July 20, 2017

MEMBERS PRESENT:

 Caren Von See, Amy Brailey, Katherine Flotz, Bob Philpot, Sharon Palmeri, Beverly Stanislawski, Marilyn Kessler, Haley Hardin, Neil Bedeker, Luneil Morrow, Diane Stratton, Lisa Groszek, Sharon Dorelli, Rebecca Juergens. Ronda Jeremiah-Garcia, Al Koch

WELCOME BACK: 

Two past members, Lisa Groszek and Neil Bedeker returned. Since we have many new members since they last attended, we did a round of introductions to get acquainted.

OLD BUSINESS:  

A vote of approval for the July 6, 2017 minutes was first given by REBECCA JUERGENS and seconded by CAREN VON SEE.

NEW BUSINESS: 

Amy Brailey attended the Lilly Grant Summer Conference. She applied for and received an Individual Artist Grant to help with research for her George Washington story. 

LITERARY NEWS: 

Rhonda Jeremiah-Garcia has published two books and is working a third. Al Koch is continuing his speaking engagements.

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM FOLLOW-UP ON SCREENPLAYS

CAREN VON SEE read her first attempt at writing a screenplay with the help of three associates. She wrote a four and a half page play based upon her short story DARK MOON RISING, a story about a young African boy who is sent out to prove his manhood and his ability to lead his nation.

BOB PHILPOT also read his first attempt at writing a screenplay. Zeb, the main character, stops at a country store in Hyder, AZ., to get some gas and food. While chatting with the crotchety owner a bristly Mexican man enters the store and delivers a cautionary message from his boss to Zeb.

NEIL BEDEKER read a segment from his screenplay, “TORCH KEY,” which starts out with Joe Dougan, in his vehicle in Jacksonville, Florida conversing flirtatiously with his dispatcher. Joe breaks off their chitchat to pull over a suspicious character with a tail light out. Following that Joe, feeling a bit jittering, pulls off the road behind a gas station and ends up trying to help a woman held captive in a van. In the altercation, he gets his left foot shot off.

TOPIC DISCUSSION:

BOB PHILPOT’S topic discussion was from page eight of the Writer’s Digest Booklet, titled, Breaking Out Today. His category was CREATIVE OPENINGS. His sample opening was a dialogue in which two characters asked questions of one another.

CAREN VON SEE passed out research on the five points under her topic: Unlock Writer’s Block from the Writer’s Digest booklet “BREAKING OUT TODAY” The five topics were:

1.      Focus and Theme: What’s it really about?  2.      Tone and approach: What kind is it?

3.      Scope: How narrow is yours? 4.      Chronology: Where (and when) do you start?  

5.      The hook: Who will read your work?

READINGS:

BEVERLY STANISLOWSKI read a delightful poem titled, “THE WOLF’S BANE.” The premise was that writers use characters from other children’s literature and poem.

AL KOCH read a wonderful story called, PARTING WORDS, about the moments when people say goodbye explaining that life is a series of beginnings and goodbyes; and no matter the numbers of years, we never quite get used to saying goodbye. After a change in his teaching position from a shop teacher to a special Ed teacher, Al’s taught his last class. He helped in the growth and developed of eleven extraordinary Special Ed students; this last goodbye was very poignant. 

KATHERINE FLOTZ read a heartwarming personification story, entitled “THE HOUSE ON THE LAKE,” about the lake house she had owned for over forty years and had just sold to a new family. She will see the lake house for the last time this weekend.

LISA GROSZEK read her two-page story entitled, “CLEAN FIND”, about a young man who was cleaning the house and wondering where his female partner was. As he cleaned, he wondered about why she had been distant lately. He learned why when he discovered a picture of her with another man. Shannon returned home to find boxes of her personal belonging in the driveway with the picture taped to the top box. 

HAYLEY HARDIN read three pages from her “fan fiction” piece entitle “KARMIC INTERFERENCE,” which is about Marie, Emily’s beautiful and engaging sister fussing at Emily being way too engrossed in the Harry Potter books. They were exact opposites in stature, looks and attitudes and were adversarial. 

LUNEIL MORROW read two and a third pages of her children’s book entitled “BARTY, THE VAMPIRE SLEUTH.” Barty is a young, new vampire who is just learning the ropes. He vacillates between human and vampire traits and is over zealous about learning. The story is full of comic relief and delightful.

AMY BRAILEY wrote another “prompt” story to be added to the book of prompts she is compiling for junior-high students. This story, “D.O.A.” is about a woman, Meagan, who wakes up and doesn’t know where she is or that she is dead.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:15 P.M.

Respectfully Submitted:

CAREN VON SEE