting her guilt to a crime of infidelity, which happened to be her eating her husband’s dessert. Kay said she likes comedy and wants to write in that genre.
At the end of the Meeting, I confessed I had been playing on my computer with a plot generator app. I filled in a detailed questionnaire, clicked the button, and the app spewed out a short story, which I read to the group. It was very nonsensical and had us all laughing. The things we will do to postpone our own writing! But maybe I can get a story of my own out of the two scheming uncles boating to the beat?
Margaret F. emailed me to say she was away in Tofino this week. Hope she’s having fun.
The next Meeting will be Wednesday, June 1st at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. I look forward to seeing you then.
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
Saturday, May 7, 2016
THE REVIEW
Re-Writing Class
Charity, Luke, Annette and Jason all joined me Wednesday for our latest Meeting. We started with Charity giving us a demonstration on her laptop of how she uses different MS Word features to supply a list of chapters and scenes and comments that she can use as an outline to find something specific she wants to look at in her manuscript. Luke says he uses Scrivener story writing software. I write an outline manually as I go along, since I like to use the printed page when I edit, rather than the computer. We guess it all boils down to what works best for each writer. But I will spend some time working with the ideas for MS Word. Jason didn’t say what he would like to try, even though he did say trying to remember everything in his head wasn’t working. And we can all relate to that problem.
We did the blind voting for a prize from the box for best writing from the last Meeting and Charity was the winner for her chapter from “Trixie Trouble”.
I read first, a re-write of the story I had read last time. I changed names and places of characters’ origins, and did the storyline inside the framework of a police interview. It is approximately 730 words long, so I will enter it in the Polar Expressions contest/anthology this year.
Luke read us a chapter about the soldier, Dalin, and an encounter he has with his immediate superior. Dalin tries unsuccessfully to convince the other soldier that there is something terribly wrong with the army’s plan to extricate itself from a tight situation. Dalin then talks the female soldier, Sgt. Torch, into telling another officer for him as he is forbidden to do so himself.
Jason read us the next chapter where Tiber is still browbeating Kwen, and threatening to turn her in for stealing the mystical coin. And Damianos is still suffering excruciating pain, but deep inside hears a voice that gives him hope. At the end of the chapter he hears the voice of his stolen sister calling his name.
Charity read the next chapter in “Trixie Trouble”. At the bar she runs into Brett Marley, who makes sexual suggestions. She plays along briefly, but doesn’t give in. She then goes to make her bet on the boxer Grave Digger, asking who will be his challenger in the ring. That’s when she sees the preacher’s son get in the ring as the other contestant.
Both Jason and Charity are very good at ending each chapter with a hook that leaves the reader wanting to keep turning pages to see what happens next.
Annette didn’t read anything, but gave us hints on what the story she read last time would contain going forward.
The next Meeting will be Wednesday, May 18th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Again, bring your vote for best piece of writing from this last Meeting. I do look forward to seeing you all next time and wish you successful writing in the meantime.
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
Charity, Luke, Annette and Jason all joined me Wednesday for our latest Meeting. We started with Charity giving us a demonstration on her laptop of how she uses different MS Word features to supply a list of chapters and scenes and comments that she can use as an outline to find something specific she wants to look at in her manuscript. Luke says he uses Scrivener story writing software. I write an outline manually as I go along, since I like to use the printed page when I edit, rather than the computer. We guess it all boils down to what works best for each writer. But I will spend some time working with the ideas for MS Word. Jason didn’t say what he would like to try, even though he did say trying to remember everything in his head wasn’t working. And we can all relate to that problem.
We did the blind voting for a prize from the box for best writing from the last Meeting and Charity was the winner for her chapter from “Trixie Trouble”.
I read first, a re-write of the story I had read last time. I changed names and places of characters’ origins, and did the storyline inside the framework of a police interview. It is approximately 730 words long, so I will enter it in the Polar Expressions contest/anthology this year.
Luke read us a chapter about the soldier, Dalin, and an encounter he has with his immediate superior. Dalin tries unsuccessfully to convince the other soldier that there is something terribly wrong with the army’s plan to extricate itself from a tight situation. Dalin then talks the female soldier, Sgt. Torch, into telling another officer for him as he is forbidden to do so himself.
Jason read us the next chapter where Tiber is still browbeating Kwen, and threatening to turn her in for stealing the mystical coin. And Damianos is still suffering excruciating pain, but deep inside hears a voice that gives him hope. At the end of the chapter he hears the voice of his stolen sister calling his name.
Charity read the next chapter in “Trixie Trouble”. At the bar she runs into Brett Marley, who makes sexual suggestions. She plays along briefly, but doesn’t give in. She then goes to make her bet on the boxer Grave Digger, asking who will be his challenger in the ring. That’s when she sees the preacher’s son get in the ring as the other contestant.
Both Jason and Charity are very good at ending each chapter with a hook that leaves the reader wanting to keep turning pages to see what happens next.
Annette didn’t read anything, but gave us hints on what the story she read last time would contain going forward.
The next Meeting will be Wednesday, May 18th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Again, bring your vote for best piece of writing from this last Meeting. I do look forward to seeing you all next time and wish you successful writing in the meantime.
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
Saturday, April 23, 2016
THE REVIEW
A MIX OF GENRES
We had a fantastic Meeting here on Wednesday when Luke, Jason, Charity, Annette, Hayden and Margaret F. all joined me to showcase a variety of genres among the group.
