Sent: Sunday, September 24, 2006 12:01 PM
Subject: The Ram's Head Review

Hello Fellow Writers,
 
Good meeting Thursday night.
 
I started by reading Margaret Moffatt's writing bio to illustrate things to include in one. 
 
I read the latest letters from John Ireland down in California.  He and his wife may be heading back to New Zealand sooner than next spring.  Together they have lost more than 90 pounds with Jenny Craig.   Does that mean they can take extra suitcases when they fly?  John has an editor friend (I'm assuming that might be Lisa Rector?) looking at the first 50 pages of "Brown Girls" to see what re-writing might be needed to submit somewhere for re-publication.  And he says if we watch the current episodes of "Survivor" we can see the setting in the Cook Islands for his second novel "The Blue Beneath".
 
I used my 35mm camera to take pictures of members for posting on our website.  Will have them put on CD when I take the film in for developing.  The digital I have is very cheap and the pictures are sometimes blurry, so I wanted to use my good camera.
 
Then I shared the guidelines for the Sunlight "Together At Last" contest.  And I read the guidelines for submissions to Chatelaine, as I feel both Lynette and Susan have articles as well as the credentials for submitting to that magazine.
 
Nathaniel read another chapter in his novel, where the settlers are still traveling up river with many portages and lessening supplies.  The daily pemmican ration has to be cut back, which is very serious because of the hard rowing needed by the men all day long.  An Indian tells Declan white men have overhunted the land, and that the killings at York Factory were of cannibals.  They could not be allowed to survive as no one would trust them.  Declan was willing to learn from the Indians.  One Indian offered Declan his wife for the night, but as they copulate, he dreams of Rose.  (Nathaniel changed her name from Jessie to Rose.)  Meanwhile Rose goes each night to be with Alexander in his tent after her father goes to sleep.  After their love-making, she returns and lies down beside her father.  She has an inner turmoil between her conscience and lust.  Alexander thinks her father won't survive the journey, and that he wants his daughter to marry Declan.  Declan always does what he can to make sure Rose and her father have enough to eat.     There is a nice build-up here of the love triangle.
 
Ellie brought the beginning of another story to read, again untitled.  She read of a community that was miserable, and awaiting war.  Something was wrong and there were few travellers.  Syvald and his companions were attacked by nomads.
 
Gemma had a story she wants to send to Cup Of Comfort for a book they are doing with the Serenity Prayer as theme.  She wrote of a man attending his burned son in hospital after having cut him out of his life when the son got into drugs.  The father prayed, and then told the son they would start anew in their relationship.
 
Lynette had to leave early as she really wasn't feeling well with a cold she had caught.  And Ellie left, too, to tend to her dog. 
 
Susan, Nathaniel, Gemma and Bob stayed to hear me read Ch. 31 of my novel, where Fiona is helping her father prepare dinner on Easter Sunday and he tells her to prepare for extra guests.  She gets a call from Tanner asking if Cam found his hat, just when Cam and Miles come in from out back and the front door bell rings.  The party at the door is her brother's girlfriend who says she has a warning for Fiona from her brother.
 
Susan and Nathaniel both said they are attending the Surrey International Writers' Conference next month. 
 
Bob has joined the Vancouver Historical Society, which has their meeting the 4th Thursday of each month.  But since the meeting is in Vancouver at night, Bob said he will only go if the weather cooperates.
 
The next meeting will be here at my place on Thursday, Sept. 28th at 7:00 p.m.  Keep writing and hope to see you then.
 
Lisa