The Wannabe's Journal for Feb 1011

The Wannabe's Journal

There were 10 people on Facebook this morning waiting to Chat. Must be a day with snow, sleet and freezing rain outside. A time to think about your next writing project and what are some of the upcoming educational events that you can take advantage of to get your project off the ground this year. In this entry we will review some of the upcoming local seminars and provide the links for you to get more information.

Antioch Writers Workshop

http://www.antiochwritersworkshop.com/

This week long seminar in July(from 9 through 15, 2011) for writers of fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry and memoir. Whether you’re a beginning, intermediate, or advanced writer, They offer inspiration, instruction, and professional connections through morning lectures, afternoon workshops and "a la carte" enrollment.

The distinguished faculty includes Jim Daniels(poetry), Mark Goodman(Creative Non Fiction), Nancy Pickard(Keynote Speaker and Fiction) and our own Nancy Pinard. There many other authors of various genres to mention, as well as a well know agent and editor who you can pitch your project to.

Some of us have attended the AWW in the past. You will be happy to know that Joyce Dyer is returning this summer to host an afternoon session on Memoirs and Personal Essays.

Sign up early on the website.

LLI-Osher Spring Seminar March 14th through May 6th.

Many of the current Wannabe's participate in this program at the University of Dayton annually. As a matter of fact many of you have taught in this popular program in the past. The Wannabe's as a group was formed three years ago as a result of taking a Creative Writing Class from Ms. Pinard.

If you have not received the schedule for classes for the spring term, here is a link:

http://www.udayton.edu/artssciences/continuing_education/udlli_monday_seminars.php

You will notice that I will be teaching one of the new seminars this spring: "Self Publishing".

I know that other Wannabe members have taught classes in the past. For me I am honored to be asked to share my experiences with everyone.

The six session class will discuss the various tools and techniques that can be used to publish. Whether you want to print a cookbook, a coffee table collection of your prize winning photo's or drawings, a hard back book of poems for your grandchildren or just your first prize winning novel there are a number alternatives that will allow you to accomplish your goal without breaking the bank.

Self-Publishing: Tools and Techniques

NEW! How many of you have thought of publishing your own book or novel? Do you have a short story and/or a poem that you want to share with others either digitally or in the form of a hardback book with a dust cover? You can choose from many tools and services to help you achieve your goal. We will explore what is required to self-publish digitally with devices like Nook and Kindle. Also, we will review the alternatives available to publish a full color paperback or bound book with a dust cover and the cost involved. We will explore the use of social networking tools like Twitter and Facebook. We will also discuss the role of blogs and websites.

6 Mondays, March 14 – April 18
12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. in the McGinnis Center

The digital age is upon us. Not only has the way we read a book changed from buying a paper back to reading a Kindle, but also the way a publication can be produced. For instance their are now Apps for writing on smartphones(iPhone). If you have a project in mind and would like to explore where to begin...sign up for the class. Hope to see you there.


Mad Anthony Writers Conference: When: April 8-9. 2011

Where: Historic Hamilton, Ohio

Featuring: Editors, Publishers. & Agents

Keynote Speaker: Hallie Ephron

Why: The 2011 Mad Anthony Writer’s Conference is your opportunity to learn from the experts, network with a community of writers, have your manuscripts reviewed, & to give your dreams of being a published writer a chance to come true. Check out the list of presenters at this springs conference. The price is right...

Here is the Web site for more information: http://www.writelikemad.com/

Recent Articles of Interest.

Writers Digest Self Published Competition: writersdigest@writers-community.com

Kindle Direct Publishing Newsletter: An email newsletter for individuals in keep up today with the trends within this part of the industry.

Next Wannabe's Meeting March 18th at Panera on Brown Street

We all should have recovered from St. Patrick's Day by then.

The Wannabe's Journal for December 1010

The Wannabe's Journal
for
December 2010

A Santa who robs the local 5th3rd Branch for $ 106. dollars, the lost cat who disappeared from their owners only to find a new home in the arms of a lonely woman who was so depressed that she was considering desperate measures, a lovely poem about a water pond and the reading of a memoir which led to the discovery of a connection from 20 years ago. These are just some of the wonderful gifts that were exchanged at our Christmas Brunch yesterday. Thank you again for hosting this annual event.