I read first, this time a piece of fiction, a short story, based on two people who did actually attend the group on two different occasions. It was in response to Kristi’s question as to whether or not they might have been gay. And I started thinking ‘what if?’ and proceeded from there. Charity noticed, though, when I switched from recounting true events to creating fiction. And Luke thought I should put the whole story in another context, perhaps a police interview. Somebody said they liked the ending. And then Charity said she hopes I never decide to write about her! Too funny. I thought it felt good to actually write something new for a change but maybe I should go back to editing my ‘Honey’ stories.
Margaret F. read Chapter 7 from ‘Babes In The Wood’. She is still doing research in the library but has progressed to the investigation by Detective McKay. There end up being many more questions about the age of the children, genders of same, false information about a French woman who was a suspect, and so on. Margaret decides she has to see the real police file.
Luke read some more from his fantasy novel. We see Goren winning a mixed combat competition against his opponent, Kennet, who had beat him before. This earns him recognition by a master. I did tell Luke I would like to know more of what Goren is thinking and feeling during the bout.
Hayden has started writing a fantasy novel called ‘The Dragonformer’. He read from the Prologue which informs us that Svelt is required to kill one group of people at the behest of another in order to save his own people. We see him commit a gruesome killing. Details of the actual killing were very vivid.
Charity read the next chapter in ‘Trixie Trouble’. Trixie sneaks out of the house at night and roves through the wild part of town looking for Marley, whom her father knew, and a job. He offers her one as a whore but she refuses. Then she decides she will bet on a fighter. This chapter was full of colour and sights and sounds and smells and gave us a very vivid picture of the world she was travelling in.
Annette read from her Victorian novel. We see sixteen year old Jane dancing at a birthday party and talking to her cousin, Robert. Then she sneaks outside to meet Ronin in the garden, but she is attacked by an unknown assailant and her dress is torn, her breasts fondled, and she is thrown on the ground and left. Ronin finds her and picks her up, covered with his coat. This scene went from the prim normalcy of Victorian life to the terror of sexual assault, a vivid contrast.
Jason read his next chapter where Kwen confronts Tiber, who is still holding a naked Damianos over a bed of hot coals. Tiber drops Damianos who is badly burned. Kwen pours water on him, but that makes things worse, and he just wants to be left alone to heal himself with his own special powers. Meanwhile, Tiber is furious and jealous and turns on Kwen. To appease him, she becomes submissive and says things to swell his egotistic pride. That is probably true to human nature.
Pat and Kristi were unable to attend, but we hope to see them next time.
Four of us who had been at the previous Meeting voted for who deserved to pick from the prize box. But the vote was a stalemate. And people seemed to want to do a secret vote. So now, for the next Meeting, those who were here Wednesday are asked to bring their vote for best piece of writing on a piece of paper (author’s name, I guess). Don’t forget!
The next Meeting will be Wednesday, May 4th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Hope to see you then.
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
We had a fantastic Meeting here on Wednesday when Luke, Jason, Charity, Annette, Hayden and Margaret F. all joined me to showcase a variety of genres among the group.
I read first, this time a piece of fiction, a short story, based on two people who did actually attend the group on two different occasions. It was in response to Kristi’s question as to whether or not they might have been gay. And I started thinking ‘what if?’ and proceeded from there. Charity noticed, though, when I switched from recounting true events to creating fiction. And Luke thought I should put the whole story in another context, perhaps a police interview. Somebody said they liked the ending. And then Charity said she hopes I never decide to write about her! Too funny. I thought it felt good to actually write something new for a change but maybe I should go back to editing my ‘Honey’ stories.
Margaret F. read Chapter 7 from ‘Babes In The Wood’. She is still doing research in the library but has progressed to the investigation by Detective McKay. There end up being many more questions about the age of the children, genders of same, false information about a French woman who was a suspect, and so on. Margaret decides she has to see the real police file.
Luke read some more from his fantasy novel. We see Goren winning a mixed combat competition against his opponent, Kennet, who had beat him before. This earns him recognition by a master. I did tell Luke I would like to know more of what Goren is thinking and feeling during the bout.
Hayden has started writing a fantasy novel called ‘The Dragonformer’. He read from the Prologue which informs us that Svelt is required to kill one group of people at the behest of another in order to save his own people. We see him commit a gruesome killing. Details of the actual killing were very vivid.
Charity read the next chapter in ‘Trixie Trouble’. Trixie sneaks out of the house at night and roves through the wild part of town looking for Marley, whom her father knew, and a job. He offers her one as a whore but she refuses. Then she decides she will bet on a fighter. This chapter was full of colour and sights and sounds and smells and gave us a very vivid picture of the world she was travelling in.
Annette read from her Victorian novel. We see sixteen year old Jane dancing at a birthday party and talking to her cousin, Robert. Then she sneaks outside to meet Ronin in the garden, but she is attacked by an unknown assailant and her dress is torn, her breasts fondled, and she is thrown on the ground and left. Ronin finds her and picks her up, covered with his coat. This scene went from the prim normalcy of Victorian life to the terror of sexual assault, a vivid contrast.
Jason read his next chapter where Kwen confronts Tiber, who is still holding a naked Damianos over a bed of hot coals. Tiber drops Damianos who is badly burned. Kwen pours water on him, but that makes things worse, and he just wants to be left alone to heal himself with his own special powers. Meanwhile, Tiber is furious and jealous and turns on Kwen. To appease him, she becomes submissive and says things to swell his egotistic pride. That is probably true to human nature.
