WRITERS THREE
Jason and Kay joined me last night for a short Meeting. We were able to enjoy some longer discussions.
Jason confirmed that he did send off his submission to Donald Maass. We are keeping our fingers crossed for him. And Jason did say he’s hoping to finish the second book in his series this year. It is always good to have a definite goal.
Kay said she has decided to use all her own personal experiences as background fodder for a work of fiction instead of something non-fictional. She has outlined an amazing plot for a psychological thriller and we look forward to hearing how it progresses. Last night she did read a short story she did as an exercise to write more effectively. It’s written in first person, about a boyfriend calling to end their relationship but the message she hears is that she must kill him. That’s an interesting twist.
I read two stories last night. The first was “Heaven And Hell”, a ‘Honey’ story about when he was out of town and the air conditioner failed during very hot summer weather. The second story was “Sticky Note”, a short story I started writing down at the Lemon Bakery one Saturday when Luke and I were there. The story came from a writing prompt app on my cell phone, and the prompt was about finding a sticky note on my car. I had meant to write a little horror story, but it didn’t turn out that way as it now stands. However, if I continued with the story it could easily become something more sinister.
Jason questioned me again about why I haven’t continued writing “Nigel Wingate Is Dead”. He said if I want to make it a life story of the two main characters, that I should have the story start with them knowing each other as children and then have them re-connect as adults, as is done in “Forest Gump”. Something to think about. Unfortunately, I really like writing short stories because of the sense of accomplishment I get when I finish one. It just takes so long to write a novel to find the same satisfaction. It’s like waiting ten years to smell the rose you planted yesterday. And I’ve been successful with short stories. I don’t think I’ll ever be a great novel writer. But maybe I just need to be pushed. Keep at it, Jason!
The latest Polar Expression short story anthology entitled “Shoreline” contains stories by two Rams; one by me and one by Gemma Tamas. Mine was “The Unwritten Story” and Gemma’s was “On The Sky Train”.
In the December issue of Today’s Senior Newsmagazine is an article by Margaret Moffatt on the history of Haida Gwaii. I haven’t yet seen the January issue, so can’t report what article of hers is included there.
Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. Have you set a writing goal for yourself in 2017? I think it’s important for us to do that instead of just hoping inspiration will strike at random, like winning the lottery. For myself, I need to spend time at the keyboard in order to accomplish any writing. Words and/or storyline do not flow for me unless I am actually putting them on the screen or on paper.
Maybe we can discuss the goals we’ve set at the next Meeting, Wednesday, January 18th at 7:00 p.m. here at my place. Hope to see you then.
Lisa A. Hatton
Author
Thursday, January 5, 2017
Thursday, November 17, 2016
THE REVIEW
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
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 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
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