We sat at Mary Lou's dinning room table and exchanged stories and information about up coming events and classes that you might have an interest. Here are some of the highlights.

We began by talking about any new Christmas story or tradition. The stories included framing a high school jersey that still had the battle scar's for the price of gold, to the traditions of reading to your Children the Christmas tales by famous authors in an easy chair by the fireplace. Or it might be the gathering of the family in front of the large screen TV with a big bowl of popcorn to watch one of the Christmas classics. The Wannabe's meeting have produced some classic stories in the past and this meeting was no exception.

Mary Lou: Shared a story that had appear in a local newspaper about a family who was moving to another state. Their beloved family pet had escaped from the house while the moving company was packing the truck. The cat was now perched at the end of a limb half way up the tree. The owner did not want to risk injury by climbing the tree but with help of the movers he set up his step ladder under the limb and was going to attempt to tie a rope to the end of branch which was drooping from the weight of the cat. While standing on the top rung of the ladder the homeowner was barely able to secure the rope end on the limb. He asked two of the movers to pull on the other end of the rope. Slowly the limb of the tree bent and the cat got closer and closer. The owner reached out and just as he was about to secure the fur of the cat... the movers let go of the rope.

It happened so fast that no one really witnessed the actual launch. All they heard was the snap of the branch and the sound of falling snow. The owner and movers all looked for the flying cat but were unsuccessful in their search of the nearby yards. Finally the ladder was taken down and packed in the van. The Cat had disappeared into the heavens.

Days later two of the neighbors met at the local grocery and were catching up on the local news. One woman began to tell the story about a woman who had gotten the perfect gift for Christmas. She had been severely depressed and was contemplating desperate measures. She was sitting alone on her patio with a cup of tea when all of sudden a cat landed in her lap. It was a gift from heaven. The unannounced cat soon became the lonely woman's best friend. Or maybe it was just another form of shock therapy. In any case it worked it miracle. Christmas is always full of miracles.

Nancy P: discussed the upcoming Antioch Writers Workshop. The link to the 2011 AWW website is listed below. The list of authors and guest lecturer's this year is impressive and something a serious writer should consider. A number of highly respected authors and poets will participate this year...the link to the web site is listed below.

She also talked about celebrating Christmas in the past and having read stories to her children when they were young while setting in the Orange Recliner. I think everyone has had a orange recliner in their life. It is the chair where you raised your family: the spot where you administered the two and five AM feedings, read bedtime stories and the chair that could be repaired dozens of time but still looked the same. They must have a special place in chair heaven for them. After they have gone through the formative years of family life they are place at the curb for the Tuesday morning collection. Most valuable items soon disappear before the trash collection can visit but rarely is the recliner collected by the "Picker's" It just disappears in the the bin at the front of the massive truck. You cannot watch the final moments of the chairs life as it raised to the heavens and crushed like a empty pop can. It's almost a religious moment.

Nancy also recommended a book of Essays. The Title is: "Backs to The Wall: A reading of Alain Badiou’s Metapolitics" by Mairéad Phillips.

Linda: Has started her research for her book on mines of the small towns in West Virginia. She and her husband who recently retired visited the area and talked with several people who grew up in the region and were able to describe the life during the time of the company store and how the miners were paid and survived. They also spent some time in a actual mine in Beckley, WV. The small town in southwest WV was born in 1836 and is located in the heart of mining country. Linda was surprised to meet someone at the country store who recognized her after many years.

Bill F. Our photographer of the day read from a poem that he recently entered into a contest at Writers Digest entitled: "Setting on the Bench by the River"

Sitting on a Bench by the River

Zen gaze at water,

flowing like time.

Gurgles of ancient voices,

over fossils - mute.

Old rocks, but younger than water.

Water - unfearful - moving ahead,

putting out fires,

refreshing thirsty species - all cousins;

the gloss in a smile, sparkle in a tear.

Rushing - from springs and raindrops,

flowing like life.

Never the same.

Always the same.

Molecules cried - in pain or joy.

Once soup, wine, blood.

Drowned so many.

Washed us all.

Supporting clean swimmers,

between taut lines.

Waves - clawing down buildings,

eating boulders.

Or mirrors - for sister clouds - watching.

But mainly it reflects -

what is within us,

when we sit on a bench by the river.