Pat and Kristi were unable to attend, but we hope to see them next time.
Four of us who had been at the previous Meeting voted for who deserved to pick from the prize box. But the vote was a stalemate. And people seemed to want to do a secret vote. So now, for the next Meeting, those who were here Wednesday are asked to bring their vote for best piece of writing on a piece of paper (author’s name, I guess). Don’t forget!
The next Meeting will be Wednesday, May 4th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Hope to see you then.
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
Thursday, April 7, 2016
THE REVIEW
WRITING ROUNDUP
Charity, Jason, Luke and new member, Pat Burnett, joined me last night for a great meeting of The Rams.
I started the meeting by handing out some things I had copied. There was a one page plan for writing a book, one page for a character chart, one page of writing tips, and one page on points to consider when critiquing.
Luke read a middle chapter from his novel, “The Heart Of The Earth”. The main character, Goren, and his two bodyguards are seeking information. They take a trip to the underground archives of the library, and we are shown a setting where they are not allowed to browse to look for the information they seek.
Pat read the prologue from her novel “Black Caul”. It was a short scene showing a girl experiencing either terror or an anxiety attack in an underground parkade. The scene was riveting and would definitely hook the reader. Then Pat read some research she had done on Bowen Island during the 1940s and 1950s. We asked her if there had been a blackout required of ferries visiting Bowen during the war years, but Pat didn’t know and said she would look that up. If any of our members remember about that, please let us know.
Charity read the next chapter from “Trixie Trouble”, entitled “A Lick And A Promise”. We see Trixie and the preacher’s son, Donovan, still bickering after their fight is broken up by the preacher. Trixie is sent indoors to clean up and is shown to her room by another rescued girl named Charlotte. Trixie is bothered that she doesn’t know where she belongs, and even more so when she sees a black mourning dress she is expected to wear.
Jason’s next chapter shows us Kwen walking through the soldiers’ encampment, on her way to find Damianos. She is accosted by the young soldier, Tement, who blames her for the deaths of four soldiers. She is the only female warrior, but can still defend herself against him, even with her injured shoulder. When she gets to the tent where she expects to find Damianos and her special coin, they aren’t there. This was a well written, edgy chapter. But we did tease Jason about using one humdrum cliché (getting sick and tired of it) when his writing is almost always descriptively unique. He never uses clichés. Beware the cliché, for the Rams will pounce on it! And again, Jason used ‘passed’ when it should have been ‘past’. Examples of use would be: The football player passed the football to another player, who ran it past the goal line for a touchdown. The years passed quickly until they were all in the past. But I’m still working on who’s and whose.
I read another ‘Honey’ story, “Rodeo of Fabrics”. It was about Honey wanting me to sew him a cowboy shirt and his having trouble choosing proper fabrics to make one. This was a very short story, around 300 words. Luke said he was waiting for the story to continue and tell him about actually making the shirt. I’ll have to think about that.
Kristi was unable to attend. Margaret F. said she was up at 3:00 a.m. and then would be working a long day, therefore in bed about the time we started the meeting. Annette said they were doing a lot of yard clean-up. And Hayden said his wife wasn’t well and he needed to stay home for her and their daughter. We missed all these writers.
The next Meeting will be Wednesday, April 20th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Hope to see you then.
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
Charity, Jason, Luke and new member, Pat Burnett, joined me last night for a great meeting of The Rams.
I started the meeting by handing out some things I had copied. There was a one page plan for writing a book, one page for a character chart, one page of writing tips, and one page on points to consider when critiquing.
Luke read a middle chapter from his novel, “The Heart Of The Earth”. The main character, Goren, and his two bodyguards are seeking information. They take a trip to the underground archives of the library, and we are shown a setting where they are not allowed to browse to look for the information they seek.
Pat read the prologue from her novel “Black Caul”. It was a short scene showing a girl experiencing either terror or an anxiety attack in an underground parkade. The scene was riveting and would definitely hook the reader. Then Pat read some research she had done on Bowen Island during the 1940s and 1950s. We asked her if there had been a blackout required of ferries visiting Bowen during the war years, but Pat didn’t know and said she would look that up. If any of our members remember about that, please let us know.
Charity read the next chapter from “Trixie Trouble”, entitled “A Lick And A Promise”. We see Trixie and the preacher’s son, Donovan, still bickering after their fight is broken up by the preacher. Trixie is sent indoors to clean up and is shown to her room by another rescued girl named Charlotte. Trixie is bothered that she doesn’t know where she belongs, and even more so when she sees a black mourning dress she is expected to wear.
Jason’s next chapter shows us Kwen walking through the soldiers’ encampment, on her way to find Damianos. She is accosted by the young soldier, Tement, who blames her for the deaths of four soldiers. She is the only female warrior, but can still defend herself against him, even with her injured shoulder. When she gets to the tent where she expects to find Damianos and her special coin, they aren’t there. This was a well written, edgy chapter. But we did tease Jason about using one humdrum cliché (getting sick and tired of it) when his writing is almost always descriptively unique. He never uses clichés. Beware the cliché, for the Rams will pounce on it! And again, Jason used ‘passed’ when it should have been ‘past’. Examples of use would be: The football player passed the football to another player, who ran it past the goal line for a touchdown. The years passed quickly until they were all in the past. But I’m still working on who’s and whose.
