THE RAM’S HEAD REVIEW
NOVEMBER
18, 2006
Four brave souls ventured to
my place Thursday night for a meeting after that torrential rain and
wind storm we had Wednesday. My power was back on, but not my
phone. And Ellie came with her dog because her power was still
out down at her place on 0 Avenue. Nathaniel, Gemma and Lynette
also showed up.
I started by reading an email
I had sent my kids about surviving the storm on my own because Bryon
had been stuck on the Island when the ferries were cancelled.
Also read a writing exercise from a new book I had bought. It sparked
some ideas in me for my own novel. The exercise is to have your
main character find something totally unexpected which makes a dramatic
change in the character and the direction he is going.
Gemma brought one of her dog
stories from the book she is putting together. “Kuma, The Mighty
Akita” tells of the dog’s beginnings from the point of view of the
dog. Rather heartwarming.
Ellie read some more of Syvald
and companions. Through sign language, it was decided the young
girl would travel as a deaf mute, an assistant to Syvald. Her
hair was cut off and she wore more impoverished looking garments.
Syvald and Remios also disguised themselves. They saw strange
nomads on the move in both directions and decided it best to avoid them.
Nathaniel read the end of Part
I in his novel, which shows Alexander sneaking off with one Indian and
abandoning the brigade. Part II begins showing Alexander and the
Metis, Jacques, travelling by horse on the prairie. Alexander
chases and kills a mountain lion, but Jacques’ horse stumbles in a
gopher hole and must be shot. The two continue with only one horse.
The rest of the meeting was
spent discussing our experiences with the storm. With well water,
Lynette didn’t even have water when the power went off, because of
course, the pump shuts down, too. Nathaniel spent that time worried
about that massive tree right beside his house coming down. Ellie
said her neighbour couldn’t get her gas fireplace lit. Gemma
said she and her husband and both dogs slept together to keep warm.
I showed everyone my tiny book light that I read half a novel with as
I sat in the dark beside my fireplace. And another heavy storm
is forcast for tomorrow.
Chatting with my son, Sonny,
who designed our website and administers it, and he and his wife will
be out here for Christmas. (They live in Kingston, Ont.)
We usually take a break from meetings over the holidays as people are
very busy and some go away. But am thinking this year we could
have a meeting Thursday, December 28th and Sonny can join
us. I am sure there are some who would enjoy meeting him, and
he would enjoy meeting people he keeps reading about and who have sent
him photos and bios for our website. He also has some writing
he has done for the military he said he’s willing to share.
I said he could be our special guest, and he said please, keep it informal.
He just wants to be one of the group. So there you go, something
different for December 28th. Mark it on your calendar.
Next meeting will be here at
my place, at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 23rd, “The
Good Lord willing and the creeks don’t rise.”, as the saying goes.
Hope you can make it, but if the weather doesn’t co-operate, then
please, put your own safety first.
May the Muse be with you till
we meet again.
Lisa
P.S. My phone is still out of service.