Oct. 8, 2006
THE RAM’S
HEAD REVIEW
Greetings Ram’s Head Members:
Thursday saw 7 of us here for
our meeting. Jean was back from Israel, Bob was back from the
Historical Society (He’s our time traveler.), and Nathaniel was back
from a vacation from daily life.
Our first order of business
was to choose a motto for our website. I had typed out the 12
original entries we had received on one piece of paper and passed that
around, asking everyone to mark their choices of 1, 2 and 3. There
were 3 marks for first, 2 for second, and 1 for third choice.
After marking and counting the winner was:
HOOK,
LINE AND PRINTER
However, am going to ask Sonny if he can include the other suggestions at different places on our website, one here, one there, maybe at the bottom of a page, or a sidebar.
Thanks to all those who submitted
suggestions.
Ellie read first, some more
about Syvold who was disturbed after examining the bodies of their attackers.
He found the reproductive organs had been removed from these bodies,
both male and female. He was upset to realize they were only used
as fighting machines.
Jean read us her travel diary
“On Pilgrimage”. We were on the Air Canada plane with her
to Tel Aviv, and experienced her frustration at trying to use a calling
card with instructions in Hebrew after she arrived. She showed
us the lodgings where she stayed and told us of deserted streets during
the Jewish New Year. Her detailed descriptions were amazing.
Margaret read to us a piece
she wrote in 1995 called “Thorns Of Contention” about words
and phrases used and accepted in the past that are now considered racist
or sexist or politically incorrect. The word “nigger” in “To
Kill A Mockingbird” is now a serious “thorn of contention”.
What are we going to do, rewrite all classical literature?
Nathaniel read us another chapter
of his novel. The brigade is still traveling south but running
out of supplies. There are heavy rains, mosquitoes. It is
September, with winter just over the horizon. At camp one night,
the Highlanders and Indians get hold of a keg of rum. One Indian
beats on his wife and pushes her into the fire. Rose tries to
protect her, and Lochland tries to protect Rose. He gets stabbed
by the Indian, whose wife dies. The next morning they try to convince
Lochland to let the same Indian heal him from his stab wound and Lochland
is more than a little reluctant. The Indian goes to make a sweatlodge,
and forgets about having to dispose of his wife’s body. Then
there is disagreement between the settlers and the Indians about whether
the woman should be buried or put aloft in a tree, the usual Indian
custom. Underlying all this conflict is the insidious rumour that
the settlement they are headed for has all been dispersed, that there
will be nothing for them when they get there. This is all adding
up to an epic tale. Nathaniel said he would like more feedback
when he reads. He feels discouraged when we say nothing, but that’s
only because he gave us so much to think about. We’re all enjoying
the story immensely.
So far Nathaniel has not had
any definitive word from the agent who is considering his novel.
Stay tuned.
Susan’s Chapter 2 in the
Province mystery didn’t win, and so she then wrote a Chapter 3 and
sent it in. Again, I haven’t heard the result. She is
unsure at this point if she wants to continue spending that much time
on it.
However, she is rewriting “Select
Availability”, making Barley 16 years old this time. And Newton
is now his mother’s boyfriend, and so Barley’s dislike of him is
easier to understand. And she admitted it’s easier to have Barley
more self-centered as a teen than a young man. She said she hopes
to have the rewrite done by the time she attends the Surrey International
Writers’ Conference. And that’s only two weeks away.
Neither Bob nor I had anything
of our own to read.
Sonny’s work on the website
has slowed down a bit as he has some work to finish up this month for
his Master’s degree. However, that gives you a chance to compose
and send in your writing bios if you haven’t already done so.
Please consider doing that soon. Thanks.
Next meeting here at my place
on Thursday, Oct. 12th at 7:00 p.m. Keep writing in
the meantime and hope to see you then.
Lisa