I read another ‘Honey’ story, “Rodeo of Fabrics”. It was about Honey wanting me to sew him a cowboy shirt and his having trouble choosing proper fabrics to make one. This was a very short story, around 300 words. Luke said he was waiting for the story to continue and tell him about actually making the shirt. I’ll have to think about that.
Kristi was unable to attend. Margaret F. said she was up at 3:00 a.m. and then would be working a long day, therefore in bed about the time we started the meeting. Annette said they were doing a lot of yard clean-up. And Hayden said his wife wasn’t well and he needed to stay home for her and their daughter. We missed all these writers.
The next Meeting will be Wednesday, April 20th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Hope to see you then.
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
Saturday, March 19, 2016
THE REVIEW
SAVING DAYLIGHT
There were six of us Rams here on Wednesday and the Meeting started out in broad daylight for a change.
We began by discussing technicalities of writing. I mentioned point of view when used in a short story. Kristie and I both think it should be limited to one point of view to make the most of the minimal word count devoted to that one character. Adding the points of view of other minor characters deletes the impact the story has on the reader.
Then we discussed plotting a story. Jason said he was having trouble keeping story elements in his head and knowing where to go back and find things as he progresses in writing his novel. I suggested doing a handwritten outline at the end of each chapter that includes page number and word count to that point, as well as short recap of the chapter. It could be kept in a notebook for easy reference. That is what I did writing “Fire”. Then Charity told us the same function exists in MS Word. I just did some research and think this function can be found under References, then Mark Entry/Index. I haven’t used it myself as I always balk at spending time learning more digital ways of doing things when pen and paper are still so handy. But Charity said she uses this function regularly and you can bring it up in a side window.
Jason read first, a very long chapter that shows Kwen being treated for her wound by a doctor who is also a friend, and seems to be gay. This chapter gives a lot of background information about the different peoples involved in this story, as well as showing Kwen’s concern for the safety of Damianos.
Annette read what she said is the beginning of a story, which was a gripping tale from inside the head of a serial rapist/pedophile in the Victorian era, when in time this wasn’t really so much of a crime. He was watching a group of young girls, trying to decide which one he would grab for his own purposes.
Charity has decided to forego finishing “Saltwater Mermaid” in time for the Surrey International Writers’ Conference this year, and instead is working on “Trixie Trouble”, a previously written Young Adult novel which is also a western set in Texas just after the civil war. It starts out with Trixie watching her father being hanged for horse stealing. It grabs the reader’s attention immediately. Charity is also trying to write articles for the magazine that is now all about marijuana. She’s having trouble finding research that is pro-marijuana for medical use. And she balks at buying cosmetics that include marijuana in their ingredients as that could be a conflict of interest with her husband’s job. Aah, the trials and tribulations of being a journalist!
Margaret F. read to us Chapter 6 from “Babes In The Wood”. She is still in the library reading clippings about the murders. We learn that Professor Mark Skinner from SFU had examined the remains and determined that the teeth of both children had developed to the same stage and their estimated age was seven or eight. He raised the question of whether or not they could have been twins. Margaret also wondered, given that they had been wearing similar clothing.
Kristi had been working on developing a plot that would continue from the story she read last time about the girl beside the well. We look forward to hearing the story when it is written.
I didn’t read as time had run out. But Charity did take a copy of my story home with her to read. She was the only one who hadn’t heard or read “The Blob At Green Lake”. That was the next story in line in my compilation of ‘Honey’ stories.
The next Meeting will be Wednesday, April 6th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Hope to see you then. Happy Easter in the meantime!
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
There were six of us Rams here on Wednesday and the Meeting started out in broad daylight for a change.
We began by discussing technicalities of writing. I mentioned point of view when used in a short story. Kristie and I both think it should be limited to one point of view to make the most of the minimal word count devoted to that one character. Adding the points of view of other minor characters deletes the impact the story has on the reader.
Then we discussed plotting a story. Jason said he was having trouble keeping story elements in his head and knowing where to go back and find things as he progresses in writing his novel. I suggested doing a handwritten outline at the end of each chapter that includes page number and word count to that point, as well as short recap of the chapter. It could be kept in a notebook for easy reference. That is what I did writing “Fire”. Then Charity told us the same function exists in MS Word. I just did some research and think this function can be found under References, then Mark Entry/Index. I haven’t used it myself as I always balk at spending time learning more digital ways of doing things when pen and paper are still so handy. But Charity said she uses this function regularly and you can bring it up in a side window.
Jason read first, a very long chapter that shows Kwen being treated for her wound by a doctor who is also a friend, and seems to be gay. This chapter gives a lot of background information about the different peoples involved in this story, as well as showing Kwen’s concern for the safety of Damianos.
Annette read what she said is the beginning of a story, which was a gripping tale from inside the head of a serial rapist/pedophile in the Victorian era, when in time this wasn’t really so much of a crime. He was watching a group of young girls, trying to decide which one he would grab for his own purposes.
Charity has decided to forego finishing “Saltwater Mermaid” in time for the Surrey International Writers’ Conference this year, and instead is working on “Trixie Trouble”, a previously written Young Adult novel which is also a western set in Texas just after the civil war. It starts out with Trixie watching her father being hanged for horse stealing. It grabs the reader’s attention immediately. Charity is also trying to write articles for the magazine that is now all about marijuana. She’s having trouble finding research that is pro-marijuana for medical use. And she balks at buying cosmetics that include marijuana in their ingredients as that could be a conflict of interest with her husband’s job. Aah, the trials and tribulations of being a journalist!