Bills other observations of the day were the most poignant and descriptive:

This reunion was a perfect example of synchronicity!

Other great stories: The Catapulting Cat,

Guard for the Hapsburgs,

Something about ways to remember stuff, but I forget what it was called,

Einstein's First Marriage,

Don H. Commented on the fact that exploring Church and Military records in Europe might provide some clues for Mary Lou's research for her "Family Secrets" book. Many of the eastern European countries that were dominated by the Austrian and German cultures keep very detailed and accurate records many years ago. I recommended looking into the European version of Ancestry.com to find what may have been captured already.

Martha: She recently wrote a letter to her older sister and her memories of growing up together. She vividly described their favorite meal...The Pressure Cooker Stew. It was all about the day that the stew was cooking on the kitchen stove and her sister undid the metal clasps that hold the lid on the pot that the stew was cooking in. The lid exploded along with its contents which flew in the air only to fall back into the pot. The two sisters busily tried to cover up the evidence. Later that night at dinner, her father raved about how delicious the stew tasted and how different it looked. They were rendered speechless with the question: " How did you make it this time?"

We all remember her now famous Christmas tree story about her father permanently affixing the tree stand to the hardwood floor only to discover that his wife want it moved closer to the window. No longer do we throw tinsel on the tree like we use to. It made such a delightful mess...one that created memories.

Martha also recommended a book by Karen Kingsbury: "The Treasure of Christmas Miracles" The short stories are about miracles that happen during this time of year.

Don H: is writing two short stories about the adventures of Santa. One involves a Santa who robs a bank to collect the fees he was charged for an overdraft and the second involves an abandon baby name "Jesus Esposito" He is found by a young boy who desperately wants to have a baby brother because he is tormented by his older sister...at least he thinks he is.

Don is also continuing to put together material for his book on memory called: Senior Fix

Tricia: is finishing up her manuscript on her book entitled: "A Real Wooden Home" She was kind enough to read passages from her book that involved sneaking out late at night with her then boyfriend. It was suggested that she organize her stories in Increments. Two other books that were recommended were The house on Mango Street and Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs.

The real "A,,Ha" moment of the meeting is when Tricia and Martha realized that their lives passed nearly twenty years ago. It was a touching moment that had the makings of a new Christmas miracle.

Upcoming Education in 2011:

Mad Antony Writers Conference on April 8 and 9th in Hamilton Ohio. Here is the link.

http://www.writelikemad.com/

The Antioch Writers Workshop from July 9 to the 15th

http://www.antiochwritersworkshop.com/

Our next meeting with be on Jan 21st at 9 AM at Panera on Brown Street

Check out our Blog site for additional information about classes on Self Publishing that will be taught at UD LLI in the Spring.

We hope you all have a wonderful holiday and Happy New Year....

Wannabe's Journal for October 2010

We had our monthly meeting on Friday October 15th at Panera Bread Co's location on Brown Street. We had a very good meeting with some new members attending for the first time. Thanks to all for sharing some of your current writings. As always...our meeting are an inspiration to continue to pursue our dreams. Hopefully our meeting notes will allow you to pursue your right brain dreams with passion and determination.

Don Q: Awaiting the arrival of the illustrations so that I can complete my "Santa's Magic" book. Many thanks to all those who have helped with reading and editing my manuscript. Don is also working on a family cookbook and has taken inspiration from Bob MacK to create a book of photos and text that chronicle my three years where he and his bride traveled through various countries in Africa and Europe. Besides what else can you do with those 7,000 digital photo's he has collected.

Don also has been reading a great deal in recent months: primarily the trilogy of novel by Stieg Larsson. He has read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire. He just ordered the last novel in the series called The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. Excellent author with a great style. Good case study in the techniques of writing a fictional novel with many characters in various scenes of northern Europe.

Dan V Talked about his recent class that he has been enrolled in at the University of Dayton. The LLI sponsored class is taught by Martha Moody. Ms. Moody has published a popular memoir entitled: "Best Friends". Dan discussed the various techniques that Ms. Moody discussed in teaching her class on writing short stories. One of the interesting exercises that Dan participated in during his class was writing a letter to someone that includes emotion of some type: Sadness, loneliness, or happiness. By the happiness is the most difficult to effectively transfer to the reader through the medium of a letter.

