Halloween Bewares

           

            

Halloween night is a night for fun.

It can be fun for ever-y-one.

Don’t worry ‘bout ghosts and goblins and more

(It’s probably just your friends from next door!)

So put on your costume, your sweater, a mask

And go trick or treating, what more could you ask?

Now here are the rules and the reasons—beware!

When crossing the street, watch for cars coming there.

When it’s nearly dark, they cannot see you

So cross at the corners, beware what you do!

Can you see from your mask, or is it too hard?

(You’ll know if you fall before leaving your yard!)

Wear face paint and make-up on your face instead.

It’s great to be painted up blue, black and red!

And where are you going? Do your parents know?

It’s better to close friends and neighbors to go.

Come home when you’re finished

And check all your treats.

And anything loose, torn or dirty—don’t eat!

And beware, oh beware, whatever you do,

If you eat too much candy, you’ll be aching—Boohoo!

So go out and have fun on Halloween night

Trick or Treat, and be sure to be nice and polite.

Thank the people who treat you—you’ll do that, won’t you?

It’ll make Halloween happy—for them and for YOU!

 Zabriskie

The Holidays Are Coming!

     The holidays are fast approaching and like usual, I'm not ready.  Since I make most of the gifts I hand out to people, I really need to be working all year long.  I wait until the last minute then try to get about 60 gifts done in a month.  In between all this hustle and bustle, there are ideas floating around in my head that need to be put down on paper so I don't forget them.

     Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years are a great time to listen to people talk and come up with stories or an idea for a novel.  Or you could just have a couple of brothers come out to visit for a bit like mine just did and listen to them tell their stories that you've never heard before.  I started writing this and they called and said they were on their way out so now I'm trying to finish it.  We had a great visit with them.  Pizza for lunch and lots of talking and laughter.

     My brothers are all quite the pranksters and they love laughing so today I heard things that shocked me.  My husband took it all in stride so I wonder if he might have tried a few of my brothers stunts.  The brother that is younger than me had back surgery and can't work so he came up for the day to visit all of us.  It was so good to see him up and walking and enjoying life again.  He can't go back to work for some time and maybe never but he's still got his wonderful sense of humor.

     Listening to them talk about some of the gals they dated made me blush!  And I didn't know they had been in bar fights.  Every story brought a new shock for me.  I was the naive little sister that everyone shielded from the bad things in life.  Today I heard it all!

     The brother that's just older than me writes the most inspirational poetry.  He loves writing about family and his poems can bring tears to your eyes.  That's why I was shocked by his bar fight stories.  That was a side of him that I didn't know.  Hmm...wonder if there's a few stories to be written after what I heard today.  My youngest brother shared one of the other brother's sayings, "You're writing checks with your mouth that your feet can't cash."  I think he was referring to the fact that my little brother was always ready to fight the big guys.

     My husband and I really enjoyed our visit today with my brothers and hope to do this again sometime soon.  The next time, I'm going to be prepared and not be so shocked by their stories.

Karen Sperra

A Writers Prompt

I have always enjoyed being in writers group and I've been in several!  Seems there is always someone moving away and the group breaks up or someone new takes over and the group breaks up.  You never know what you're getting into.  I've learned new things from every group that I've been involved in so they  have always been a good experience for me.  One year a lady shared this writers prompt with the group and I enjoyed it and thought it was worth sharing with everyone else.  Give it a try.  Happy writing!


Setting: The name of a place you lived.

            Use one sentence to describe that place.

Characters:  One sentence about someone who lived there with you.

Point Of View: Think about how you felt when you lived in that place.  Again, use one sentence to describe those feelings.

Expand on the scene by describing outside that place-one sentence.

Expand on the scene by describing one room inside that place-use more than one sentence here.

Stay in that room and think about one time when you were in that room.  Describe what happened.

Take a memory through the years:  Think about how you felt then. Have your feelings changed?

Vary the exercise by choosing themes:  children, education, profession, faith, hobbies.

Reasons to write:  to record, for historical value, to share insights into unique experiences, self-discovery, to make money.

Library Book Sales

     My husband and I enjoy going to our library book sales that are held the first of April and October.  We both enjoy reading so this is a great time to stock up on books.  We joined the Friends of the Library so we could go on Sunday when they're not so busy.  There are table after table full of every kind of book imaginable.
     We found some of our favorite authors.  Marlin enjoys Clive Custler and Dick Frances.  I like Catherine Coulter's series with FBI Agents Savich and Sherlock.  I also enjoy the Sisterhood series by Fern Michaels.  Finding new authors that we haven't read before is always a treat.
     This year we found a book for our car fan son called "The Complete Book of Mustang."  He will spend hours looking at the pictures and reading about each car.
     I always manage to find a few books on writing that I add to my collection.  The one that really caught my attention was the Merriam-Webster Pocket Guide to Punctuation. (Second Edition)  I didn't know such a book existed but I know that I will use this book.  Often!  Here's what it includes:
          1.  Punctuation
          2. Capitals and Italics
          3.  Plurals, Possessives and Compounds
          4.  Abbreviations
          5.  Numbers
          6.  Quotations
          7.  Notes and Bibliographies
     Another book I found is called Researching Public Records by Vincent Parco.  He's a licensed private investigator and teaches college classes on "Researching Public Records" and "How to Get Anything on Anybody."  Sounds interesting, doesn't it?
     We always see friends there who are book hounds also and we spend time visiting. One of my friends found me a book called "How to Bulletproof Your Manuscript" by Bruce Henderson.  This is going to be a good book for a writer to read.
     I also bought the 2001-2002 Writer's Guide to Editors, Publishers and Literary Agents by Jeff Herman. This book is 917 pages so there's a lot of information in there.  It may be 10 years old but still very useful.
     While visiting with a friend, she got to telling me about an estate auction her and her friend went to a few years ago.  They had known the lady who's possessions were being sold.  They bought several boxes of papers along with other stuff and found out she was a closet writer.  The boxes were full of her stories and rejection slips.  My friend laughed and said the lady was a terrible writer but they admired her for the many hours she spent writing her stories.
     We got some great books  ($20 worth!)  and had a fun time visiting with friends.  Gotta love those book sales!

