Tuesdays with Story

Tuesdays with Story
WRITER’S MAIL for August 13, 2011

Good Words from Way Back
“A water-clerk need not pass an examination in anything under the sun, but he must have Ability in the abstract and demonstrate it practically.” –Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) in Lord Jim (1899)

Fifth Tuesday: Counting Down to August 26 Deadline
Here’s your writing challenge: “That is so unlike me!” Write a story, poem, or essay in which the central character is so out of character . . . a pro football tackle who knits, a nun who is a blackjack dealer at Ho Chunk, a four-foot-nine guy who is an eating contest champion or the smallest sumo wrestler in the world. You get the idea. Maximum length: 400 words.

Start writing now. When finished – deadline is Friday, August 26 – email your mini-masterpiece to Pat Edwards.

Chris and Joe Lacey will host us at their country estate out by Cambridge, at 49 London Road. MapQuest says it’s a 37-minute drive east from Barnes & Noble Westside. MapQuest it for a map and directions . . . or just plug the Chris and Joe’s address into your GPS.

Start time is our usual 7:00 p.m. Yes, it’s potluck, so bring food to share. Also bring lawn chairs . . . and pointy sticks so you can roast marshmallows over the flames down at the fire pit.

Reading Recap: August 9 Meeting
Summer has taken us all on many different paths, but we converged again Tuesday night at Barnes & Noble West.

First up on the reading schedule was Jennifer Hansen, reading from Chapter 2 of her novel. Carol Hornung thought that Paige wouldn’t see her mother as “Doris,” that she should be referred to as “her mom.” Jack Freiburger felt the story would be well served if more distance was created between Paige and her mother physically, with more details describing the action. Jim Cue wanted a more visual creation of the scene. JenWilcher felt that the voice was too passive. Carol said there was a lot of solid back-story, but it could be spread out more.

Jumping into Cole Ruby’s “Champions” next…. Holly Bonnicksen-Jones really enjoyed the humor, though she felt the female character spoke in a very male voice. Description: Make it clear that the head is with the body as well. Carol didn’t like Ally. She felt Ally should be more interested in the mystery instead of just blowing off the cops. Rebecca Rettenmund wondered if she “was one of ‘them’.” Have us see her noticing things, Rebecca recommended. Some question on logistics, too, with the shooting – was Vice hit in the shoulder or the back? Would be hard to remove the bullet from the back.

Jack Freiburger read the next scene from Path to Bray’s Head. Carol felt there was a lovely balance of depth and humor. Holly wasn’t sure Sean would be as restrained with the woman he loves, naked in the tub. Carol wanted to see a sentence, just a mention, of the friends left stranded on the rock. Rebecca felt the word “cut” didn’t associate well with the sensation of warm water. Cole felt the epiphany was well-handled and subtle.

Carol Hornung brought in a scene from Sapphire Lodge. Jack wanted some more details about the lodge and its surroundings, maybe some flashes of color. Saffi is becoming protective of Finley, but we need an indication why, or at least lead up to it more. The cops would probably refer to each other by their last names, and a reason needs to be given to get Finley to go down to the station. Maybe they have something he needs to look at. Otherwise they can’t make him go.

Many thanks to Carol for the Reading Recap!

Read comments of other Second-and-Fourthers and leave your own for other authors at our Yahoo! Groups file-sharing website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Tuesdays_With_Story/files/

Who’s Up Next?
August 16: Pat Edwards (poems), Liam Wilbur (chapter Scott & Rory), Millie Mader (more of chapter 27, Life on Hold) Randy Haselow (chapter, Hona and the Dragon), Eileen Flanagan (chapter 1, The Seawife), Aaron Boehm (screenplay/part 10, Hell Cage), and Jerry Peterson (chapters 13 and 14, Thou Shalt Not Murder).

August 23: Katelin Cummins, Jack Freiburger, Emily Jones, Holly Bonnicksen-Jones (?) and room for two more. Please contact Carol to sign up (chornung88@aol.com).

September 6: Greg Spry (chapter 9, Beyond Cloud Nine), John Schneller (chapter, Final Stronghold), Jennifer Hansen (chapter 2, Shadows of Yesterday), Rebecca Rettenmund (journal entry), Liam Wilbur (chapter 4, Scott & Rory), and Jim Cue (short story).

September 13: Room for six! Contact Carol if you want to read!

Book Review: Foreclosure on Trial in The Fifth Witness

Come ride this roller coaster with defense attorney Mickey Haller, as he surges uphill, roars down, and whirls around the curves with astounding speed and acumen in Michael Connelly’s newest bestseller, The Fifth Witness. Mickey, the main character of Connelly’s 2005 hit The Lincoln Lawyer, plunges with us into the intricacies of the mortgage and foreclosure implosion. The Fifth Witness pits Mickey’s talents against a web of murder, Mafia, and personal violence.
The bad economy has hit Mickey in his wallet. Doomed to a frugal existence, he is depressed. Now the criminals, as well as the innocent, lack the funds to hire a lawyer. His office is still the back seat of a Lincoln Towne Car.
The mortgage crisis becomes his savior. Soon he is immersed in a full case load of home-loan inconsistencies. One case involves murder. The accused, Lisa Trammel, seeks Mickey to defend her. About to lose her Los Angeles home, she had become a protester, leading a burgeoning group of home foreclosure victims in a scheme involving marches, Facebook postings, and, ultimately, the murder of the senior vice president of the mortgage division of a West Coast bank. Now she stands accused. Habitually skeptical, Mickey nonetheless takes her case. He even rents an impressive office, although he still preferring his Lincoln.
Lisa is a pitiful, 5-foot-3-inch ex-school teacher, who tearfully proclaims her innocence. She weeps as if on cue. A fast paced ride begins, leading to Mafia connections, perjury and Mickey maneuvering one witness to “take the fifth.”
Woven into the novel are many colorful characters and edgy situations, finally hurtling us to the end of the ride — or is it?
Mickey is also involved in pursuing ex-wife number one. He now substitutes his past drink of choice – vodka and tonic – for tonic minus the vodka. Their daughter is 14 years old, and Mickey and Maggie are drawing closer. Maggie is Maggie McPherson — dubbed ‘Maggie McFierce’ by the court house regulars. She is an assistant DA of high standing.
` As we follow the trial and absorb all its legalese, Connelly maintains his adept manner of explaining the terminology within his text even as he keeps the story line rolling. We spin to an ending filled with unexpected twists. This novel is penned with an inherent dry sense of humor and insight. –Millie Mader

Writer’s Mail: Duty Roster
Join the editors of Writer’s Mail. Bring your own perspective. Here’s our roster to date:

August – Clayton Gill
September – Carol Hornung
October – Here’s your chance: Free experience!
November – Give thanks back to Tuesdays: Edit in November.
December – Uh-huh, Clayton again.
January – Make your New Year’s resolution today!

There’s are lots of months ahead, so please let this editor know you’ll volunteer: E-mail Clayton. Thanks and write again!

The Last Word: “To Do” Gist
Thanks to Jerry Peterson for “The Last Word”:

“People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.” –George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), Irish critic, playwright.