Dan also recommended "Courage to Write" by Ralph Keyes. Dan also heard Brady Allen who recently spoke at a seminar sponsored through the Dayton Public Library.

Bob MacK; is currently helping his Mother-in-law write her memoir. Talk about scoring big brownie points with his bride. Seriously... what a great exercise that would be.
Bob also discussed the use of Blurb software tool to create books of any variety. It is a great alternative to other on line tools such as createspace and Lulu. Bob is also working on a new short story entitled: "The Bus Ride". We were fortunate to hear the first couple of pages. Can't wait to hear more.

Tricia: provided three excellent references for those interested in writing memoirs.

"Heaven Awaits the Bride" by Anna Roundtree
"Writing the Memoirs" by Judith Barrington
"Tweak" Nic Sheff

She is in the final stages of submitting her manuscript "Drive to Huber" for editing and publishing. She read a couple of pages from her manuscript to the group and received feedback that she appreciated.

Rosie: After attending her first meeting two months ago and reading her poem to the group entitled: "Brandon" she has experienced a couple of "Wow!!!" moments. For those who missed the poem the first time here is another posting of the piece:

Brandon

Rosie H

I paid you homage today. I went to the garden and found you in the diamond dew on the wispy fern. There—you glistened in the sunlight. I caught you dancing with butterflies and doing somersaults in the air. Throughout the yard I saw you shimmer. Even my hand had your sparkle on it. I smelled you in the fragrance surrounding me. I invited you into the silence. I heard you call my name in the murmur of the crickets and birds. I think—you.

Therefore, you are.

The Wow moments happened Rosie was asked to participate in a story telling session. It was special when one of Brandon's parents were part of the audience. She also taken the poem and made it part of a collage that she exhibited at a recent art gallery.

She is working on a book of Watercolor painting.

Like many of the Wannabe participants who were inspired by Nancy P and keep journals, Rosie has now started the practice of keeping a journal with just inspirational, personal sayings that she derives strength from. Vade Mecum is her personal reference journal "to go with me" and uses "words, give and blessings" as key words.

Martha: Currently reading a book entitled: "Abandon" by Blake Crouch. The story is about an entire town which disappeared without a trace in 1893. One hundred and thirteen years later two guides are hired to investigate what happened. Martha also recommends reading a book by Jodi Ricoult entitled " Handle with Care" which shot to the top of the Best Sellers list at its introduction.

Don P: Has completed entering all 241 letters from his father and is in the processing that story for his family memoir.

After reading the final edited version of Frederika to the group Don feels enough encouragement to submit the short story for possible publication. He is now writing new stories about Debbie called Deborah 3 and 4. Here is a little of Deborah 4:

Deborah 4

At last she got to go into town on her own and do some shopping. She had a long list of items including clothes, shoes, and a number of other assorted items to look for. Her name was Deborah McStine and she had grown up on a farm outside of Dallas, Texas. Just far enough outside of town to make it difficult to get into town easily on her own, but now she was eighteen years old and could make the trip by bus on her own. She also had her first credit card even though it was actually a debit card with a limit of $2,000. She was all grown up now and was going to show it. Her Dad dropped her off at the local bus stop and she was on her way.

Upon arrival in Dallas she stepped off the bus at the downtown station and turned to look for a taxi. As she stepped away from the bus a bicycle rider came rolling along the walkway between the busses. He hit her with the handlebar and knocked her to the ground. As the bicyclist hurried on his way, the bus driver came quickly down the steps of the bus.

"My gosh, girl, didn't you see him coming? You could get seriously hurt doing these things. Are you hurt?" he asked as he reached down to help her up.

"I don't think so. Maybe just some bruises. I'll be all right in a minute or two."

She picked up her purse, checked it, and headed to the taxi stand. As she approached the single taxi waiting there an elderly couple rushed in front of her and jumped into it. She almost fell off the curb, stepped back and yelled a dirty word as the taxi pulled away. She, then, had to wait twenty minutes for another taxi to arrive.

Once downtown Deborah could really start on her spending spree. In the biggest Department store in the Dallas Mall it only took her twenty minutes to spend six hundred dollars. As she walked to the shoe store, toting three shopping bags full of stuff, she checked to make sure her thirty dollars bus money was safely tucked into the secret pocket in her jacket along with the money for the taxi ride back to the bus station.