Margaret F. read to us Chapter 6 from “Babes In The Wood”. She is still in the library reading clippings about the murders. We learn that Professor Mark Skinner from SFU had examined the remains and determined that the teeth of both children had developed to the same stage and their estimated age was seven or eight. He raised the question of whether or not they could have been twins. Margaret also wondered, given that they had been wearing similar clothing.
Kristi had been working on developing a plot that would continue from the story she read last time about the girl beside the well. We look forward to hearing the story when it is written.
I didn’t read as time had run out. But Charity did take a copy of my story home with her to read. She was the only one who hadn’t heard or read “The Blob At Green Lake”. That was the next story in line in my compilation of ‘Honey’ stories.
The next Meeting will be Wednesday, April 6th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Hope to see you then. Happy Easter in the meantime!
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
Saturday, March 5, 2016
THE REVIEW
SEVEN SCRAWLERS
Jason, Margaret, Annette, Kristi, Charity and new member, Hayden McKinnon, joined me on Wednesday for the latest Meeting of esteemed Rams. Hayden is a teacher of grade six students who writes short stories and is looking to expand his writing horizons.
Margaret read first, Chapter 6 of “Babes In The Wood”. It details her research into newspaper articles written about the murders over a period of years, but which exposed many contradictory statements she was seriously questioning in 1996. There was no logical explanation of who had committed the crime, or of how the murders of two children were really executed.
Kristi is just now getting back into writing after the hiatus she took to study for a work related exam. She read to us a scene she has written, about a young girl named Ainsley. She is exploring property she lives on, and comes across an abandoned well, that has a cold bench in front of it, and a sign that says “Take a penny. Leave a penny.” A crow joins her, but as it leaves it turns into a raven. We were all waiting for something drastically evil to happen.
Hayden read to us his short story “The Lighthouse Man”. It tells of an elderly keeper named Marlo who is barely able to do his maintenance job, and whose 40 year old son lives with him. Marlo’s health is failing, but he has emotional ties to his home by the sea, and dances as if still holding in his arms his deceased wife. Marlo is faced with the decision made without his permission to move him into a care home. There is a lot of well portrayed sadness in this story.
Charity has started re-writing “Saltwater Mermaid” and read to us a beginning chapter. It shows Persephone telling her family on Hornby Island that she has seen the sea witch. Then the story backtracks to when she had been waiting for the ferry to the island and took a dip in the ocean to cool off. When she comes out of the water she cadges a ride from the young artist, Adam, who doesn’t really like people. Otherworldly hints are dropped amid the telling of everyday life.
Jason read his next chapter about Damianos trying to escape the clutches of the giant men detaining him, and bent on torturing him to gain information from him. Damianos seems doomed. Do we root for him to overcome this situation or not?
I read another ‘Honey’ story, “Malfuntion”. It tells of a domestic electrical problem that affected the whole house, but was caused by a shorted ground fault connector outside under a giant fir tree between our driveway and the next one. In retrospect, there was a lot of humour in how we handled this problem.
Annette didn’t read anything, but did show us the brand new throwing knife she bought for upcoming competitions she is entering. She said she also had throwing axes out in her vehicle. I told her not to get pulled over and charged with weapons offences. She should be writing a murder mystery about somebody using their knives or axes for devilish purposes.
Hayden said he maintains a blog that can be found at www.frostyhound.blogspot.ca
The next Meeting will be Wednesday, March 16th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Since St. Patrick’s Day will be the following day, everyone can attend wearing something green! Hope to see you then.
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
Jason, Margaret, Annette, Kristi, Charity and new member, Hayden McKinnon, joined me on Wednesday for the latest Meeting of esteemed Rams. Hayden is a teacher of grade six students who writes short stories and is looking to expand his writing horizons.
Margaret read first, Chapter 6 of “Babes In The Wood”. It details her research into newspaper articles written about the murders over a period of years, but which exposed many contradictory statements she was seriously questioning in 1996. There was no logical explanation of who had committed the crime, or of how the murders of two children were really executed.
Kristi is just now getting back into writing after the hiatus she took to study for a work related exam. She read to us a scene she has written, about a young girl named Ainsley. She is exploring property she lives on, and comes across an abandoned well, that has a cold bench in front of it, and a sign that says “Take a penny. Leave a penny.” A crow joins her, but as it leaves it turns into a raven. We were all waiting for something drastically evil to happen.
Hayden read to us his short story “The Lighthouse Man”. It tells of an elderly keeper named Marlo who is barely able to do his maintenance job, and whose 40 year old son lives with him. Marlo’s health is failing, but he has emotional ties to his home by the sea, and dances as if still holding in his arms his deceased wife. Marlo is faced with the decision made without his permission to move him into a care home. There is a lot of well portrayed sadness in this story.
Charity has started re-writing “Saltwater Mermaid” and read to us a beginning chapter. It shows Persephone telling her family on Hornby Island that she has seen the sea witch. Then the story backtracks to when she had been waiting for the ferry to the island and took a dip in the ocean to cool off. When she comes out of the water she cadges a ride from the young artist, Adam, who doesn’t really like people. Otherworldly hints are dropped amid the telling of everyday life.
Jason read his next chapter about Damianos trying to escape the clutches of the giant men detaining him, and bent on torturing him to gain information from him. Damianos seems doomed. Do we root for him to overcome this situation or not?