Karen Sperra

Books on a Writer's Shelf

                Fall is in the air, the heater is running in the home - "rainy days and Monday's always get me down," as Karen Carpenter sang back in the '70s. Autumn is actually my favorite time of year, but there are cold days that seem to dull the senses. After a hot summer, and busy family life, part of me is gung-ho to get back to business, but the other part is lazy and just wants some hot tea and a comfy blanket. So I've compromised and pulled out some of my cozy, yet inspiring and educational, books for writers. They gently massage the tired mind, and draw out a smile or two. I'll curl up in my recliner, drink some Earl Grey tea, and have my notepad and pen at the ready next to the stack of books. I really am working, but might as well be comfortable.

                First up - poets and poetry. Poetry is definitely a must for this kind of day. It engages the senses and stirs imagination as no other writing can. I know a lot of you don't care for poetry, but to me it is essential. The books I have out at the moment are especially kind to the non-poet reader/writer. As I said, this is a lazy, working day.

                Have you ever seen an original manuscript from one of the world's greatest writers, especially a hand-written one? What a wonderful moment! You feel a connection with the writer and their work, as though you were present while they crafted the pages that you see before you. If you ever have a chance to see an author's exhibit, please do. You'll come away inspired. Sorry, my mind floated back to the exhibits I've seen at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas in Austin. To view some of the online manuscripts, go        http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/             

                And what, I'm sure you are wondering, does this have to do with the books you were talking about? A book, "The Hand of the Poet: Poems and Papers in Manuscript" by Rodney Phillips and The NY Public Library, is what led to that interlude. Opening the book to any writer here, will give you and insight into their style and life. Scribbles, cross-outs, notations...an "exploration of the creative process" as Paul LeClerc  says in the introduction. Pick a favorite, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Robert Frost, Ogden Nash, or even Rudyard Kipling, and you'll gain insight to the works of these great authors.

                Frances Mayer's The Discovery of Poetry, is a "Field Guide to Reading and Writing Poems." The author of Under the Tuscan Sun shows her love of poetry through this beautifully written book. You can read the book for education, or just the poems as in an anthology, but it all comes together in an insightful, and delightful manner. My favorite instructive poetry book.

                Fooling With Words: A Celebration of Poets and Their Craft by Bill Moyers - This is a book of conversations Mr. Moyers had with poets, including Robert Pinsky and Stanley Kunitz. Poems and their inspiration are discussed, as well as the influence they have on each generation. Great for stimulation, and a touch of reality.

                I became so engrossed in re-reading sections of these books, that I've lost track of time...and word count. So if you will forgive me, I'll bid you adieu, but bring more book suggestions next week. Tea anyone?

Jerolyn Lockhart

Things Are Falling Into Place

Bring in the crops, all the crops from the field;
'Twas very good year and a plentiful yield.

Pick all the apples, can up the beans
Cook up the jams and splatter your jeans.

Watch the leaves fall, stoke up the fires;
Pull out the sweaters, and find the snow tires.

Fall is the season to look back and ponder
The planting and harvesting still is a wonder.

Fall bares the trees and clouds fill the skies;
Leaves die and fall - what a glorious demise!

Cattle plod down from the high mountain pasture
To winter and feed in a in a place more secure.

While the mountains foretell what we already know:
Winter's a-coming, the high peaks have snow.

So the skis are pulled out and rubbed smooth and slick
While skiers wait news of snow packed and thick.

Then the turkey is bought and dinner is planned
And every spare chair at the table is manned.

Every head it is bowed, each heart humbled low
Before the Creator of men, crops and snow.

And THANK YOU is uttered in many a place
Peace, joy and love illumine each face.

Pat Zabriskie c 1983

Composers Whims

     Haydn thought he couldn't compose unless he had on a ring which Frederick the Great had sent him.  He also thought the paper he wrote on must be white and the best quality available.
     Gluck felt he wrote his best when he was seated out in the middle of a field.  Rossini was most productive when drinking wine.  Mozart composed while playing billiards or bowls.  Zingarelli prepared himself for writing music by reading the scriptures or some classic author.
     Many of Beethoven's greatest works were inspired by the beauty of nature.  He composed best during or after a brisk walk in the woods or fields.
     Cimarosa wished to be surrounded by a dozen chattering friends.  He said the light conversation and the flow of "spirits" inspired his music.  Mehul once asked the chief of police in Paris to imprison him in the Bastille.  He said he wanted to get away from the noise and bustle of the city.  His wish was not granted.
     Wagner thought the only way he could be productive was to dress in the costume of the age and place in which the plot was set that he was working on.  He also wanted it completely quiet and wouldn't even let his family in to his study.  His meals were passed to him through a trap door.
     How do you write or compose?  One lady told me she  painted in the nude because that was the only way she could feel free enough to express herself.  Whatever works!  Keep writing!

Karen Sperra