As she entered the shoe store, prepared to do some more serious buying, she set her shopping bags down beside one of the chairs and started through the display racks. Fifteen minutes later she carried five boxes of shoes back to her selected chair, sat down, opened the first box just as a salesman walked up to assist her. She reached down to pull out a new dress she had just bought in order to match color and noticed that there were only two shopping bags instead of three.

"What happened?," she asked. "Where is my other shopping bag? Did you see anybody take it?"

"No, not for sure. I saw a young couple leave about ten minutes ago carrying something. I really didn't notice what it was for sure."

Deborah hopped up, looked out the door and saw no one. "They're gone. With my new clothes. This can't be happening." Uncertain as to what to do, she went back to her seat and asked the salesman what to do. He told her that the only thing she could do was to report it to Mall Security, but finding the right person carrying a shopping bag in a Mall was nearly impossible.

Resigned to her loss, she started trying on shoes with the help of the salesman. Eventually she picked out three pairs, paid for them, and left the store, now carrying three shopping bags. She headed over to another clothing store to see what they had. As she started looking through the racks of clothes she made sure to keep one eye on her shopping bags. She paid for the items she had picked out which brought the amount left on her credit card to four hundred dollars. She then decided to look around a bit more just for fun. The problem was she neglected to keep an eye on other things. As she walked back to where her stuff was she started to feel faint. He purse was gone.

She searched all around the chair, and all around the area, finding nothing. Tears welled up in her eyes as she asked the sales clerk what she could do. All he could do was to console her and advise her to tell Mall Security. At that point she knew her purse was gone, never to be seen again. Her consolation was that her taxi money to get back to the bus station, the bus money home, plus her credit card were in her jacket so she could still get home, and the purse had very little of value left in it.

At that point she decided to go ahead and finish her shopping. She eventually filled another shopping bag, giving her four to carry. She picked them all up and headed towards the taxi stand which was four blocks away. As she walked along the third block struggling with all of her shopping bags a young woman, reading something as she walked, bumped into Deborah causing one bag to drop to the sidewalk. Deborah bent over, still struggling, got it picked up, and then continued on her way to the taxi stand. At the taxi stand she hopped into the first taxi in line, putting her shopping bags on the seat beside her. She told the driver to take her to the bus station and settled back into her seat, then reached into her pocket to get the credit card and to put it in the secret jacket pocket.

She felt in the right hand pocket where she had put it, and then in the left hand pocket, starting to get a little frantic. The card was not there. What had happened to it she wondered. Finally, she realized two things. The first was that the young lady who had bumped into her had picked her pocket, and the second was that the card was a debit card and only had $2.00 left on it. She quickly checked the inside pocket of her jacket and felt the money that would pay for her taxi and the bus home. At that point she sat back and enjoyed her ride.

As the taxi pulled into the station Deborah saw her bus waiting. She quickly paid the driver, got all of her bags collected again, and moved as quickly as she could over to the bus. As she stopped to let another bus drive through it splashed muddy water onto her dress soaking her from the waist down. As she approached her bus that driver hopped out with a towel, apologized for the other driver, and cleaned her up as best as he could. She then boarded her bus prepared to sit back and try to enjoy her ride home, knowing that her father would be waiting to pick her up.

She planned to write this trip up in her daily journal and she had the perfect title:

Dallas Does Debbie.

Don also brought up a new service that is available through Barnes and Noble called Pubit. If you want to submit a book to them that can be published in ebook format available on the Nook, their version of Kindle. You have the freedom to set the price and they charge a percentage of the selling price.

Here is a link to their web page to get started. http://pubit.barnesandnoble.com/pubit_app/bn?t=pi_reg_home

Kate B: A new member to our group this month. Kate has taken a number of writing classes at Sinclair. Her most recent endeavors have center in the genre of poetry. She turned everyone on to the National Poetry Foundation which is located in Chicago. You can get onto their mailing list and get poems selected by Ted Kooser, former poet laureate as well as their table of contents for their newsletter. To get more you have to subscribe but there is a lot you can learn from the free stuff. Garrison Keillor reads poems from the foundation every day on the Writer's Almanac on NPR.

Their site is simply nationalpoetryfoundational.org.

Also, she is reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog, a French book translated into Eng. It has been on bestseller lists and won awards. It is about an elderly concierge in an upscale apartment house and a young girl who is contemplating suicide. Lots of philosophy and social commentary.