I read another ‘Honey’ story, “Malfuntion”. It tells of a domestic electrical problem that affected the whole house, but was caused by a shorted ground fault connector outside under a giant fir tree between our driveway and the next one. In retrospect, there was a lot of humour in how we handled this problem.
Annette didn’t read anything, but did show us the brand new throwing knife she bought for upcoming competitions she is entering. She said she also had throwing axes out in her vehicle. I told her not to get pulled over and charged with weapons offences. She should be writing a murder mystery about somebody using their knives or axes for devilish purposes.
Hayden said he maintains a blog that can be found at www.frostyhound.blogspot.ca
The next Meeting will be Wednesday, March 16th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Since St. Patrick’s Day will be the following day, everyone can attend wearing something green! Hope to see you then.
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
Saturday, February 20, 2016
THE REVIEW
RANDOM READINGS
On February 17th, Annette, Margaret F., Jason, Charity, and a new member, Luke Koster, joined me for our most recent Meeting of The Rams.
Charity brought two samples of magazines that publish her non-fiction articles. One magazine is Maximum Yield, and the other is Hydro Life. She read her article “Essential Oil Or Not” in the Hydro Life magazine, which outlined many of both the questions and beliefs in the health benefits of essential oils. Then Charity told us that magazine is slated to change its focus to pro-marijuana consumerism. My, how things change in publishing. As far as her novel is concerned, Charity said she is still working on plotting it out.
Margaret F. had been away on extended holiday so didn’t have the next chapter for “Babes In The Wood”. But she did read to us two previously written poems. “Sisters” was a longing to find purpose and a dream again, after the end of a marriage. The second poem, “Incantation For Victory In War After Defeat” was a strong rallying of force to carry on after setback.
Luke is writing an epic fantasy novel called “The Heart Of The Earth”. He read to us one scene in which Dalin, a young army recruit, is angry and upset that he’s been sent to basic training instead of officers’ training, and set the task of digging a latrine. But that’s true of how basic training works; break the man to make the soldier.
Annette read another chapter from “Within The Tangles”. This time, a group of teens is meeting for group therapy. It sounds like they’ve been having problems at school and that is the reason for their referral to therapy. Janna arrives and hides in the washroom, locking the door. Backstory is coming out about her having been abducted. We want to hear more about the angst that she is suffering.
Jason read to us about Damianos regaining consciousness inside a giant tent with giant furniture. He muses about Kwen and Ligeia, their differences and their similarities. He finds that he is naked and starts searching for his clothes to escape, but is caught by two giant warriors who act like buffoons.
I read the next “Honey” story, “Deposition for Separate Bedrooms”. It tells of Honey’s morning rituals before he retired, when he was angry about having to get up early for work when I did not. Charity said she likes that I read last so they can all leave after having a good laugh. I’m glad the humour comes through.
Margaret Moffatt has an article on the history of Cranbrook, B.C. in Today’s Senior Newsmagazine for February.
Christine Potter said she hopes to be able to attend Meetings again around the latter part of April. She also said she developed a writing schedule of completing 500 words a day, five days a week. That way she doesn’t feel so overwhelmed at trying to write a whole book of stories.
The next Meeting will be Wednesday, March 2nd at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. May the Muse hound you into writing before then!
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
On February 17th, Annette, Margaret F., Jason, Charity, and a new member, Luke Koster, joined me for our most recent Meeting of The Rams.
Charity brought two samples of magazines that publish her non-fiction articles. One magazine is Maximum Yield, and the other is Hydro Life. She read her article “Essential Oil Or Not” in the Hydro Life magazine, which outlined many of both the questions and beliefs in the health benefits of essential oils. Then Charity told us that magazine is slated to change its focus to pro-marijuana consumerism. My, how things change in publishing. As far as her novel is concerned, Charity said she is still working on plotting it out.
Margaret F. had been away on extended holiday so didn’t have the next chapter for “Babes In The Wood”. But she did read to us two previously written poems. “Sisters” was a longing to find purpose and a dream again, after the end of a marriage. The second poem, “Incantation For Victory In War After Defeat” was a strong rallying of force to carry on after setback.
Luke is writing an epic fantasy novel called “The Heart Of The Earth”. He read to us one scene in which Dalin, a young army recruit, is angry and upset that he’s been sent to basic training instead of officers’ training, and set the task of digging a latrine. But that’s true of how basic training works; break the man to make the soldier.
Annette read another chapter from “Within The Tangles”. This time, a group of teens is meeting for group therapy. It sounds like they’ve been having problems at school and that is the reason for their referral to therapy. Janna arrives and hides in the washroom, locking the door. Backstory is coming out about her having been abducted. We want to hear more about the angst that she is suffering.
Jason read to us about Damianos regaining consciousness inside a giant tent with giant furniture. He muses about Kwen and Ligeia, their differences and their similarities. He finds that he is naked and starts searching for his clothes to escape, but is caught by two giant warriors who act like buffoons.
I read the next “Honey” story, “Deposition for Separate Bedrooms”. It tells of Honey’s morning rituals before he retired, when he was angry about having to get up early for work when I did not. Charity said she likes that I read last so they can all leave after having a good laugh. I’m glad the humour comes through.
Margaret Moffatt has an article on the history of Cranbrook, B.C. in Today’s Senior Newsmagazine for February.
Christine Potter said she hopes to be able to attend Meetings again around the latter part of April. She also said she developed a writing schedule of completing 500 words a day, five days a week. That way she doesn’t feel so overwhelmed at trying to write a whole book of stories.