Kate's poem:

Seven

Young, not sure, asked how many...seven
For a child, one way to know the sea
Just listen to this shell--the waves
A rhythm that will not break
A rhyme to take away your trouble
And test it at a later time


I asked, what is this pirate time?
How many lives would rust in waves?
How many spirits crush in break?
And though my lungs would fill with trouble
In growing up saw oceans, seven
Still counting on the soil and sea


A book unwritten, cast at sea
Turned pages--five, six, seven
And memories, they come in waves
But pure voice will always break
Coughing and spitting away that time
No chance to write and too much trouble


Tugging away my labored trouble
That thing that steals away my time
A magic sound the number seven
Its power hits me hard at sea
But shore is best from which to view waves
In tides they come, and go, and break


Like rapid eye movement, surf rolls sans break
And sleep, it too will wash my time
Serve me a spoonful of trouble
A choking salt straight from the sea
One two three, why not six? but seven
It's never fair game and always odd waves


Infinitely different, very rare waves
The moving image we cannot break
The skipping, skipping stone of trouble
Needs straight river, not a tossed 'round sea
I muse above, see the sisters, seven
Yet no advice from starlight this time


So it is seven, a child counts time
Ignoring trouble, constant like waves
A break, not one, just shell and the sea.

***************

Our next meeting will be on November 19th. We hope to see you then. Have a great week and thanks for your continued appreciation for our information.

The Wannabe Journal for August 2010

We meet today at Mary Lou’s Condo on the hill in early August. It was a wonderful gathering of some very talented individuals. We shared our stories, recent readings, dreams and Mary Lou’s generous hospitality and good food. The dishes all had a Slovakian name and unique taste. You could tell that she put a great deal of love and energy into providing a great setting for our gathering. Thank you again from all of us…you truly are a generous person.

Because of the limitations of Blogger this posting is organized in multiple postings. I have arranged the readings, poems and short stories at the end so I could include the pictures which I think add to the power of the words. I hope you enjoy.

We had 10 members join us today for our meeting where we discussed current projects and here is a summary of our efforts:

Dan V Attended the AWW in Yellow Springs in July and brought back some interesting stories about the speakers. Dan recommended an author by the name of Ralph Keyes who wrote a book entitled Courage to Write. The author was one of the keynote speakers at this year’s conference. He discussed a new book that he is currently developing that is a memoir about his mother

Another author that Dan recommended was Ms. Ann Hagedorn who is the author of Wild Ride: The Rise and Tragic Fall of Calumet Farm Inc. Since Ms. Hagedorn is a originally from Dayton there may be a connection.

Last of all Dan recommended Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth as a good audio book to listen to in the car when on long trips. Especially if your bride is in the back seat watching a video and you are annoyed by the periodic laughter and “Oh my God’s” even though he have not said a word in over 100 miles.

Trish C She continues to share with us material from her memoir. Really great stories…can’t wait for a peek at the first draft. Here are some books that she recommends:

A good book on writing style is Bird by Bird by Anne LaMott

Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs is a memoir

Rosie H Our newest member is well known in the Dayton area for her artistic talents. Her works are currently on display at the Town and Country Arts Center (next to Buffalo Wild Wings). She is interested in exploring the connection between poetry and writing. We collectively recommended Word Painting by Rebecca McClanahan. Even though Ms. McClanahan is an accomplished poet and has published a number of books in that genera this book is a comprehensive bible of power of words and how they can create a great novel.

She read a poem entitled:

Brandon

By Rosie Huart

I paid you homage today.

I went to the garden and found you in the diamond dew on the wispy fern.

There—you glistened in the sunlight.

I caught you dancing with butterflies and doing somersaults in the air.

Throughout the yard I saw you shimmer.

Even my hand had your sparkle on it.

I smelled you in the fragrance surrounding me.

I invited you into the silence.

I heard you call my name in the murmur of the crickets and birds.

I think—you.

Therefore, you are.

Don H Currently working on his book of Mnemonics entitled: The Senior Fix. He is teaching a class at UDLLI this fall and disappointed our group by informing us that it is sold out. How can that happen I haven’t received my catalogue yet.

Mary Lou Besides all the cook and preparation for the group meeting at her home. Now don’t deny it. You are like my bride, everything had to look just right and it did. That does not happen through magic…I have tried.

She had just returned from Slovakia and was able to conduct a great deal of research on her memoir about her grandfather and life in Eastern Europe during the last century. It was interesting to hear her writings about the simple life that was led by families and how each had a specific role each day. Her novel will be called the “The Family Secret” Can’t wait for this creation as well.

Bill F will distribute a copy of his book entitled: The Whale in the Library. He is sending a copy to individuals who attended the August meeting. We will not post any portions of the book on this blog site.

Here is a list of books that Bill recommends:

The Artist Way by Julian Cameron

Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

Bob Mc M Brought a copy of the two books: a self published book of photo’s and dialogue entitled: “Bugs, Birds, Bees, Butterflies, Flowers and Such” and his newest book which is also self published and includes a number of his poems. The new book will be entitled, “The Beauty of Nature” .

Bob uses a self publishing software and services company Blurb.com. It is similar to LuLu.com in that it provides you with the capability to create formats, text and import your own pictures into different layouts and size of books that you want to publish. The cost depends on the number of pages and size.

Bob read a couple of his poems that will be included in the new book.

Don Q Still working on his Santa’s Magic manuscript. He is currently awaiting the books illustrations from a budding artist who recently graduated from the University of Dayton It will probably be self published like his first book.

.

Education and Seminars


University of Dayton LLI Beginning Fiction Writing(call to determine time and dates for the class)

Sinclair College There are a number of classes offered this fall at Sinclair. There are classes in Creative Writing Poetry and Writing as well as Freelance Writing

Article: Check out the article in the Life Section of the Dayton Daily News about Katrina Kittle an author from Kettering who discussed the help you can receive as a beginning writers. The article also references Darren McGarvey who has conducted the Words Worth Wring Center in Oakwood for the last few years. You can search for his classes with Google

Here is their Web address: http://www.wordsworthdayton.com/id70.html

Mad Anthony Writers Conference April 8-9 2011. You can put this on your calendar.

Writers Digest Competition: Go to the Writer’s Digest Web site for the details. There are different competitions for poetry, fiction and short story.

Go to the Blog site in order to see the full detail of the Blog's posting. http://wannabecom.blogspot.com/

Our next Meeting will be September 17th at Mary Lou's. More details will be available a week before our meeting time. Have a great week. Sorry this was composed and sent late...Patti and I are visiting Seattle. My son and his family recently moved here and the weather has been perfect along with the scenery.

The Wannabe Journal for August 2010

In her spare time Joy is working with a friend on a project to create humorous greeting cards.
He newest poem/literary creation is entitled: Zumba Gold or Hip Hop for Seniors
Hot Cross Buns
By Joy Brubaker


Today I went for my first class session of “Zumba Gold”, a kind of hip hop for the elderly. Julie, a retired teacher friend of mine, pressured me into going. The class was an AARP version of a Rave, but without the Ecstasy or sex. I had hoped to slip in and out of the class rather anonymously, but then I forgot and wore my big, bold red, all caps, JOY BRUBAKER FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE tee shirt, so everything I did…well…represented.
The instructor, a nice enough septuagenarian, had lost her ‘apple” shape and now more resembled an olive on a toothpick with skinny withered arms and legs and a nice round middle, which happily she chose to show off with a cut-off top and low rider pants. Until that moment I hadn’t realized that anyone other than men and pregnant women had “happy trials.”
We started off rather well with Julie and the others putting enough energy into their cha cha cha’s and bell dancing moves to supply a small town with electricity. One of the moves which was especially nice resembled vigorously toweling off our buns, with shaking of said buns required. Three moves later and my cellulite was still trembling. Unfortunately, so was everyone else’s. I had the sled dog’s view from the rear of the class.
Regrettably, somewhere in the middle of the routine our instructor lost her way. Call it a senior moment, but what she told us were going to be doing changed two minutes into the first song when she clearly forgot the steps and fumbled to get back into the rhythm. The rest of us were left free styling with arms, legs, derrieres and feet all going in different directions. At best we rather looked like a kindergarten class learning the hokey-pokey.
By the end of the third song two of the other women quit and hobbled out stiffly holding their lower back. I couldn’t. I had the stupid tee shirt on; she knew my name. I had to struggle through the rest of the hour swearing I wouldn’t subject myself to unhealthy golden age peer pressure ever again.
There is something to be said for enrolling in a class of younger women. It’s the fantasy factor. Sure, I can’t keep up, but I can envision myself as maladroit. On the other hand, when everyone around me is estrogen depleted and sagging, and worse, the instructor is the model of what I’m aiming for, it’s just depressing.
I don’t know what I was thinking anyway. My first clue should have been when one of these women passed out in the middle of “total body conditioning gold” the week before, got a nasty bump on her head from the hardwood floor when she went down, and lots and lots of sympathy from the rest of us.
So… how was your day?