The next Meeting will be Wednesday, March 2nd at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. May the Muse hound you into writing before then!
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
Friday, January 22, 2016
THE REVIEW
WHAT INSPIRES US TO WRITE?
Jason, Charity and Sandy Campbell, a new member, joined me Wednesday for the Ram’s Meeting. Sandy did ask what things inspired us to write? She was thinking more of colours, or odors, or other sensory stimuli. I gave the matter some thought and I know that if something in daily life bothers me, I want to turn it into humorous writing so I can laugh about it. But I am also inspired to write when I sense an injustice, or when I want to capture a picture of some moment that moved me, or when I want to tell of an event that caught my attention. Sometimes that need to write comes out in poetry, or non-fiction or fiction. It’s kind of amazing the ingredients that go into that pot I stir. So what moves you to take fingers to keyboard or pen to paper?
Jason read his next chapter about Damianos and Kwen. He tells her he can read the coin that contains the secret of where the holy city is, but she doesn’t believe him. The coin is dropped in the water, Kwen passes out, other warriors appear, Damianos is attacked. This chapter ups the tension in the story and with a twist at the end, leaves the reader wanting to know what happens next. It is well written and guaranteed to be a page turner.
I read next, two of my recently edited ‘Honey’ stories. The first story was “One Man’s Haven” about Honey preparing for a winter trip to his cabin at Green Lake and my being very happy for him by the time he actually gets out the door and leaves. The second story was “Only Ten Dollars” about a prolonged and expensive DIY project making a coffee table from a $10.00 purchase at a garage sale.
Charity read to us the background stories for some of her characters in “Salt Water Mermaid”. The first background was about Ma Mere and Jackie, the grandparents of Persephone, who is the main character. The second backstory was about the Sea Witch, who is the other grandmother of Persephone, who longs to return to the sea and take her offspring with her. The first background was told in 3rd person past tense. The second one was told in first person present tense, and was far more riveting. Charity said she thinks that for young adult fiction, editors are currently preferring books written in 1st person present tense.
Sandy didn’t read anything and says she is still mulling over how she wants to tell her stories. She has been a professional driver and travelled all over the continent, so she has many stories to draw from. We hope to hear some of them soon.
Margaret Moffatt had an article on the history of Ashcroft in the January issue of Today’s Senior Newsmagazine. That issue I found at Comfort Plus in downtown Langley when I went to purchase an exercise pulley. Margaret’s words get around, that’s for sure!
Kristi is still studying for her dental hygiene exam, but hopes to be done by the end of February. We are hoping to see her return to us in March. Christine Potter was not well and we wish her a speedy recovery. Annette was busy helping a friend and then came down with a cold herself. We haven’t heard anything from Margaret F. Hope she’s fine.
The next Meeting will be Wednesday, February 3rd at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Hope to see you then. May your ink flow freely onto your paper or your fingers fly fleetly across your keyboard as you are inspired to record your creative thoughts!
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
Jason, Charity and Sandy Campbell, a new member, joined me Wednesday for the Ram’s Meeting. Sandy did ask what things inspired us to write? She was thinking more of colours, or odors, or other sensory stimuli. I gave the matter some thought and I know that if something in daily life bothers me, I want to turn it into humorous writing so I can laugh about it. But I am also inspired to write when I sense an injustice, or when I want to capture a picture of some moment that moved me, or when I want to tell of an event that caught my attention. Sometimes that need to write comes out in poetry, or non-fiction or fiction. It’s kind of amazing the ingredients that go into that pot I stir. So what moves you to take fingers to keyboard or pen to paper?
Jason read his next chapter about Damianos and Kwen. He tells her he can read the coin that contains the secret of where the holy city is, but she doesn’t believe him. The coin is dropped in the water, Kwen passes out, other warriors appear, Damianos is attacked. This chapter ups the tension in the story and with a twist at the end, leaves the reader wanting to know what happens next. It is well written and guaranteed to be a page turner.
I read next, two of my recently edited ‘Honey’ stories. The first story was “One Man’s Haven” about Honey preparing for a winter trip to his cabin at Green Lake and my being very happy for him by the time he actually gets out the door and leaves. The second story was “Only Ten Dollars” about a prolonged and expensive DIY project making a coffee table from a $10.00 purchase at a garage sale.
Charity read to us the background stories for some of her characters in “Salt Water Mermaid”. The first background was about Ma Mere and Jackie, the grandparents of Persephone, who is the main character. The second backstory was about the Sea Witch, who is the other grandmother of Persephone, who longs to return to the sea and take her offspring with her. The first background was told in 3rd person past tense. The second one was told in first person present tense, and was far more riveting. Charity said she thinks that for young adult fiction, editors are currently preferring books written in 1st person present tense.
Sandy didn’t read anything and says she is still mulling over how she wants to tell her stories. She has been a professional driver and travelled all over the continent, so she has many stories to draw from. We hope to hear some of them soon.
Margaret Moffatt had an article on the history of Ashcroft in the January issue of Today’s Senior Newsmagazine. That issue I found at Comfort Plus in downtown Langley when I went to purchase an exercise pulley. Margaret’s words get around, that’s for sure!
Kristi is still studying for her dental hygiene exam, but hopes to be done by the end of February. We are hoping to see her return to us in March. Christine Potter was not well and we wish her a speedy recovery. Annette was busy helping a friend and then came down with a cold herself. We haven’t heard anything from Margaret F. Hope she’s fine.
The next Meeting will be Wednesday, February 3rd at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Hope to see you then. May your ink flow freely onto your paper or your fingers fly fleetly across your keyboard as you are inspired to record your creative thoughts!
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
Saturday, January 9, 2016
THE REVIEW
‘TWAS A COLD AND FOGGY NIGHT
Yes, Wednesday night was cold and foggy, but Jason, Annette and Charity were all brave enough to venture out and come to the latest Meeting of The Rams.
Jason read his next chapter about Damianos and Kwen. Damionos taunts her mercilessly about her beliefs until she feels faint. Then he tries to comfort her. He also has feelings that she reminds him of someone. She eventually brings out a treasured item and shows it to Damianos, explaining it was something her enemies had tried to destroy, but she still had this rare coin that contained a map to her people’s ancient and sacred home. We really liked the plot twist with the coin being a map.
Annette has re-written all previous chapters in “Within The Tangles”, as she felt she was using too many unnecessary points of view from characters that were not that important to the story. The chapter she read was from the point of view of Janna, the eight year old girl who was abducted. It tells of her being picked up in the middle of the night by a man who smelled different than her father or her brother, and then finding herself locked in a strange room when she awakes in the morning. She saves food that is brought to her through the day, and then puts it in a pillowcase and climbs out a very small window to escape in her bare feet and pyjamas. This is a very strong chapter that keeps readers riveted.
Charity wrote a synopsis of the book she’s writing about Hornby Island and the sea witch. She said it was in response to my saying I didn’t see a plot developing in what she had read so far. The synopsis was very detailed and outlines the story of young Persephone, who moves from Vancouver to Hornby and then eventually back to Vancouver. In between there is some romance, some violence, some murder, and some fantasy with the sea witch. Should be a great story of a young girl trying to find her place in the world.
I read another “Honey” story, this time it was “The Virtue Of Vice”. It tells of my futile attempt to find someone to replace the arborite on my kitchen countertop, when it seemed the consumption of alcohol by Honey and others kept getting in the way.
I brought up the workshop proposal by editor Lynne Melcombe that I had forwarded to everyone. Those who were present were not interested in the workshop but one or two did ask what editing services she provided and how much she charged. I forwarded those questions to her and if I get a reply I will send it out to everyone.
Jason made the comment that since he doesn’t number pages or chapters or name his chapters, he has trouble remembering where he left off reading them to us. That is something to consider, especially when you want to find a specific part of a very long manuscript.
I mentioned how annoying it was that MS Word would always underline in red unusual character names. Charity then informed us that you can add words to the dictionary so that doesn’t happen. Writing this missive, I did just that and the names of Janna and Damianos and Kwen are now part of my Word dictionary on my laptop. Thank you, Charity.
Next Meeting will be Wednesday, January 20th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Whatever the weather, I hope to see you then.
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
Yes, Wednesday night was cold and foggy, but Jason, Annette and Charity were all brave enough to venture out and come to the latest Meeting of The Rams.
Jason read his next chapter about Damianos and Kwen. Damionos taunts her mercilessly about her beliefs until she feels faint. Then he tries to comfort her. He also has feelings that she reminds him of someone. She eventually brings out a treasured item and shows it to Damianos, explaining it was something her enemies had tried to destroy, but she still had this rare coin that contained a map to her people’s ancient and sacred home. We really liked the plot twist with the coin being a map.
Annette has re-written all previous chapters in “Within The Tangles”, as she felt she was using too many unnecessary points of view from characters that were not that important to the story. The chapter she read was from the point of view of Janna, the eight year old girl who was abducted. It tells of her being picked up in the middle of the night by a man who smelled different than her father or her brother, and then finding herself locked in a strange room when she awakes in the morning. She saves food that is brought to her through the day, and then puts it in a pillowcase and climbs out a very small window to escape in her bare feet and pyjamas. This is a very strong chapter that keeps readers riveted.
Charity wrote a synopsis of the book she’s writing about Hornby Island and the sea witch. She said it was in response to my saying I didn’t see a plot developing in what she had read so far. The synopsis was very detailed and outlines the story of young Persephone, who moves from Vancouver to Hornby and then eventually back to Vancouver. In between there is some romance, some violence, some murder, and some fantasy with the sea witch. Should be a great story of a young girl trying to find her place in the world.
I read another “Honey” story, this time it was “The Virtue Of Vice”. It tells of my futile attempt to find someone to replace the arborite on my kitchen countertop, when it seemed the consumption of alcohol by Honey and others kept getting in the way.
I brought up the workshop proposal by editor Lynne Melcombe that I had forwarded to everyone. Those who were present were not interested in the workshop but one or two did ask what editing services she provided and how much she charged. I forwarded those questions to her and if I get a reply I will send it out to everyone.
Jason made the comment that since he doesn’t number pages or chapters or name his chapters, he has trouble remembering where he left off reading them to us. That is something to consider, especially when you want to find a specific part of a very long manuscript.
I mentioned how annoying it was that MS Word would always underline in red unusual character names. Charity then informed us that you can add words to the dictionary so that doesn’t happen. Writing this missive, I did just that and the names of Janna and Damianos and Kwen are now part of my Word dictionary on my laptop. Thank you, Charity.
Next Meeting will be Wednesday, January 20th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Whatever the weather, I hope to see you then.
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
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