The Wannabe Journal for August 2010

Joy B: In June we published the short story that Joy shared with us at our monthly meeting and since that time it has been published in the local newspaper in Yellow Springs. Here is another copy of the poem
Orange Lamborghini arrives in Yellow Springs
The orange Lamborghini screamed into town
Sailing past the grey and blue Subaru’s
Ten minutes late
but already ahead of everyone else
“Road hog,” the silver Civic jeered.
“Gas guzzler,” the white Prius scoffed.
“Tourist,” the beige Volvo sniffed.
But the orange Lamborghini knew…
It owned this town.

The Wannabe Journal for August 2010

Don P: has completed entering his father’s letters which total over 240. The sheer volume of text has created a book that is over 175 pages of reading material. What a wonderful start on a memoir.
His latest short story was read to the group. The piece is entitled Deborah 2. We have included a short portion of the story in this journal:


Deborah 2



She loved her job. It was easy, had a low level of supervision, and left her time to work on other things she enjoyed. These included writing fiction, playing bridge on the computer, or talking on the phone. She had been working on this job for four years now without any problems that required her to take action.
Her full name was Mary Deborah Alsinki, although she much preferred her middle name and ask everyone to call her Deborah or Debbie. She came from a long line of Government employees, all proud of the job they did, did it well, and happily retired to spend their time on their many hobbies.
She was currently working on her family genealogy in which she had found and documented several ancestors who had been royalty in the middle ages, including two Kings. She planned to publish this as a book and sell it to her relatives. Her job, meanwhile, was monitoring and managing the launch computers for two hundred ICBM missiles, each with a nuclear warhead that could destroy an entire town, including any of the largest cities in the world.
It had been a time of peace for the last ten years so the ICBMs and their warheads had only required the mandatory full operational checkup every three months. Part of the checkup procedure was to fully realign the launch coordinates on each and every one. This was a simple procedure which involved running the individual launch system on each missile through a series of coordinates and returning it back to its original setup. Each of the check coordinates was a large city in the USA. On the list were New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas/Fort Worth, Minneapolis, New Orleans, and on down to many medium size cities.
Deborah had assisted her superiors in running through this procedure sixteen times over her four years working there. She knew the process down to the last comma and period. She didn't even need a review, she understood it that well.
As the senior officials entered the room, Deborah greeted each one by name and asked about their well-being and their families. Each one responded briefly and moved to their positions preparing to start the check run. At a signal from the Colonel in charge, they looked towards Deborah and nodded for her to start the procedure.
Deborah reached down and pushed the blue button, watching to make sure everything started correctly. Once rolling all she had to do was sit back and keep an eye on things. After all the times she had been involved in this she stayed very relaxed throughout the test, letting her mind wander over other things that she had to get done after work.
All of a sudden there was a loud crashing noise and Deborah jumped, reached out and pushed herself up with her hands. As she looked around she saw that the sound had come from one of the Lieutenants accidentally knocking his chair over.
“That really scared me. I had no idea what had happened” Deborah remarked. She then looked back at her monitor. Her eyes grew large, her face flushed. The screen was flashing “Launch, launch, launch”. This had never happened before. The Colonel came running over, looked at the monitor, then at the console. “Oh my God. You hit the red button when you jumped up. That initiates full launch of all 200 missiles. We have to stop it.”
“We can’t” said a Captain standing beside him. “It is now fully automatic.”
“My God” said the Colonel, “what coordinates were in place when you hit the button?”
“I think it was Los Angeles. No, it was past that. Let me check and see. Ah ha, it was two steps past Los Angeles, so that would be Dallas.
Within hours all of the news media had screaming large headlines saying “Debbie Dooms Dallas”.